Health Guide: Food Items That can Help Keep Cholesterol in Control
Ahealthy lifestyle carries endless benefits including reduced risk of diseases, health conditions, improved mood and overall well-being. Maintaining a balanced diet can help a person manage cholesterol levels. High Cholesterol levels in an individual can cause heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. To maintain cholesterol levels, you must incorporate healthy eating, weight management, and regular physical activity in your daily routine. Adding these food items to your diet can reduce cholesterol and improve your heart health
Avocados: Avocados are incredibly beneficial for maintaining cholesterol levels. The presence of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats in avocados helps lower blood cholesterol levels, thus making it a heart-healthy food.
Dried fruits: Nuts, especially walnuts and almonds are highly nutritious. Walnuts are rich in a plant variety of omega-3 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fat. Almonds are high in L-arginine, an amino acid that helps your body make nitric oxide, which further regulates blood pressure.
Oats: As per a study by the National Library of Medicine, consuming oats can lower the total cholesterol level in a person by 5% and bad LDL cholesterol level by 7%.
Fruits: Fruits including apples, grapes, strawberries, and oranges must be included in your diet to regulate cholesterol levels. Fruits are rich in pectin, a type of soluble fibre that lowers LDL.
Dark chocolate: Dark chocolates and cocoa products have proven to reduce bad LDL cholesterol. However, chocolates are often dense in sugar which is why one must be careful of the intake.
Tea: Black tea, white tea and green tea consist of similar properties and health effects. Compounds like catechins and quercetin present in tea are highly beneficial. Catechins are mainly responsible for healthy blood pressure as they help in activating nitric oxide. Whereas quercetin is accountable for improving the function of blood vessels and lowering inflammation.
