I know there are lots of people struggling with higher cholesterol levels and the side effects of having elevated cholesterol. Everyone wants to find a way to reduce it, but they don’t have an idea of how to do this.

Let’s check how we can reduce the cholesterol in your blood and which foods will be contributing to cholesterol levels.

My cholesterol levels

During the COVID times, I was also confined to my home for 2 years. This led to a deteriorated lifestyle, with me staying up too late, waking up late, neglecting workouts, and paying less attention to my diet.

It’s clear that I gained almost 10+ kilograms. Upon checking my cholesterol levels, it was found that they had increased to abnormal values. While not extremely high, they were above normal levels. Furthermore, it was observed that the elevated values were primarily due to an increase in bad cholesterol (LDL). This assessment was conducted after 25 months of the COVID period.

The blood test served as a wake-up call, indicating that my body was lacking regular workouts, a balanced diet, and proper sleep. So, in September 2022, I recommitted to exercise, made a conscious effort to improve my diet, and focused on establishing better sleep habits.

After three months of embracing an active lifestyle once more, I had my blood checked again, and the results were extremely positive. My cholesterol levels had returned to normal values, and there was a significant reduction in the levels of bad cholesterol. This is why I’m sharing my experience here! It’s a testament to the positive impact that lifestyle changes can have on our health.

Why we need cholesterol

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that is found in all cells of the human body. It is a vital component for producing certain hormones, maintaining and creating cell membranes, and synthesizing Vitamin D.

The cholesterol is produced from two resources

• Liver
• From food that we eat.

The diet you consume has a high impact on your cholesterol levels. Foods rich in fat and oil can lead to an increase in cholesterol levels in the body.

Food that increases cholesterol are:

• Fried fruits
• Highly processed foods
• Coconut oil and oily foods
• Nuts such as cashew, badam
• Butters, milk products
• Red meat

Understand your cholesterol levels

So, now you have a clear understanding of cholesterol levels and can check if your cholesterol level is normal or not.

What all you need to is do a Lipid profile test from nearest laboratory in your location or you can use the help of some apps like Tata 1mg in order to do the same by collecting sample from your home.

Once you submitted the blood sample for cholesterol check, it may take up to 2-4 hours, depending on your panoramic to get the results. In your results, you will see the values related to cholesterol such as;

• S. Cholesterol/ total cholesterol
• H.D.L
• L.D.L
• V.L.D.L

Here, total cholesterol will be the sum of High Density Lipoproteins (HDL), Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL), Very Low Density Lipoprotein (VLDL).

First, validate the total cholesterol against the normal values mentioned in the same report. If you see, it is in abnormal values- then check which type of cholesterol (HDL/LDL/VLDL) contributes to high cholesterol level.

If LDL/VLDL values seems to be higher than the normal ranges, then you should take immediate action to reduce the levels. Because LDL, VLDL cholesterol is referred to bad cholesterol and this is one of the causes of heart disease as they will form a blockage in your arteries that pumps the blood to heart. And do consult a physician to proceed further.

As stated above, LDL, VLDL are referred to bad cholesterol, the HDL is sometimes referred to “good cholesterol” as they help to remove other form of cholesterol from your bloodstream and associated with only low risk of heart disease. Being said, if you see HDL value also very higher than the normal values, we need to take immediate action to reduce it.

Measures to reduce cholesterol

You have seen differences types of cholesterol in the above section, now we will see how to reduce the cholesterol effectively.

• Prepare a good diet: Exclude all types of processed food, fried foods, oils from your diet. It is okay to have some quality fat such as butter, fish, seeds et .
• Replace coconut oil with sunflower oil
• Exercise: This is an important action point if you already have high cholesterol levels. Because exercise will help to burn the cholesterol that is present in your bloodstream. So, the exercise must be a habit for you.
• Sleep: Make an average sleep of 6-7 hours depending on your age group. And try maintain the quality sleep as well.

Takeaway

• Cholesterol is a required substance in the body to build cells. Some cholesterol is produced by body, and remaining cholesterol should be provided from the food.
• There is a number of side effects for high cholesterol levels.
• There are good cholesterol and bad cholesterol known as HDL and LDL respectively.
• Cholesterol needs to be checked at least once in an year.
• Cholesterol can be tested by submitting your blood samples in your nearest laboratory
• Cholesterol can be controlled by good diet, exercise habits.
• Replace minimum one meal with oats, replace coconut oil with sunflower oil etc will help to reduce the cholesterol levels