15th-century historian and author, Thomas Fuller once said, “Health is not valued till sickness comes”. This quote stands true ad infinitum. Even though we have all the knowledge and awareness just a click away, we often ignore the healthy lifestyle. Consequently, obscure health hazards become discernible. One thing that we all know but often ignore is Cholesterol.
People always consider cholesterol to be bad for the body, however, whether the cholesterol will benefit harm, mainly depends on what kind of cholesterol is increasing in your body. There are two types of cholesterol found in our body- HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein ) and another one is LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein).
What is good cholesterol?
Being essential for the body HDL is also called good cholesterol. HDL not only helps to remove excess cholesterol from the blood but also reduces the chances of health hazards like a heart attack or stroke.
If people with obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes have better HDL levels, then they get a lot of benefit from it. Now, when we know the importance of HDL, it is pertinent here to address the question, how to increase good cholesterol?
Physical work out:
Physical workout has innumerable health benefits, increasing HDL is one among them. Exercise or physical activity regularly in any form increases the amount of good cholesterol in the body. Moreover, it cuts down the amount of bad cholesterol in the body.
Consuming MUFA Rich Oil:
Cooking oil directly affects the amount of cholesterol, so you should also pay attention to your oil. To increase the amount of good cholesterol in the body, MUFA or Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acid rich oil should be included in the diet. For this, you can use virgin olive oil in food. However, if you cannot use such oil regularly, keep in mind that you do not reheat regular cooking oil multiple times. When oil is heated repeatedly, its color changes and it turns into trans fat. In this way, instead of good cholesterol, it increases the amount of bad cholesterol in the body.
Fish can be helpful:
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This is not for everyone, but if you are a non-vegetarian and want to increase the amount of good cholesterol in the body, then you should include fish in your diet. You can consume fish two to three times a week. It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and has many other health associated benefits.
Eat purple foods:
Anthocyanins are present in purple color vegetables and fruits. These fruits are good for the body. If you want to increase the amount of good cholesterol in your body, then include purple-colored fruits and vegetables in your diet. You can also add red-colored fruits and vegetables to your diet. In purple foods, you can choose from eggplant, blueberry, blackberry, black grapes, and purple cabbage.
Say no to packaged foods:
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Packaged foods adversely affect our health and are responsible for the deposition of bad cholesterol in our bodies. Chips and packed fried snacks have become an inseparable part of our diet. These foods contain artificial trans fat and their consumption increases the amount of bad cholesterol in the body. So, you must avoid these foods as far as possible.
