Hypercholestrolemia - Remedies

As discussed earlier about high blood cholesterol levels in blood and how it is harmful for your heart health, now we will discuss about how these cholesterol level can be controlled.

Blood cholesterol levels can be maintained in the following simple ways:

• Choose oil instead of ghee in your daily cooking. Restrict fat consumption to 3 tsp per day.
• Choose cholesterol cutting food items to include in your diet.
• Choose whole grains like whole wheat flour, oats, bajra, jowar etc. over refined cereals like maida, semolina etc. as the former binds with fibre and helps to decrease blood cholesterol levels.
• Replace full fat dairy products with their low fat counterparts.
• Indulge in an exercise programme regularly. It helps improve blood circulation and also destroys the excess bad cholesterol.

Power foods to aid in controlling high cholesterol levels:

Here are a few remedies for controlling high cholesterol levels:

Food item	Effects	Recipe
Coriander Seeds	Coriander seeds help lower the levels of total cholesterol, LDL (the ‘bad’ cholesterol), and triglycerides. Coriander seeds also have hypoglycemic effects and can be useful in diabetes management. Coriander seeds powder can be made by simply dry roasting the coriander seeds and grind them to make the powder.	1.       Add two teaspoons of coriander seed powder to one cup of water. 2.       Boil the mixture and then strain it. 3.       Drink this once or twice a day. You can add milk, sugar, and cardamom to it and use it as a replacement for your regular tea.
Onions	Red onions are beneficial in dealing with high cholesterol. They help reduce bad cholesterol and elevate good cholesterol levels. This, in turn, lowers the risk of developing heart disease.	1.       Mix one teaspoon each of onion juice and honey. Drink it once daily. 2.       Add one finely chopped onion and one-quarter teaspoon of pepper to one cup of buttermilk. Consume it on a regular basis.
Indian Gooseberry	Indian gooseberry, or amla, acts as a natural hypolipidemic agent, which means that it promotes the reduction of lipid concentrations in the serum. This fruit has antihyperlipidemic, anti-atherogenic, and hypolipidemic effects.	1.       Mix one teaspoon of Indian gooseberry powder, or dried and powdered Indian gooseberries, in a glass of warm water. 2.       Drink it daily in the morning on an empty stomach.
Apple Cider Vinegar	Apple cider vinegar helps lower your total cholesterol and triglyceride levels. In addition, it is a great home remedy for a number of ailments including acid reflux, high blood pressure, gout, upper respiratory infections, and others.	1.       Mix one teaspoon of organic apple cider vinegar in a glass of water. 2.       Drink this two or three times a day at least for a month. You can gradually increase the amount of apple cider vinegar to two tablespoons per glass.
Orange Juice	Drinking three cups of fresh orange juice daily can be a great help in reducing blood cholesterol levels naturally because it is rich in vitamin C, folate, and flavonoids.	Drinking 750 mL of pure orange juice daily can increase HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and decrease the LDL/HDL ratio in hypercholesterolemic patients. Orange juice fortified with sterols is even better.
Coconut Oil	Though counterintuitive, coconut oil is considered a beneficial home remedy for high cholesterol, even though it is a saturated fat. Coconut oil contains lauric acid that helps increase HDL (the ‘good’ cholesterol) and improves the LDL/HDL ratio.	Add moderate amounts of organic coconut oil to your diet. You can have one to two tablespoons of this oil daily. Do not use refined or processed coconut oil.
Oatmeal	Enjoying a bowl of oatmeal is an easy yet effective way to reduce your cholesterol levels. It is full of soluble fiber and reduces the absorption of cholesterol and lowers bad cholesterol levels.	One and one-half cups of cooked oatmeal or one cup of oat bran contain approximately three grams of soluble fiber, beta-glucan. You can also add fruits and nuts such as apples, bananas, strawberries, and walnuts to your oatmeal for added health benefits.
Fish Oil	Fish oils and fatty fish such as mackerel, tuna, trout, herring, salmon, bluefish, sardines, and the like are packed with omega-3 fatty acids. They help lower triglycerides (fats in the blood) and prevent heart disease.	Consume about one to four grams of fish oil per day. If you have adopted a vegan or vegetarian diet, then include ground flaxseeds, which are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, in your diet.
Red Yeast Rice	Red yeast rice contains compounds known as monacolins that inhibit cholesterol synthesis and hence help lower cholesterol. Simply put, it is rice fermented by red yeast (monascus purpureus). Besides, some red yeast rice products may contain lovastatin and other chemicals that may cause side effects. It is best to consult your doctor before you start taking them. Do not take these supplements during pregnancy, breastfeeding or when suffering from liver problems.	You can get red yeast rice tablets from pharmacies or health food stores. For high cholesterol, take 1200 to 2400 mg of the supplement once or twice daily.
Nuts	Walnuts, almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, pecans, and other nuts and seeds are useful in controlling high cholesterol because they are rich in plant sterols and fiber. Walnuts, in particular, have been found to help lower total cholesterol and triglyceride levels.	Enjoy a handful (one and one-half ounces) of delicious roasted nuts regularly; but do not overdo it. Also, increase your consumption of whole grains and other high-fiber foods.
Garlic	1 to 3 cloves of garlic has been proven to reduce the cholesterol levels in the blood thereby preventing the hardening of arteries.	Garlic chutney
Fibre rich fruits and vegetables	Fruits and vegetables like orange, guava, cluster beans, green peas, unpeeled carrot etc. help to keep the blood cholesterol levels at bay due to their high fibre content.	Fruit salads and vegetable salads, vegetable preparations

Post by Faiz Lahori

Heart Attack

A heart attack (medically known as myocardial infarction) is the death of the heart muscle due to sudden blockage of a coronary artery by a blood clot. It occurs mainly due to the rupture of a vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque. It occurs when blood flow to a part of heart is blocked for a long time leading to damage and death of the heart muscle. Injury to the heart muscle causes chest pain and chest pressure sensation.

A lot is seen and heard about heart attacks from family and friends and our all time favourite Bollywood movies, but understanding the graveness of the condition let us try to explore this topic better in the light of dietary management.

Myocardial Infarction (MI) is of two types –In one type, MI extends through the whole thickness of the heart muscle and is a result of complete occlusion of the blood supply associated with atherosclerosis; this is known as Transmural MI. Another type involves a small area in the left ventricle and ventricular septum and is a result of locally decreased blood supply associated with narrowing of coronary arteries; this is known as Subendocardial MI.

Most heart attacks are caused by blood clot that blocks one of the coronary arteries which brings blood and oxygen to the heart. If the blood flow is blocked, the heart is starved of oxygen and heart cells die. Other causes of Myocardial Infarction are Diabetes, High blood pressure, Dyslipidaemia, Obesity, Stress, Alcohol, Tobacco smoking, Family history and Atherosclerosis.

Image Courtesy:http://www.healthhype.com/causes-of-arm-pain-right-left-hand-upper-limb.html

Chest pain is the most common symptom of heart attack. The pain may be felt in only one part of the body or it may move from chest to arms, shoulders, teeth, neck, jaw, belly area or back. The pain can be severe or mild and it can feel like a tight band around the chest, bad indigestion, something heavy sitting on chest and squeezing or heavy pressure.

Other symptoms of Myocardial Infarction include shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, palpitation anxiety, sweating, cough, fainting, light headedness and dizziness. Approximately one quarter of all Heart Attacks are known be “silent” i.e. without chest pain or other symptoms.

Myocardial Infarction can be effectively managed with diet, exercise and weight reduction among patients to reach serum lipid goals.

A diet consisting of grains, cereals, legumes, vegetables, fruits, lean meat, poultry, fish and non-fat dairy products is recommended to manage myocardial infarction.

NUTRIENT	NOTE
Calories	Lower Calorie Intake, Energy input should be equal to energy output.
Carbohydrates	Reduction of total Carbohydrate and restriction of sugar are important.
Fats	Total fat content should be reduced to about 30 to 35 % of calorie. The content of polyunsaturated fats must be increased and that of saturated fats strictly limited. Ratio should range from 1:1 to 2:1.
Cholesterol	Restrict to 300mg per day.
Dietary Fiber	Pectin, gums and soluble fibers have serum cholesterol lowering effect. Wheat bran lowers both cholesterol and Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.
Calcium	Calcium supplementation produces a small decrease in LDL cholesterol.
Vegetables and Fruits	5 to 7 servings per day

Dietary advice should be broadly aimed at low fat intake and high in antioxidants. A list of common foods which can be included and excluded from the diet are enlisted in the following table:

To know more about the types of fat checkout the Nutri-knowhow column article on Fats.

Post by Faiz Lahori