High cholesterol is the leading cause of heart disease and stroke. Lifestyle changes and adapting some super foods in the diet can control cholesterol levels and increase health and life span.

Take an extra serving of butter on your paratha. Isn’t it yummy? Ah well! You can do another half an hour in the gym today.

Isn’t this a familiar story? The first part always happens but the second only rarely!

Well, beware of creating an imbalance of fat in the body. Cholesterol is a natural occurring substance and runs through the blood stream. Excess of fat consumed in the diet can raise cholesterol levels. It can be difficult to control cholesterol levels, with increased cholesterol leading to plaque formation in the arteries and hindering blood flow. A diet rich in cholesterol from food, hydrogenated fat, excess refined carbohydrates in the food can cause imbalance in the body by increasing the LDL- bad cholesterol, triglycerides, VLDL and total cholesterol. Causes where you need to control cholesterol can be stress, unhealthy diet- too much junk food, sedentary lifestyle, no exercise, hypothyroid and many related health issues.

To regain the road to good health, the following five killer ways can help control cholesterol:

• Omega 3 rich food: Omega 3 fatty acids are among the best-known sources to control cholesterol and reduce inflammation. Fatty fish, nuts such as almonds and walnuts, and flaxseed are all rich food sources of omega 3 fatty acids. These essential fatty acids are not produced by the body and can only be supplied by their rich food sources being included in the diet. For best results, I suggest including a cold pressed Flaxseed Oil capsules by BestSource Nutrition in the regular diet as it contains the balanced ratio of essential omega group fatty acids 3,6&9 that provide the best results. Along with other sources, this anti-atherogenic and anti-inflammatory product has benefits to improve skin, reduce pain, and maintains heart health, along with its powerful ability to control cholesterol.
• Soluble fiber rich foods: A diet rich in soluble fiber can reduce LDL cholesterol and atherosclerosis. All fruits, vegetables, seeds are particularly rich in fiber, which binds the cholesterol to throw it out of the body. However, foods specifically rich in soluble fiber are oats, chickpeas, lentils, pomegranate, figs, chia seeds, and flax seeds. A research published in Journal of Nutrition Metabolism London 2012; 9:8 has provided data of use of flaxseed oil with the ability to raise fecal fat discharge and control cholesterol. The fat bound and eliminated by the body was significant with use of flaxseed oil.
• Exercise: A daily workout of 60-90 minutes shows increase in HDL cholesterol. HDL is a fat scavenger, and this cholesterol helps eliminate LDL cholesterol from the body. Any cardio workout such as walking, cycling, swimming, jogging can increase blood circulation and improve blood flow to the heart. Low-impact workout can also help you to lose weight, with healthy weight loss resulting in fat loss and healthy levels of cholesterol in the system.
• Garlic and onion: These two vegetables from among our daily household foods are wonder products easily available around the year. Garlic reduces the bad LDL cholesterol levels, inhibits plaque formation and deposition, and controls blood pressure – which is a signal to heart ailment. A diet rich in garlic and onion is helpful as both these have sulfur-containing compounds, Allyl sulfides, which play a major role in preventing heart disease. Onion is particularly high in an antioxidant quercetin. It helps in increasing HDL levels and reducing LDL levels. Both these characteristics keep blood pressure at normalized levels and aid healthy blood circulation, which prevents blood clotting, plaque formation, and control cholesterol.
• Stress less: Managing stress can help you to control cholesterol. There is evidence that stress can increase bad cholesterol. Chronic stress releases the stress hormones cortisol, as an adrenalin response to the body’s fight-flight mechanism to deal with stress. This may result in increase in triglycerides and LDL levels. Controlling emotions using deep breathing techniques or meditation can help. Along with this, I suggest using Ashwagandha Root Extract capsule by BestSource Nutrition. This joint approach can help in lowering stress levels and help you prevent and manage stressful episodes in your day-to-day life.

These five pointers, along with healthy lifestyle, mindful eating, adequate rest, and proper diet enrich with flaxseed oil capsules, can help you laugh off routine troubles, and can-do wonders for your overall good health.