High levels of poor cholesterol can increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Here are some dietary errors you can be doing on a regular basis.
Bad eating habits when paired with a sedentary lifestyle have numerous negative health effects. Even in moderation, your apparently innocuous indulgence in sweet and salty foods might increase your chance of developing high levels of harmful cholesterol. The growing body of research demonstrates how a sedentary lifestyle, a lack of exercise, and a diet high in fat raise the risk of heart disease, diabetes, fatty liver, and many other serious lifestyle illnesses.
Although not all cholesterol is harmful, it is necessary for our bodies to operate properly. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is eliminated from the body along with healthy levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or good cholesterol, which helps reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Triglycerides with low HDL or high LDL levels are the ones that can make people more susceptible to conditions like atherosclerosis, other metabolic illnesses, and even heart attacks.
Therefore, it’s crucial to exercise caution when indulging in fatty foods because their excessive intake might lead to a variety of lifestyle problems.
Clinical nutritionist Avantii Deshpaande lists the following seven unhealthy eating behaviours that might raise LDL cholesterol:
Eating baked goodies
Bakery products include things like cream rolls, pastries, cakes, and puffs. These dishes are cooked using margarine or vanaspati, which are rich in trans fats and hence raise bad cholesterol.
Consuming prepared meats
All frozen meats are preserved by smoking, salting, curing, or the use of chemical preservatives. Examples include sausages, salami, burger patties, bacon, and more. In addition to having high levels of harmful cholesterol, they are also carcinogenic. It is advisable to fully avoid them.
Snacking on fast food
LDL cholesterol levels are high in both Western and Indian fast meals, such as pizza and hamburgers. The use of products that are heavy in saturated fats, hot oil for frying, high-fat, high-carb, and low-fibre ingredients, as well as the preparation procedure, is what makes it unhealthy. These conditions include obesity, diabetes, PCOS, and an increase in cholesterol.
Eating fewer fruits and vegetables as part of a diet
The high fibre content in fruits and vegetables will assist us to lower our LDL cholesterol and raise our HDL cholesterol. Additionally, fruits and vegetables are a great source of phytonutrients, which are compounds with antioxidant characteristics that help the body flush out toxins and cleanse important organs like the liver, gut, and kidney. Make sure your diet contains 5 servings of both fruits and vegetables.
Eating things with little soluble fibre
In addition to softening the stools and binding to cholesterol to remove it from the body, soluble fibre removes water from the colon. Soluble fibre is abundant in oats, peas, apples, guavas, carrots, and citrus fruits. Make sure to incorporate them within the diet.
Consumption of processed food
Any food that is sold in packets and has a longer shelf life has likely undergone processing to lengthen its usable life. If the production and packaging circumstances do not adhere to any standards like HACCP or standard operating procedures, these items are known to raise bad cholesterol. Make sure you choose processed meals with caution and consume them as little as possible.
Consuming sweets and dishes rich in sugar
Packet fruit juices, goods containing high fructose corn syrup, everyday foods like white bread and even sweets occasionally have more sugar than fat. The body turns these carbohydrates into fat, which would raise negative cholesterol levels.
