DOS AND DON’TS FOR LOWERING CHOLESTEROL

According to Ayurveda, cholesterol is the Meda dhatu(adipose tissue) and the lubrication that is present in the srotas (channels) through which there is the flow of nutrients and prana to the heart, lungs, kidneys,saptdhatus, and malas. This lubrication is healthy for the Tristambh (dosha,dhatu,mala) to function properly but if there is an AMA formation in the meda dhatu, it causes the blockage of these srotas and can cause the formation of high cholesterol. If the body is not cleaned of this AMA it starts accumulating in the dhatus and srotas leading to Amavisha that causes diseases like high cholesterol,hridya yoga,obesity, etc .To get rid of this we must take a diet for lowering cholesterol.

When a person hears about cholesterol the first thing that comes to mind is that it is a serious disease in the body, but having a certain amount of cholesterol is healthy for the human body. It is made by the liver and aids in the formation of healthy cells, hormones, vitamin D, and walls of cells, and tissues. But an increase in the amount of good and bad cholesterol can cause a risk of heart and brain diseases.

Ayurveda says that following a discipline of pathya and apathy in our dincharya, can help us to get rid of the consequences of cholesterol and Aamvish in the body. 

DO’S (PATHYA) DIET FOR LOWERING CHOLESTEROL

• EXERCISE AND WORKOUTS – Kapha imbalance makes a person live a sedentary lifestyle, lethargicness, inactivity, and unwillingness to exercise. So it is important to be regular with our lifestyle and exercise routines if we want to keep our cholesterol levels maintained. Any kind of physical activity like yoga, aerobics, brisk walking, jogging, running, and dancing is good for high cholesterol levels.
• FOODS TO BE TAKEN – All those foods and diet for lowering of cholesterol must be  bitter, pungent, and astringent by taste,then they will be helpful to remove the imbalanced kapha from the body. Bitter foods like bitter gourd, green tea,  kale, cabbage, spinach, and mustard. etc, Pungent foods like cinnamon,trikatu(black pepper,long pepper,shunthi), ginger, cloves.etc, Astringent foods like amla, turmeric, garlic, broccoli, apple, pear etc, Other than these cereals and pulses  like oats, millets, quinoa, wheat, mixed flour chapati, green moong dal, etc also help to treat high cholesterol levels.
• HEALTHY HERBS FOR CHOLESTEROL- Ayurvedic practitioners prescribe many healthy therapeutic herbs  for high cholesterol levels. Herbs like Amla. Triphala, Guggulu, Arjun, Haritaki, and many more can be taken as medications and also for prevention. GACULA and ZINGI PLUS are two herbal formulations that are made of therapeutic herbs like ginger, turmeric, amla, and many more, which work wonders if taken to control our cholesterol levels.

DON’TS (APATHYA)–

• Avoid taking foods that are bad for the heart and body like fried food, junk foods, sweet/salty foods, red meat, full cream dairy products, coconut oil, etc
• Anyone irrespective of having or not having high cholesterol should not lead a sedentary lifestyle. Not getting up at brahm muhurat and performing an exercise of any sort is unhealthy and tri dosha imbalance
• Quit(not reduce) smoking and alcohol consumption because they damage our vital organs and make it difficult for the body to make healthy cholesterol
• Obesity is a root cause of many diseases of the body that can lead to high cholesterol, PCOD, heart diseases, and bone/joint diseases-so weight loss is one way to maintain healthy cholesterol in the body
• Diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure act as fuel to cause a disturbance in the cholesterol levels of the body. They should be treated first and regularly monitored by the patient and his medical practitioner.

CONCLUSION

Cholesterol is not something that can be life-threatening if we follow the above-mentioned dos and don’ts in our daily regimen. Follow a disciplined achaar (food), vihara (lifestyle), and aushadh(medicines) routine and it will always be good for our body. The knowledge we get by following the Vedique Diet Plan and learning Vedique Nutrition Courses that are held at One Health will help us to guide our family and friends to live a bad cholesterol-free life.

What is the Vedique Diet?

Envisioned by Dr. Shikha Sharma, the Vedique Diet is India’s #1 Doctor-driven, scientific weight loss & disease management programme. It is an amalgamation of the best practices of science-backed Ayurvedic nutrition and modern nutrition. The programme follows the philosophy of the Ayurvedic understanding of body composition (Prakriti), and the way food and the environment react with our body.  The programme has helped over 51000 patients lose weight, fight diseases, and become healthier over the past 22 years.