High cholesterol: Easy Ayurvedic tips and home remedies to reduce cholesterol
High cholesterol levels can wreak havoc on your heart health and increase risk of heart attack and other cardiac ailments.
Poor food habits, inactive lifestyle and lack of exercise could lead to unhealthy increase in cholesterol levels which could further impact many internal functions. To control cholesterol levels, Ayurveda offers a holistic approach which includes diet changes, Yoga asanas, breathing techniques, and herbal supplements apart from other useful techniques.
Cholesterol is a wax-like substance which the body makes for important functions like building cells, hormones and other vitamins. The problem starts when we accumulate excess cholesterol by eating fatty foods which the body is not able to remove and which ends up forming a plaque on our arteries causing blockages and impacting our heart health. While bad cholesterol does all the harmful things to your body, healthy one can help remove the harmful cholesterol from our arteries and prevent heart attacks and strokes.
“Ayurvedic treatments for high cholesterol consist of dietary restriction, massage, yoga, breathing techniques, behavioural modifications, exercise, cleansing, heat therapy, enemas, and herbal supplements. Ayurvedic practitioners usually create a treatment plan based on your individual needs,” says Nutritionist and wellness expert Karishma Shah in her recent Instagram post.
Here are some tips to manage cholesterol as per Ayurveda:
1. Dietary and lifestyle changes
To manage cholesterol, it’s crucial to manage Kapha. A Kapha balancing diet is essential in this case. Plus, a lazy lifestyle may not be healthy for cholesterol
2. Coriander seeds
Coriander seeds have long been finding their place in the list of various Ayurvedic remedies. This is because these seeds are rich in folic acid, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. These nutrients make coriander seeds an excellent remedy for pacing up your body’s detox process.
3. Fenugreek seeds
Methi seeds, a.k.a. fenugreek seeds have long been used to add flavour to food, but its use go beyond that. Fenugreek seeds have been used for their medicinal properties since ancient times. These seeds are rich in Vitamin E and have various anti-diabetic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties.
4. Reduce oil consumption
Palm oil and coconut oil are high in saturated fat which increases LDL cholesterol and risk of heart disease.