Christmas Day is just around the corner. It’s time for you to gather with your family and closest people. You can use this day as a time to eat delicious dishes. For example, curry, rendang, and sweet snacks. Be careful, don’t consume too much. Keep your cholesterol levels in check.
The reason is, the types of food mentioned above tend to be fatty and high in calories. Your cholesterol levels may immediately increase when Christmas is over. Of course, you don’t want to suddenly get sick during the holidays, right? Try doing the following ways to keep cholesterol levels normal. A List Of Delicious And Healthy Christmas Specialties
Dangers of High Cholesterol Levels
Cholesterol is actually a natural component found in human blood. The body produces this compound to digest food, produce hormones, and produce vitamin D. However, apart from being produced in the body, additional cholesterol is also obtained from the food you consume.
When you eat too many foods with cholesterol, fat will accumulate on the artery walls and contribute to plaque that clogs the arteries. When plaque builds up, it becomes more difficult for the heart to circulate blood and oxygen. This may cause chest pain or shortness of breath with increased activity (angina).
Over time, the plaque buildup makes the arteries narrow. After that, it can block blood flow to the brain or heart. This condition puts you at risk for heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Meanwhile, in general, there are two types of cholesterol, namely:
- High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is also known as “good” cholesterol. High HDL levels can help reduce the risk of heart and blood vessel disease.
- low-density lipoproteins (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol. This type of cholesterol is often associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
Unfortunately, many of the foods served at Christmas contain bad cholesterol. Call it rendang, curry, pineapple cake and chocolate cake. If you don’t control it and go too far, your cholesterol could spiral out of control.
Fortunately, there is a middle way to overcome your anxiety. To keep cholesterol under control at Christmas, four tips can be used as a guide.
1. Start with Healthy Foods
Various Christmas dishes are usually served at lunch. Therefore, starting the day with a healthy breakfast, such as oatmeal, fresh fruit, and nuts, is a good thing.
These are some cholesterol-lowering food ingredients. So, when facing high-cholesterol foods during the day, you don’t feel too guilty because you already have “savings” in the morning.
2. Choose a Smaller Plate
This trick may look funny. However, this method is considered quite effective and successful. Instead of using a large wide plate, choose a smaller plate. Next, fill it with food and eat slowly.
Chew your food slowly and don’t think about what you want to eat next before finishing what’s on your plate. When you chew quickly, you will refill more quickly. Eventually, you’ll eat more!
3. Take a leisurely walk after lunch
Physical activity is always recommended for people who are being treated for high cholesterol or maintaining cholesterol levels in their blood. For this reason, after eating the Christmas meal, don’t just sit down. Take a leisurely walk outside the house, while looking around, and enjoying the weather.
Invite friends or family to make your leisurely walk more enjoyable. When you invite one or more people, you will chat and laugh more. These two activities are known to burn calories.
4. Consume Food Supplements
You can take supplements to keep cholesterol normal. However, it is recommended that you consult a doctor before taking these supplements.
Keeping cholesterol within safe limits at Christmas is very important. Even though the dishes served are very delicious, you have to limit yourself, OK? Hopefully, the tips above can be a guide for you to stay healthy this Christmas. Merry Christmas!