FIBRE - RICH AND FAT - FREE
( CHOLESTEROL IS ONE OF THE MAJOR REASONS FOR HEART DISEASE)
Cholesterol is a fat that looks like wax,and under the microscope it appears as crystalline long,sharp needles. Cholesterol is synthesised in the body through a complicated process.After being manufactured by the liver, it is absorbed from the intestine and mixed with blood where it remains in solution along with other fatty substances. When blood flows under pressure,tiny droplets of cholesterol are forced into the inner wall of the blood vessels. It later gets precipitated in the vessel wall as needle - like pointed crystals resembling splinters of wood. Thus the role of cholesterol in heart disease is arteriosclerosis, which is a kind of hardening of the arteries caused by fatty deposits called plaques.These deposits contain 70 percent cholesterol. They clog the arteries and thus impede the flow of blood. The result can be angina or heart attack.
DIETARY FATS : Fats combine with cholesterol and proteins to form lipoproteins. Lipoproteins come in two types High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) having more protein than fat; and Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) containing more fat than protein. Whereas LDL carries fat and cholesterol to the peripheral tissues where they are used,HDL seems to collect cholesterol from the tissues and carry to the liver for excretion.As HDL clears excess cholesterol from the blood, it is called the 'good' choleterol and because LDL favours build up of cholesterol, it is known as 'bad' cholesterol.
IMPORTANCE OF PUFA :If your diet contains liberal proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids, it helps lower blood cholesterol This happens due to the polyunsaturated acids combining with cholesterol present in the blood to form cholesterol esters. These esters are transported more readily in blood in the form of bile salts into the gut. If your diet does not contain enough PUFA, the cholesterol is not disposed of.It may combine with other substances such as calcium in the body and form a deposit or crust along the walls of the blood vessels. Use of cooking oil that have a higher PUFA content such as safflower and sunflower oil,therefore, helps to keep the cholesterol level low/reduced. POLYUNSATURATED ACID (PUFA) CONTENT IN SOME EDIBLE OILS AND FATS: Fat or oil PUFA content (gm/100gm) Coconut oil - 2; Cottonseed oil - 50;Pure ghee - 4; Groundnut oil - 28;Corn oil -45; Mustard oil -25; Olive oil - 10; Safflower oil -75; Rice bran oil -35; Til oil(sesame/gingellyoil) - 42;Soyabean oil - 55; Vanaspati (hydrogenated oil- Dalda) - 6; Palm oil - 11 ( Source: Nutritive value of Indian Foods - NIN Hyderabad)
SOME DOS AND DON'TS : Foods low in cholesterol include all types of fresh fruits and juices, toned and skimmed milk, buttermilk,Carbonated beverages, coffee, tea, lemon water, egg white,fresh cottage cheese( made of toned milk),Skinless chicken,fish and lean meat, all types of seasonal root and leafy vegetables. Foods that could be avoided are Whole milk, ice cream and preparations of whole milk such as burfi, Indian sweets,cakes pastries,condensed milk and khoya, egg yolk, beef,glandular meats processed cheese,butter, cream,ghee,Dalda,deep - fried foods such as potato chips,pakora, vada,puri, samosa, soups made with butter, cream and dry nuts. Switch to boiling, roasting,baking, steaming food or cook with very small amounts of vegetable oils with a high polyunsaturated content. Eat a diet that is high in fibre, for it helps to flush out cholesterol out of your body.
Writer ....... LILY MADHOK THE HINDU NEWS PAPER.