India is the land of turmeric, garlic, whole grains and lentils – its health benefits, especially the material celebrated globally for heart health.

Nevertheless, contradictoryly, the country also suffers from the increasing burden of lifestyle diseases, including high cholesterol, even in those who do not eat daily processed junk.

So what has gone wrong?

Doctors say that the problem is not what we eat, but how we prepare it and consume it.

Insicular Cardiology, Senior Consultant, Senior Consultant, Senior Consultant, New Delhi at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, New Delhi says, “It’s a contradiction that the way we prepare and what we mix is ​​not material.”

Healthy foods, unhealthy habits

According to Vandana Verma, head of dietary diet at Sir Gangaram Hospital, India’s food culture is rich in nutrition with millet, pulses, spices and vegetables, which produces many food basis. But this ability is often lost due to cooking practices that damage their nutrition profile.

“Even the nutrient-rich ingredients lose their benefits when they are added with harmful cooking and eating practices. Deep fry, reuse oils, and replace nutritious foods in cholesterol-cooked foods using full-fat dairy and sophisticated carbohydrates,” she explains.

She throws light on many problematic habits:

• Re -used oil
• Excessive fry of snacks and meat
• Part overload with carbs and fat
• Chutney
• Cream, ghee and vegetation saturated fats overload

These habits, inactivity and late night dinner create an ideal storm for increasing cholesterol levels.

Cholesterol and hidden markers

Cholesterol is not naturally bad. It is a waxy substance that helps in the manufacture of cells and hormones.

It travels through bloodstream in the form of LDL (low density lipoprotein) and HDL (high density lipoprotein).

• LDL is the “bad” type that accumulates cholesterol in the artery walls.
• HDL is the “good” type that removes cholesterol from the bloodstream.

“LDL puts down cholesterol, is harmful to the heart. HDL relieves it, is beneficial for the heart,” Dr. Singh says. “It is important to keep LDL levels low and HDL level high.”

But the doctors are now looking beyond LDL and HDL. Dr. Leo explains four other important markers that reveal a more complete picture of heart risk:

• Non-HDL cholesterol
• Apolipoprotein b (APOB)
• Lipoprotein (A) or LP (A), especially in those with family history of early heart disease
• Small, dense LDL particles that are more likely to enter artery walls

“These hidden markers often explain why some people with ‘normal’ LDL still face cardiovascular issues,” they say.

Kitchen treatment is real, if you use them correctly

Experts agree that the Indian kitchen is still one of the best places to start management of cholesterol, provided it contacts it correctly.

Dr. Singh recommended the mixture of oats, fruits, vegetables five serving, 30 grams of mixed nuts and green tea.

“Together, this combination can naturally reduce LDL by 20–25%,” they say.

Vandana Verma echoes this scene, lists foods that reduce natural cholesterol:

• Oats, apples and linseed -soluble fiber
• Sterols from nuts and seeds
• Omega -3 fatty acids from walnuts, flaxseed and oily fish
• Garlic and Green Tea, Known for Compounds that support their heart
• Whole grains and soy products that support lipid control

She says, “Our inheritance is the answer. The target is not to eliminate fat but to make clever options, grills instead of deep fry, control the control parts, use less oil, and avoid sophisticated sugars and carbs.”

Finally, the management of cholesterol is not about trendy superfoods or extreme diet.

It is about finding and respecting the logic behind traditional ingredients and cooking methods.

“Our diet has the ability to protect the heart. The solution lies in telling how we cook and consume, not what we prepare,” Dr. Singh said.