If you’re worried about egg consumption because of their cholesterol content, or if you feel like no one is providing enough answers to your questions, there are a number of things you could do as part of a generally healthy lifestyle:
- Keep a moderate consumption! No dietitian can emphasize the message of moderation enough because it’s hard to go wrong with moderation. Your body needs food to thrive, and any food could be medicine or poison depending on how much is consumed.This is the reason the GDA recommends an egg a day as part of a total balanced diet. Your total fat intake is also something to be moderate about in the grand scheme of events, and not necessarily just your cholesterol intake. You could use cooking methods like boiling and grilling to reduce your total fat intake and eat lean meat instead of the fatty cuts.Remember that added sugars are also a culprit in cholesterol production, so keeping intakes at about 24 g (translates to 6 teaspoons) or less a day is recommended (this is the general recommendation for women, for men it’s about 9 teaspoons).Moderation is always key! The only time strict restrictions become necessary is when you have a medical condition that demands that you totally avoid a substance or reduce its intake. In this case, your dietitian will work with you and your doctor to construct a meal plan tailored to your individual dietary needs.
- Eat whole grains, fruits and vegetables as part of your meals every day. These are good sources of fiber, which can help reduce the amount of cholesterol that your body absorbs from the food that you eat, as well as the amount of cholesterol produced by your body.Whole grains include wheat, brown rice and oats. If you find it hard to eat brown rice because you are not used to the taste, you could add some wheat to your white rice to boost the fiber content, or have a side of vegetables with your meal. Making little tradeoffs everyday goes a long way to increase your overall health.
- Stay active. You could do this either through structured exercise or by finding ways to increase activity levels through everyday chores. Walk to the market, if it is within a reasonable distance, instead of driving or taking a trotro or taxi. Join fun activities you love like dancing. I personally recommend Zumba sessions to my clients who find the gym too intimidating.Taking a 30-minute walk 3 times a week could also be a good start. If you don’t feel safe in your neighborhood, you could do this indoors regardless of the size of your room. Just keep walking around your room till you hit your target. You could also get a skipping rope if you’re up to it.
- Minimize stress if you can. Many articles hardly emphasize the effects of stress, in its entirety (physical and emotional or psychological) on the body’s health. While it may be difficult to avoid stress due to the daily hustles of life, how you react to stress can have a huge impact on your health.Practicing relaxing techniques is the first step. Also, you should not skip meals on account of your work schedule as this can lead to physiological stress. If this is happening often, you could benefit form packing your lunches from home or ordering from trusted vendors who are mindful in their cooking methods like using less oil and salt.
Always remember that your general health and wellbeing in not dependent on a single food but is a function of the combination of all the things you eat, as well as your overall lifestyle and individual health needs. It is good to keep this in mind when making dietary decisions.