2016-01-22-food-cholesterol

Knowing the difference can benefit you

We’re now on our fourth Friday of the New Year and for many of us that means we need to actually start pushing through with our New Year resolutions. A rough estimate of about 45% of people worldwide commit to a New Year resolution. Among the most popular commitments are to exercise more, stop smoking, and of course a popular one is to lose weight.

2016-01-22-food-cholesterol-inside-image

Without a doubt what we choose to eat affects our long-term health and wellbeing. The advice given to most people can be somewhat misconstrued or contradictory depending on how big companies attempt to market their products.

One helpful tip that can help you achieve that New Year resolution is to simply know your cholesterols. Yes there is such a thing as ‘Good vs. Bad’ cholesterol, and I’ll discuss briefly what each of them is and how they affect our bodies.

Cholesterol by definition is a compound of the sterol type found in most body tissues, including the blood and nerves. Cholesterol and its derivatives are important constituents of cell membranes and precursors of other steroid compounds, but high concentrations in the blood (mainly derived from animal fats in the diet) are thought to promote atherosclerosis.

What does this mean?

Well, in other words cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that is found in your body. Cholesterol is used to make hormones, vitamin D, and digestive enzymes. Take note that your body already makes ALL OF THE CHOLESTEROL that your body needs.

Cholesterol is not dissolvable in your blood and is transported through the bloodstream by carriers called lipoproteins. The two types of cholesterol are LDL (bad) and HDL (good).

LDL (Bad) Cholesterol
LDL stands for low-density lipoprotein. These are considered bad cholesterol because it adds a thick deposit of plaque which clog your arteries and make them less flexible. The condition is also known as atherosclerosis. This condition can cause heart attack and stroke.

Some food items high in LDL are butter, margardine, beef fat, pork fat, chicken fat, cheese, milk, cream, yogurt, coconut oils and creams.

HDL (Good) Cholesterol
HDL stands for high-density lipoprotein. These are considered good cholesterol because it actually helps remove LDL cholesterol from arteries. Experts now believe that HDL cholesterols actively target LDL and lead them away from arteries and back to the liver. Having a healthy level of HDL Cholesterol is a good way to help protect against heart attack and stroke.

Some foods items high in HDL are oatmeal, oat bran, kidney beans, apples, pears, barley, and prunes.

Triglycerides
Triglycerides are a type of fat that store excess energy from your diet. High level of triglycerides also contributes to atherosclerosis and elevated levels can be caused by obesity, lack of exercise, smoking, or excess alcohol consumption. People with high triglyceride levels also have high total cholesterol level ,and many people with heart disease and diabetes also have high triglyceride levels.

Lp(a) Cholesterol
In addition to the two main cholesterols, there is a genetic variation called Lp(a) Cholesterol which is a variation of LDL cholesterol. A high level of Lp(a) adds a significant risk for the premature development of fatty deposits in arteries. Though Lp(a) isn’t fully understood one should take caution in digesting foods high in Lp(a).

At the end of the day, I have crated my own philosophy about eating, and that is it is okay to eat a little of everything instead of over indulging on any one particular item, and of course to get plenty of exercise.

#y101fm #alwaysfirst #food