To remember which cholesterol is good and which is bad, think of LDL as lousy cholesterol, and HDL as healthy cholesterol. As a further reminder, “lousy fats,” the ones that are saturated orhydrogenated, contribute to lousy cholesterol. For most people, about eighty percent of the cholesterol in their blood is made by their own body, with the rest coming from their diet.
In fact, your body needs cholesterol so much that it makes around 3,000 milligrams per day that’s ten times the maximum recommendation for daily dietary cholesterol. A given person’s cholesterol levels are determined partly by genetics, and partly by lifestyle and diet. The more cholesterol we consume in our diets, the more cholesterol our livers produce.
Common causes of high cholesterol levels include eating foods that are high in saturated fats and cholesterol, smoking, leading an inactive lifestyle and being overweight. Unfortunately there are often no common symptoms of high cholesterol. The only way to find out if you have high cholesterol is through a cholesterol test. A cholesterol test is a blood test that will look at the key lipids, or fats, that are in the blood.
Some recommended ways to control blood cholesterol levels are as follows:
- Saturated fatty acids with the energy contributions of less than 10 percent of total energy needs in a day.
- At least 20 percent, but not more than 30 percent, energy requirements per day that come from fat.
- Consumption of cholesterol from food must be less than 300 mg per day.
- Eat fish, skinless chicken, and beef with no fat.
- Eat fish at least twice a week. Sea fish contain omega-3 fatty acids are essential to protect the heart and blood vessels.
- Reduce high-fat dairy products, like cream cheese, hard cheese and full cream milk. Some low-fat dairy products are yogurt, cottage cheese, and nonfat milk or low.
- Beware of hidden fats in food, such as kukis, pastries and other cakes.
- Reduce oil use in food processing. Food processing by baking, steaming and boiling in water is a better alternative than fried.
- If forced to fry, you should use unsaturated oils, like olive, canola, soybean, or corn. Noteworthy is do not use these oils for frying because it will lead to recurring free radicals that have a negative impact on health.
- Eat more vegetables and fruits. Because, in addition to low fat content, is also very rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber food that is needed to support optimal health levels.
When fast-food establishments boast that their french fries are “cooked in cholesterol-free, 100 percent vegetable oil,” they are often referring to hydrogenated vegetable oil. This stuff stands up better to both life on a shelf and the heat of the fryer, but the effect on yourblood cholesterol levels is similar to that of lard.
We have built-in systems to regulate and balance the levels of both forms of cholesterol. However, a fatty diet can throw cholesterol levels so far out of balance that the body can’t cope. When this happens, extra help (either through prescription drugs or natural herbs) is necessary to achieve healthy cholesterol levels.
More than 43 million Americans will soon be taking cholesterol-lowering drugs. But their doctors aren’t warning them about a potentially deadly side effect, which is: Cholesterol-lowering drugs dramatically reduce your levels of a natural “heart health” substance. Without this critical nutrient, your heart will start to weaken and eventually fail.
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