What is cholesterol and what does it do?

A great deal of press coverage continues to be devoted to cholesterol
and how it can be damaging to general health, but many people continue
to be confused over what cholesterol is and what it does. Most people
are familiar with the term “high cholesterol” because of the publicity
associating it with cardiovascular problems, and indeed, too much of
the wrong type of cholesterol is certainly bad for you.

But in reality cholesterol is a vital element of general health.
Cholesterol is a waxy steroid which is synthesized by animals and
humans, and it is transported around the body by the bloodstream.
Cholesterol is not present in vegetable foods, only animal products.

There are two methods of getting cholesterol; your body produces some
cholesterol inside the liver and the rest comes from animal products
you eat including meat, poultry, fish, eggs, butter, cheese, and whole
milk. It often surprises people once they learn that the body’s own
cholesterol production can be 3 times that provided by the food in our
diet.

To see more articles on the subject of cholesterol, and learn how to
control cholesterol levels through diet visit Low Cholesterol Foods

Will drinking alcohol raise my cholesterol levels?

If you are concerned about your cholesterol levels you may be
wondering if some foods and beverages can increase them more than
others, and if so whether you should include or exclude them from your
diet. Many people are of the impression that alcohol can raise
cholesterol levels and impact a person’s health in a number of ways.
The good news is, however, that moderate drinking appears to have no
effect on cholesterol levels.

If you drink alcohol in moderate amounts – generally defined as one
drink a day for a woman and two for a man (is there no justice?) – you
will statistically exhibit no change in cholesterol levels, whereas
people drinking in excess of these levels have been shown to exhibit
an increase in cholesterol as well as triglycerides.

Alcohol can produce an increase in the good (HDL) cholesterol in the
blood, but drinking as little as 3 to 5 alcoholic drinks per day can
be associated with negative health effects. HDL cholesterol is more
protein than fat, and this helps clear the bad cholesterol from your
blood so it does not clog your arteries. A high level of HDL
cholesterol can therefore reduce the risk of suffering from a heart
attack, and one of the best ways to lower cholesterol naturally is to
make certain dietary changes.

To read more about the effects of alcohol on your cholesterol levels visit Low Cholesterol Foods.

What Happens to Cholesterol If I Eat Too Much Fat?

If you eat too much of anything, including fat, it will cause you to
put on weight. As long as you practice moderation you can eat anything
you like – just be sure to keep your portions small. Eat when you are
hungry, chew your food completely and stop eating when you are full.
It is a very good idea to put down your knife and fork when you have a
mouthful of food, and not to pick them up again until you have
completely chewed and swallowed your mouthful. This way you avoid the
temptation of shoveling food down just because it is there on your
plate.

A balanced diet should include food from all types, so try to eat
variety of foods every day. Too much saturated fat can raise
cholesterol and has been linked to heart disease, so limit your
saturated fat intake to 20 grams a day and be sure to eat plenty of
roughage as well so that you can digest properly. It is not a good
idea to eat late in the evening, sit around watching TV then go to bed
if you are trying to lose weight – your body never gets a chance to
digest properly.

If you like this snippet and would like to read more on how your diet
affects your normal cholesterol levels, pop over to my blog at Low Cholesterol Foods and check it out!

Sandy

High cholesterol foods

High cholesterol foods are known to be foods which are high in
saturated fats. Saturated fat and cholesterol usually originate in
foods from animals and dairy products. Although fatty fish is good to
introduce into your diet some shellfish are high in cholesterol and
are best avoided. These include shrimps and prawns.

Foods high in saturated fats can cause the cholesterol levels in our
bodies to become raised. As our body has the ability to produce
cholesterol, and in fact produces almost three times the amount we
eat, it is important to limit the intake of high cholesterol foods.
Eating a well-balanced diet and avoiding the extra input from high
cholesterol food will help to maintain good cholesterol levels as the
body’s cholesterol production is reduced when out intake of food that
lowers cholesterol rises.

To read more of this post and for other useful information on lowering your cholesterol
visit Low Cholesterol Foods

Foods that lower cholesterol

Foods that lower cholesterol are good for you, and when included in a
well-balanced diet can be beneficial to your well-being and general
health. The worst culprits for raising cholesterol are foods that
contain high quantities of saturated fats, but you don’t have to give
up all your favourite foods when it comes to lowering your saturated
fat intake.

Many supermarkets and stores now have a wide range of low or reduced
fat foods available. Just give a little extra thought to your
shopping and read the information provided on the packaging. When
choosing meat make sure it’s lean, especially if its red meat, and
remove the skin from chicken as this is high in saturated fat.

To read more of this post and to learn about low cholesterol foods visit Low Cholesterol Foods.

What foods are recommended for a high fiber diet?

Many people need to increase the amount of fiber in their diet in
order to stay healthy. Fiber is vital for the body’s digestive system
as it contains roughage which helps the bowels do their job. However,
a lot of people see eating an increased amount of fiber as a quick
method of losing weight. This can be a dangerous tactic and is not
advised.

Although two types of fiber are often discussed, they are actually two
parts of the same thing. These two parts are classified as “soluble”
fiber and “insoluble” fiber. Soluble fiber will dissolve in water, so
it can be fully digested by our bodies. Examples of soluble fibers
include pectin, guar, carrageenan, gums, mucilage, and oat bran.
Insoluble fiber, on the other hand, does not dissolve in water meaning
that is passes through the body intact. This is also good, because it
allows the other foods that you eat to pass through the digestive
system without any problem. Insoluble fibers include cellulose,
hemicellulose, and bran.

To read the full article on how eating a high fiber diet can help you stay healthy visit Low Cholesterol Foods.

High cholesterol – symptoms and self-testing

High cholesterol symptoms are notoriously difficult to identify. What
we believe to be the symptoms of high cholesterol may in fact be
symptoms of something else — high blood pressure, stress, lack of
exercise or simply being overweight. That is why it is so important
to have your cholesterol levels checked regularly.

Both the American Heart Association and the British Heart Foundation recommend that anyone over the age of 25 should be
having their cholesterol levels checked every five years. Anyone
falling into a high risk category, for example people over 40, anyone
with a family history of cardiovascular problems, or anyone in a
highly stressful job should increase the interval to every year.

To read more of this post and learn about the symptoms of high cholesterol visit Low Cholesterol Foods.

How can you tell what your normal cholesterol levels are?

What are normal cholesterol levels? It is difficult to generalize,
because it depends on a lot of factors and can vary between
individuals. Some people can eat a variety of foods and increase
their levels of good cholesterol, but for some of us, especially for
those who have a family history of heart attack or stroke, lowering
our cholesterol levels is an important part of general health and we
should adapt our diets to include foods that lower cholesterol.

There are two main types of cholesterol in the body: LDL-cholesterol
(which is also known as “bad” cholesterol because it can clog the
arteries and bring about cardiovascular disease) and HDL-cholesterol
(or good cholesterol) which helps to remove anything bad from the
bloodstream by passing it through the liver where the body can
eliminate it in the normal manner. It is therefore important to try
and maintain a good level of HDL-cholesterol so that it can flush the
excess LDL cholesterol out of the bloodstream.

To read more of of this article and how normal cholesterol levels can be maintained, visit our website at Low Cholesterol Foods.

Foods that taste the best are the worst for health

One of the cruelest ironies of life is the fact that the things that
taste the best are often the worst for our health. There have probably
been times when you have wanted to throw all of the new-fangled eating
rules out and just eat what you want.

Unfortunately, the American Heart Association sees the risks of high cholesterol from a more
comprehensive perspective and advises that it is important to monitor
on your cholesterol because it has such an impact on your overall
health.

After all, it’s a lot better to prevent complications by taking care
of your diet than to try to solve a problem that has already
developed. With a little bit of willpower, it is possible to control
cholesterol through your diet (and you might lose a bit of weight as
well!)

To read the rest of this post, head over to <a href="http://www.lowcholesterolfoods.co/2011/03/10/foods-that-taste-the-best-are-the-worst-for-health/

Eating foods that lower cholesterol can help you shed weight

Anyone attempting to reduce their blood cholesterol count on account
of dietary improvements ought to concentrate on particular groups of
foods. One such group that reduces cholesterol levels (and can also
be a very good supply of soluble fiber) is our old friend, oatmeal.

We are told by the experts that individuals over 50 should be eating
30g of dietary fibre taken from food (not supplements) daily, and in
my case eating a bowl of porridge every morning is the way to go. Not
only has my cholesterol level dropped, but in addition my blood
pressure — truly the best of both worlds.

You should include within your daily diet any foods which have been
proven to lessen cholesterol, but I know a lot of people who diet to
slim down can also reduce their risks of cardiovascular disease at the
same time. When you decide to go on a diet plan in order to shed
weight make sure you select one which will allow you to shed the
pounds progressively and not drastically.

If you would like to read more on the subject of slimming and the symptoms of high cholesterol visit our website at Low Cholesterol Foods