Cholesterol is a waxy organic compound which is necessary for many processes in the body, but can also be dangerous if there is too much blood of it in the blood. Cholesterol is produced by fat that we eat. The problem of clogged blood vessels occurs when cholesterol begins to accumulate on the walls of the vessels. This leads to a narrowing of vessels which can lead to heart attacks.
Cholesterol is divided into good cholesterol (HDL or high-density lipoprotein) and bad cholesterol (LDL low-density lipoprotein). LDL sticks to blood vessel walls, and HDL collects LDL cholesterol and carries it back to the liver.
Causes of high cholesterol levels can be different. Some of the most commons are unbalanced diet with too much fat (usually), family history, overweight, stress, smoking or thyroid problems.
Out of all information about nutrition, cholesterol is perhaps the least understood. Part of the confusion comes from the fact that cholesterol in food is not necessarily the same thing as the cholesterol in our blood. Cholesterol from food can affect blood cholesterol, but not necessarily. Studies show that only a third of people are particularly vulnerable to cholesterol from food, while others can enter the food cholesterol in larger quantities, and that will not affect their blood cholesterol. Our liver can produce cholesterol, but for most people once reduced if we put a lot of cholesterol from food. Therefore, reduction of cholesterol is not just about avoiding foods that have cholesterol.
The other thing that’s important to learn is that saturated fats and trans fats have roughly double the impact on blood cholesterol than it has cholesterol from food. Therefore, the reduction of the fat in the diet should be your main weapon in the fight against blood cholesterol.
Of course, if you have high cholesterol you should pay attention to the cholesterol in food. It is mainly found the most in animal entrails, eggs and shellfish. You should limit such foods. Content of fats in meal that you enter should not be greater than 30%. This is about 66 grams of fat for an average adult.
Another thing that is useful to know is that vegetables and fruits generally do not have cholesterol. Your diet you should be oriented on vegetables and fruits. In addition to this, this type of food tends to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol in the blood with its natural compounds stanols and sterols. Fruits and vegetables contain fiber and which also have a positive effect on cholesterol.
People with high cholesterol have a greater risk of heart disease, it is important to take steps to reduce it to an acceptable level. If your cholesterol level is high, one of the options are medications or supplements that lower cholesterol. Another solution is changes in lifestyle: weight-loss, exercise, dietary changes that reduce the presence of foods with excess cholesterol. There are many foods that are extremely useful. Some of the foods nutritionists recommend to take to lower the bad cholesterol are: oats and barley, fish, nuts, olive oil, apples and berries.