We hear about cholesterol in diets and how would should avoid it, or get it down, and its not all bad, but what does it all mean?
We should all appreciate that in a balanced diet it is important to know the role of cholesterol in relation our health – how we benefit from the “good” cholesterol, and how harmful is “bad” cholesterol.
Good or HDL cholesterol is easy to add to, you only have to exercise, eat foods such as olive oil and nuts, and avoid being overweight.
It reduces the risk of heart disease and those who are fortunate enough to naturally possess large quantities will probably live longer and healthier lives.
The good or HDL cholesterol is the best anti-thrombotic we have, which reduces thrombus formation so that if the entire population had a higher level of HDL there would be little heart disease.
A blood test will give us the amount present in our bodies (ideally we should have more than 60 mg / dL). If you are below those levels we need, among other things, a balanced diet and a little exercise.
The good cholesterol is responsible for preventing the bad cholesterol sticking to the walls of arteries and clogging them. Therefore, it reduces the risk of cardiovascular problems.
In this regard, excess fat in the diet leads to an increase in bad cholesterol.
Conversely, an increased consumption of fibre in fruits and vegetables (which also does not contain any fat), cereals, pasta and rice (best if they are integrated) and vegetables (3 times per week) may increase levels good cholesterol.
Including dietary monounsaturated fat in olive oil or nuts also helps increase levels of good cholesterol. Moreover, preference must be given to the consumption of fish (good source of good fat). While the polyunsaturated fats, for instance in oil from sunflower seeds tend to lower the bad cholesterol, but also contain the good variety.
Finally, it is found in coconut and palm oils (found in products like pastries, cakes, fried foods and pre-packed meals) and saturated fats: red meat, pork, lamb, pork and whole milk (cream, butter, fatty cheese …).
It also essential to limit excessive intake of sugar and calories: chocolate, biscuits, sauces and so on.
Other items to avoid include excess salt (in canned and precooked foods) and abuse of tea, coffee and soft drinks. In its place, drink water. And no alcohol, but if you are taking a glass of wine at lunch, you can continue to do so.
When speaking of good cholesterol and bad, in fact we do not refer to different lipids or fats, but the same molecule. The difference is the type of lipoprotein carrying either through blood.
There are three different types of lipoproteins:
LDL: low density lipoprotein.
Which carry the bad cholesterol. It was named because it is deposited in the arteries and clogs, which significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular problems.
VLDL: very low density lipoprotein.
Transporting triglycerides. When they make the very high LDL even more dense and easily deposited in the arteries, is more harmful. Triglycerides are part of the fat of animals.
HDL: high density lipoprotein.
Carry cholesterol and have a protective effect against the action of lipoprotein aggressor because they reduce the levels of bad cholesterol in the body, so is known as good cholesterol.
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