Look around you at the food you eat. Most of that everyday fare is actually taking you to the brink of some real serious heart problems! The culprit is the high level of cholesterol in almost everything you consume. Understanding the cholesterol mechanism is of utmost importance to make an intelligent selection of the foods to include in your diet, and ultimately on the quality of your life.

Medical research shows that high cholesterol food is the main cause of morbid cardio-vascular conditions resulting in strokes and heart attacks. The patient’s health is aggravated further if the morbid cardio-vascular condition is accompanied by hypertension, smoking, obesity, and hereditary factors.

Cholesterol comes in two flavors: good (HDL) and bad (LDL). As the names imply, good cholesterol is good for us, bad cholesterol is bad for us. The body requires some triglycerides, but too much is bad. Saturated fats are a form of triglycerides which is really bad news for the heart. On the other hand, Omega-3 fats famously found in fish, is good at controlling the other bad triglycerides and cholesterol. So we should avoid the bad and accept the good. It’s a simple principle which applies to everything. If only we can live this principle!

We grew up to a simple fact: Eggs are good for us! Then came the pronouncement: Eggs contain a lot of cholesterol! Immediately eggs were taken off the diet lists of almost every household. Now eggs are back without the yolk because research has shown that it is the yolk which contains the cholesterol and not the white. So chefs everywhere are dreaming up yolk-less egg delicacies! The point is that we often bad name a food without really understanding what about it is really harmful.

Some specific foods do have significant cholesterol content. Unfortunately, these specific foods are less to blame for high cholesterol levels than the other foods that we usually have with the specific food. Again, let’s take eggs as an example. The single egg or maybe two that you have doesn’t do the damage as much as that side helping of bacon, cheese, and sausages, not to mention the slices of bread generously coated with butter! So it is healthier to pay attention to the way the food is cooked and what other things you have with the specific food, than to exclude specific food items.

The way the food is cooked is just as much to blame for high cholesterol levels in the bloodstream. Even foods innocent of any trace of cholesterol, can be transformed into real dangerous dishes. If the food is fried in oil or margarine then the goodness of the food is overpowered by the saturated fats present in the cooking medium. Red meats, poultry products, and dairy products contain high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. So it’s best to stay away from fried stuff and animal products.

Apart from keeping a watch on the cholesterol in foodstuffs, you should also keep tabs on the saturated fats that you consume. Saturated fats have an effect on the way the liver produces cholesterol. Too much saturated fat causes the liver to increase production of LDL and triglycerides which coat and ultimately block the arteries.

There is no sense in banning specific food items from your diet. It makes more practical sense to maintain a moderate approach. Have everything, but in moderation. Keep a strict vigil on what you eat and how it is cooked. A fresh potato salad is good but French fries is not! Choose to grill your food rather than fry it. Have plenty of fresh vegetables. These very ordinary precautions will help to keep your heart beating perfectly for many, many years!

The first step you should take is to get a cholesterol test an discover what your levels are. Then consume a good low cholesterol diet, and keep up with your levels by purchasing a cholesterol monitor. Go to www.reduce-high-cholesterol.com for more info on living a heart healthy life.

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Filed under: Cholesterol

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