Weight Loss,101

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Cholesterol: Good or Bad it’s a fair question but few people really understand that not all cholesterol is bad.Confused ? well don’t worry you should be let me explain as simply as I can why. (sorry here comes the science bit)

Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found among the fats in your body. Your body needs it because it’s used to form
cell membranes, some hormones, amongst other functions. But a high level of cholesterol in the blood is a major risk
factor for coronary heart disease.

Cholesterol and other fats can’t dissolve in the blood. They have to be transported to and from the cells by
special carriers called lipoproteins. There are several kinds, but the ones to focus on are low-density lipoprotein
(LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL).

LDL is the major cholesterol carrier in the blood. If too much LDL cholesterol circulates in the blood, it can slowly
build up in the walls of the arteries feeding the heart and brain.A good way I was shown to understand this is thinking of a radiator furing up with limescale deposits or even plaque building up on your teeth if you don’t brush them.

Together with other substances it can form plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can clog those arteries. This
condition is known as atherosclerosis. A clot that forms near this plaque can block the blood flow to part of the
heart muscle and cause a heart attack.

If a clot blocks the blood flow to part of the brain, this can result in a stroke.

Between one-third to one-fourth of blood cholesterol is carried by HDL.Medical experts think HDL tends to carry
cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it’s passed from the body. Some experts believe HDL
removes excess cholesterol from plaques and thus slows their growth. HDL cholesterol is known as “good”
cholesterol because a high HDL level seems to protect against heart attack.

People get cholesterol in two ways. The body mainly the liver produces varying amounts, usually about 1,000
milligrams a day. Foods also can contain cholesterol. Foods from animals (e.g., egg yolks, meat, poultry, fish, and
seafood and whole-milk dairy products) contain it. Foods from plants (fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds)
don’t contain cholesterol.

Typically the body makes all the cholesterol it needs, so people don’t need to consume it. Saturated fatty acids are
the main culprit in raising blood cholesterol, which increases your risk of heart disease. Trans fats also raise
blood cholesterol.

But dietary cholesterol also plays a part. The average American man consumes about 337 milligrams of cholesterol a day; the average woman, 217 milligrams.

Some of the excess dietary cholesterol is removed from the body through the liver. The American Heart Association
recommends that you limit your average daily cholesterol intake to less than 300 milligrams. If you have heart
disease, limit your daily intake to less than 200 milligrams.

Still, everyone should remember that by keeping their dietary intake of saturated fats low, they can
significantly lower their dietary cholesterol intake. Foods high in saturated fat generally contain substantial amounts
of dietary cholesterol.

People with severe high blood cholesterol levels may need an even greater reduction. Since cholesterol is in all
foods from animal sources, care must be taken to eat no more than six ounces of lean meat, fish and poultry per day
and to use fat-free and low-fat dairy products.

It’s also a good idea to substitute animal sources of protein with high-quality proteins from vegetable sources such as beans and pulses.

I will be talking more about cholesterol and effects in future posts if you haven’t already sign up for the Dreambody Now news letter and get a free copy of Graham Fosters 82 Tips how he lost 22.5lbs in ugly fat in only 5 weeks.

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