Having Your Cholesterol and Staying Healthy Too!

May 2, 2010 by · 4 Comments
Filed under: Health 

“Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are,” said the French philosopher. Two hundred years later, doctors agree. If you eat unhealthy, you end up unhealthy. Here we focus on just one of many dietary villains: cholesterol, and his sidekick, triglycerides. If you want to steer clear of heart and artery disease, then you must understand the unhealthy nexus between the cholesterol- (and triglyceride-) laden food you consume and cardio-vascular disease. This understanding is crucial to making an informed decision about your choice of food, because that’s going to affect your health and your life.

What is the actual effect of cholesterol? High levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream cause a number of cardio-vascular diseases including artery blockage, strokes, coronary disease and heart attacks. The kicker is the fatal influence of many modern day lifestyle-related vices: smoking, drinking, hypertension, and obesity. Some unfortunate people have the added burden of a hereditary weakness which makes them naturally prone to any or all of the above diseases.

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 is 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. 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.

So now you are careful about eating eggs. You have restricted to one poached egg. But are you looking at what you’re having along with the egg? Bacon and cheese and sausages, with thick slices of white bread liberally coated with butter! The egg isn’t going to harm you, but those side helpings definitely are! Once again the point is that instead of adopting a policy of exclusion of a specific food, we should have a more holistic approach to the entire meal.

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.

Saturated fats are a deadly ingredient in your diet, making the liver increase production of LDL and triglycerides which leads to artery blockage and strokes.

The moral of this brief story is that you should adopt a holistic approach to your diet rather than a exclusive approach. Have everything, but in moderation. Instead of banning specific items from the dining table, it’ll be healthier if you keep a check on how the food is prepared. Boiling, grilling and baking is preferable to frying. Increase the quantum of vegetables in your diet. Follow these steps to have a hearty meal!

Ned D’Agostino
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/having-your-cholesterol-and-staying-healthy-too-672202.html

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  • Why Cholesterol Readings Matter

    As we grow older, we experience a lot of body pain that we wouldn’t even imagine being there before. Knee pain, back pain, shoulder pain and foot pain are just some of the different kinds of pains that we experience as we become older. This pain can be greatly reduced however if we are to do something about our cholesterol levels.

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