Cholesterol Weight Loss Diet Nutrition Tips Guide

Cholesterol And Nutrition

By Tracy Kerr-Walshe

Cholesterol is present in your body as two main types, there is a good version which helps to maintain your body and there is the bad version which clogs up your arteries and is bad for your heart. Do you know everything required to monitor your heart’s health?

Many people assume that cholesterol itself is bad, but in reality the body produces some good cholesterol that is necessary for producing cell membranes, hormones and regulating other natural processes. The key to a healthy life is to review your options and strike a balance when it comes to fats and cholesterol levels.

Low Density Lipoprotein Is Bad Cholesterol

The bad cholesterol you’ve probably heard so much about is called Low Density Lipoprotein. The good type goes bad when it stops transporting and oxidizes from exposure to free radicals, leading to conditions like atherosclerosis. If you have 160mg or more of LDL per day, then you have a high level of harmful cholesterol.

Good Cholesterol Is High Density Lipoprotein

By contrast, high density Lipoprotein (or HDL) is known as "good cholesterol." It helps one-fourth to one-third of blood cholesterol to be carried from the arteries to the liver by HDL. Doctors recommend that you have more than 40mg of HDL to lower your risk of heart disease.

As you eat, your body uses the calories it needs and converts leftovers to triglycerides. While some are helpful, excess can lead to metabolic syndrome, which results in diabetes, strokes, heart disease or heart attacks.

"Even if you control bad LDL cholesterol to less than 70, you still need to look at triglycerides," said Dr. Leslie Cho, a cardiologist at the Women’s Cardiovascular Center of the Cleveland Clinic.

Common Misconceptions About Cholesterol

There are a few common misconceptions about cholesterol. For instance, some people think that simply switching from butter to margarine will help. However, both are still high in fat and should be used sparingly. Secondly, just because your food labels brag that there is no cholesterol, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t high levels of saturated fat.

Be sure to check labels before you go gobbling! Thirdly, being young or on medication doesn’t prevent you from needing to exercise and watch what you eat. Meeting with a dietician is a short, painless experience that can add many years to your life!

This Article was about Cholesterol.

Please Note: All information given on this site is for general information purposes and is not to replace any medical opinion or medical diagnosis given by a qualified medical doctor, a dietitian/nutritional expert or any other medical expert, as individual circumstances may vary. Please see your medical doctor, before any action is taken to alleviate symptoms.

About the Author:
Tracy Kerr-Walshe is an author of articles on health, diet, weight loss and nutrition including Whole Foods, Organic Foods, Healthy Snacks, Effective Weight Loss, Full Body Detox, Juice Fasting.
Keep a lookout for more of her articles coming soon.

Did You Know?

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a lipid that is found in the bloodstream of humans and all animals. It can be there from two different sources. The first source is your body itself. The body naturally produces cholesterol. The second source of cholesterol is the food that we eat.

It may surprise you to know that not all cholesterol is bad for you. There is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. But you have to know the difference if you want to protect your health and your heart.