“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.
When we speak of ‘cholesterol’ we are talking about three categories of cholesterol: good cholesterol (HDL), bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides. This means that not all cholesterol is bad. Foods rich in Omega-3 fats like fish are helpful in reducing LDL levels and are advised for patients suffering from cholesterol-caused diseases.
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.
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 key to good health it appears is to moderate the dietary intake of high cholesterol foods and saturated fats. So choose poached eggs over that egg omelet, and grilled chicken over fried chicken, and a fresh salad over French fries! That’s the way to a healthy heart and a healthy life!
The initial step you should take is to get a cholesterol test an find out what your levels are. Then eat a balanced low cholesterol diet, and keep track of your levels by purchasing a cholesterol monitor. Visit www.reduce-high-cholesterol.com for additional info on living a heart healthy life.