Cholesterol Under Control

Cholesterol is something that many doctors and health gurus focus on as a point of importance as far as a healthy living is concerned. You read articles about the ills of high cholesterol levels and things you can do to decrease it, but for the most part, there still exists several dangerous misconceptions about high cholesterol to date. One of the most dangerous stereotypes is that people with excess body fat or who are obese, automatically have high cholesterol levels and those who are skinny or thin, are exempted from the risk bracket. An assumption that those people who do not work out or exercise immediately have high cholesterol worries over those who exercise religiously, is one that has been disproven ad infinitum. Cholesterol is directly linked to diet and while some overweight or obese people may have a predisposition to the malady, it is not exclusive to their group – skinny people are not automatically healthy people.

To be very clear, there are two types of cholesterol, one is good and the other one is bad. HDL or good cholesterol has the job of caring for the heart – it removes bad cholesterol out of the blood stream and arteries to the liver where it is processed and then passed out of the body. LDL or bad cholesterol displays itself as a plaque-like build up in the arteries and blood vessels. It is a primary contributor to the occurrence of heart attacks and even heart disease. What does this plaque-like build up do to the body? It clogs the arteries and causes them to harden, becoming inflexible and thus prone to blood clotting – through this clotting, heart attacks can occur.

Some levels of heart disease are considered hereditary but others are considered preventable through the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle that incorporates regular exercise and a healthful diet. Organic and natural diets are very good to incorporate as part of the quest to living a healthy lifestyle. There are many supplements you can take as well, which will not only remove the LDL from the body but also empower the body to remove it on its own. The consumption of red meat is very popular in the Western diet but it is also a high cholesterol offender. One way of combating LDL is by introducing alternatives to meat protein through the consumption of fish and chicken. Another good idea is to incorporate high fiber foods to your diet. Foods that are high in fiber help the body to get rid of waste products effectively. You may be averse to going all whole grain but little substitutions can have great effects. For example, when choosing a starch for your meal, a couple days a week, why don’t you substitute white rice and white flour pastas for whole wheat or whole grain pastas? In general, foods that are overly processed are leeched of their nutritional value. Try to have at least one raw item in every meal you consume. Be it fruits or vegetables or even some grains like oats, you can incorporate them alone or even in salads to make them more interesting.