DIET TO LOWER CHOLESTEROL

Providing Information on Foods That Lower Cholesterol and Low Cholesterol Recipes.

What Is Cholesterol?

Many people often hear from their doctor about their cholesterol level either being bad or good, but many do not actually understand just exactly what cholesterol is and what its function is in the body. Many often develop a misconception as to what it really does. Cholesterol is simply a waxy substance produced by your liver that is designed to perform a number of tasks for our health.

Cholesterol has a vital function in our body because it produces vitamin D, creates bile salts to help in the digestion of unused fat, and it aids in building call walls. So, if cholesterol does all these wonderful things, why would we need to worry about having too much in our body? The answer is simply because anything in excess is bad for our bodies. If we can learn what is cholesterol, then we can avoid having too much in our system.

The Good Cholesterol And The Bad Cholesterol

An easy way to watch whether we eat good or bad cholesterol is understand which foods produce the cholesterol. Bad cholesterol is found in foods that have animal fats such as meats and dairy. However foods such as whole grains, vegetables, and fruits have no cholesterol.

Bad cholesterol can cause much damage to our bodies including hardening of the arteries. This happens because the bad cholesterol builds up plaque which eventually blocks the arteries and shrinks our blood flow.

Good cholesterol on the other hand has a very good job that keeps our body healthy. Its main job is to carry the excess cholesterol back to the liver so bile salts can be created to carry it out of our system.

What Causes High Cholesterol?

When people ask their doctor about their cholesterol level, it usually pertains to a high cholesterol level. There are a number of reasons that we can develop high cholesterol and one most important factor is age. The older we get the more likely we are to develop a high cholesterol level.

There are many possible reasons that we have high cholesterol levels in our body. One reason may be hereditary. If this is the cause then you need to consult your doctor and get tested to determine if you also have high cholesterol. Another reason is physical activity. The more we exercise, the higher the levels of the good cholesterol will get within our system.

When we are determining what is cholesterol, and examining the causes and treatments, we often find that there is a direct link to our cholesterol levels and the food we eat on a daily basis. By eating foods rich in fiber, fruits, vegetables, fish and beans we can help keep the cholesterol in our body low and thus have a healthier life. By trying to avoid eating foods like meat and dairy that make our cholesterol levels high, we can also have a healthier life.