a. Cholesterol Truths – Good and Bad
There are actually two types of cholesterol, which is not a known fact for people who misconstrue it as something bad. HDL is the name of the good cholesterol, while the bad one is called LDL. A bloodstream with too much LDL will result in plaques in the arteries.
Over time, blood will have a difficult time travelling your arteries because the opening becomes narrow thanks to the amount of bad cholesterol in it. Dietary cholesterol is not the culprit for your having high cholesterol in the blood. Rather, it is copious amounts of saturated fat along with Tran’s fat that is to blame for the tightening of the artery. To keep your cholesterol on the low level, you should eat plenty of unsaturated fats and fibrous foods, as well as exercise often.
b. Number Relevance in Cholesterol
Adults should see to it that they have their cholesterol checked every 5 years. Four results are given to you, which will show the levels for your LDL cholesterol, Triglycerides, total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol. Should you find your cholesterol levels over or even under the normal range, you need to diet and exercise as a result.
Total Cholesterol - less than 200 mg/dL (5.2 mmol/L)LDL Cholesterol - less than 100 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/L)HDL Cholesterol - greater than 40 mg/dL (1.0 mmol/L)Triglycerides - less than 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L)
c. Vitamin E and Heart Protection
You can find Vitamin E in many nuts, leafy vegetables and vegetable oils. While it cannot prevent a stroke, Vitamin E can still reduce your risk for heart disease.
d. Five Fabulous Foods to Decrease Cholesterol Levels
1. Oatmeal and Oat Bran: These contain a high amount of soluble fiber, which can lower LDL.2. Fish: Fish is a great source of omega 3 fatty acids, which lowers LDL and raises HDL.3. Nuts: Not only are nuts high in fiber, but they contain the healthy fats you need to keep LDL in check.4. Plant Sterols: This is found in foods like margarine, salad dressing, orange juice, and functional cookies. 2 grams per day will lower your LDL by 10-15%.5. Soy: This popular meat replacement can lower LDL by up to 3%.e. Plant Sterols and Benefits to Health
Foods such as VitaTops Muffin Tops, Benecol Spread, granola bars and fat free milk are rich sources of plant sterols. You can easily help your heart when you start eating foods packed with plant sterols and avoid eating foods that contain saturated fats. A saturated fat-filled diet is not canceled out by this. Exercising often as well as eating healthy food will keep your cholesterol in check.
About the Writer - Deborah H. Land writes for the low carb low cholesterol diet site, her personal hobby blog she uses to help people lower bad cholesterol levels.