What is Cholesterol? How Do You Deal With High Cholesterol? (01//13)

Aloha readers!

 I've been sharing with you many posts about getting physically active and some about eating healthier, but I'd like to share with you some of the knowledge I've learned from my education as well. Today's snipbit will be about cholesterol.

Cholesterol is a lipid fat that is absorbed from dietary sources (dietary cholesterol), and is also produced by the liver. We often hear about "high cholesterol" and start to think that cholesterol is the villian , but in fact, cholesterol is vital for normal body functions. 

Cholesterol is mainly carried by lipoproteins, and circulate in our blood, traveling to various tissues and organs that require cholesterol.

There are 3 main types of lipoproteins:

• "VLDL" Very Low Density Lipoproteins: VLDL's are only synthesized by the liver; the remaining dietary cholesterol not picked up by tissues is reabsorbed by the liver, and repackaged into VLDL. VLDL circulates in the blood, and cholesterol is picked up by tissues. 

• "LDL" Low Density Lipoproteins: also known as the "bad cholesterol", too much LDL's can cause a build up in arteries and increase the risk of arterial diseases. 
• "HDL" High Density Lipoproteins: known as the "good cholesterol", it is believed to help prevent arterial diseases by bringing cholesterol back to the liver to be broken down and expelled as waste. 
• Triglycerides: the form in which fat stores in adipose (fat) cells. 
  
  (http://www.floraproactiv.com.au/proactiv/cholesterol/what-is-cholesterol/)

Ways to lower cholesterol 

• Replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats: cutting down the use of butters and margarines and replacing your cooking fat with olive or canola oil is beneficial for lowering cholesterol because of the polyunsaturated fats. Choosing options with a lower percentage of fat, such as omega-3 rich fish over fatty red meats, can also help moderate your cholesterol levels. 
• Incorporating more fibre into your diet: foods like oatmeal that are high in fibre help drag cholesterol out of your body (waste elimination). Researching studies have shown that it can help decrease LDL's and maintain the levels of HDL. 
• Consuming red meat in extreme moderation: red meat is high in saturated fat, causing your body to convert this fat into cholesterol. Higher consumption of red meats is also linked to higher rates of colon diseases and cardiovascular diseases. 
• Cooking with garlic: garlic contains many antioxidants that help strengthen our immune system, as well as preventing the oxidation of LDL's. 
• Snacking on almonds and other nuts: almonds and nuts are packed full of monounsaturated fats, and can help lower the LDL's and increase the HDL's in our body. 

Most importantly, other than changing our dietary habits, is also making changes to our lifestyle. Moderate cardiovascular exercise such as moderate intensity running, jogging, or longer walks can help with weight loss and maintaining a healthy body weight. 

I realize that my blog is titled Sellychan Fitness, but my degree is in Nutrition and Metabolism. I love working out and fitness related, but I also have a strong passion for nutrition material. Leave a comment below of what you think about these posts, and I'll try my best to keep writing them! 

Cheers! 

xoxo