Cholesterol Myths – Both 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 plaque buildup in the arteries. Over time, blood will have a difficult time traveling 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 Trans 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.

The Meaning of Numbers in Cholesterol

On an average, adults will usually need to have cholesterol checks every five years. Each time you get a cholesterol check, it will yield four results – total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and Triglycerides. You will probably need more exercise and dietary change if you go above or below the healthy levels. Here are the recommended healthy levels for these values:

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)

Heart Protection and Vitamin E

Vitamin E, an important vitamin that offers antioxidant protection and many other health benefits, is sourced in vegetable oils, nuts and leafy vegetables. Vitamin E can decrease your heart disease risk, but it will not prevent a heart attack.

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%.

Health Benefits of Plant Sterols

Granola bars, Benecol Spread, fat free milk and VitaTops Muffin tops are great food sources that also have great amount of plant sterols in them. If you want to assist your heart, you can do so by eating foods rich in plant sterols and staying away from saturated fat-rich foods. It can’t, however, cancel out a diet loaded with saturated fats. To keep your cholesterol in check mad make sure it stays down, you must exercise often and eat healthy.

About the Author

Deborah H. Land writes for the  high cholesterol diet plan blog, her personal hobby website she uses to help people eat healthy to lower bad cholesterol levels.