Tips on lowering the level of cholesterol in blood

Cholesterol is a fat made by the liver and contained by certain foods. For example the foods that come from animals (eggs, meats, and diary products) contain more cholesterol than those that come from vegetables (hydrogenated vegetable fats, coconut oil and palm oil).

A high level of cholesterol is bad for our health as it can deposit inside the arteries, creating a plaque which is responsible for blocking the blood flow, and leading to heart attack. If the arteries from the brain get blocked than a stroke can occur.

Cholesterol is found in our organism under the form of lipoproteins. The LDL (low density lipoproteins) is not good for our health while the HDL (high density lipoproteins) is good for us. The LDL is bad for us as it brings the cholesterol to the body and the HDL is good for us as it takes away the cholesterol from the bloodstream. So, inside the body it should be a balance between the LDL and HDL in order for things to go right.

After a certain age it is highly recommended that you check the level of cholesterol periodically but the doctor is the most indicated person to advise you when to do that.

Besides the high level of cholesterol there are other factors that can harm the heart. They are: smoking, being a man over 45, the presence of high blood pressure, being overweight and diabetic, being an inactive person, if you already had a heart attack or stroke and having the HDL level less than 0.9 mmol/l.

At first the doctor will check the total level of cholesterol. If this is high due to an increase of the LDL cholesterol level then you are in danger of developing a heart condition. If the total level of cholesterol is high due to a decrease of the HDL then you do not have so many problems and you are not exposed to a high risk of heart diseases.

The doctor knows that the ideal level of total cholesterol is less than 5.2 mmol/l, but having it between 5.2 mmol/l to 6.2mmol/l is not a tragedy. Problems appear only if you have other risk factors associated or if you have the level of total cholesterol over 6.2 mmol/l. When testing the HDL and LDL level of cholesterol the doctor will probably be worried if the level of HDL is less than0.9 mmol/l and the LDL level is over 4.1 mmol/l.

In order to keep the level of cholesterol at a decent value you should consider adopting an active lifestyle to loose weight, giving up smoking, eating healthy food, or in the worse case, taking pills for lowering the level of cholesterol in blood.

The foods you are allowed to eat are: fish, poultry, egg whites, sherbet, ice milk, baked potatoes, steamed vegetables, clear soups, olive oil, pretzels, air-popped popcorn, fig bars, vanilla wafers, lady fingers and fruits.

Try to avoid as much as possible the following aliments: ice cream, whole milk, sausages, French fries, creamed soups, egg yolks, bacon, potato chips, doughnuts, coconut oil and palm oil, and fried vegetables.

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