Cholesterol diet : Understand cholesterol, types, foods for good cholesterol.... All about good cholesterol diet




Cholesterol is explained by many people as a "terrible" substance that should be totally eliminated from our lives, with all the news and warnings about the risks of high cholesterol. In truth, cholesterol serves a few additional abilities beneficial to the body. 

To better understand what cholesterol means to the body and avoid confusion, we must first understand what cholesterol is.


Through this article, nutri4me explains to you to better understand cholesterol, its types, the high level and when it is triggered as well as the beneficial foods that can reduce the level of bad cholesterol

Understand cholesterol 

Cholesterol is a fatty substance essential for the functioning of the body. It is part of the composition of cell membranes and serves, among other things, as "raw material" for the synthesis of many hormones (steroids). 

However, excess cholesterol can be harmful, as it tends to accumulate in blood vessels and form so-called atherosclerotic plaques which can ultimately increase cardiovascular risk. 

Cholesterol is not soluble in the blood: it must therefore be transported there by proteins, with which it forms complexes called lipoproteins. 

Cholesterol is an important controller in the circulatory system because it helps direct the arrangement of many cells as well as chemical products.

Two main types of blood cholesterol that can be found: that of high density, or otherwise HDL, and that of low density, or LDL.

- LDL cholesterol is the so-called “bad” cholesterol: Can form plaques and fatty deposits on the walls of the arteries, if present in too large quantities, and thus prevent blood from circulating to the heart and brain . 

- HDL, on the other hand, is “good” because it eliminates excess cholesterol found in the body.

Elevated cholesterol: from what level?

A cholesterol level that is excessively high, in other words more noteworthy than 2g/l, opens you to the gamble of cardiovascular difficulties because of the development of atherosclerotic plaques on the walls of the supply routes. The checking of the cholesterolemia of these subjects should be ordinary. 

There are familial types of hyperlipidemia, which might require treatment from adolescence.

Foods for good cholesterol



Avocados are a fruit renowned for its richness in nutrients. They are an excellent source of monounsaturated fats and fiber, its two nutrients that help lower bad LDL and raise good HDL cholesterol. Several clinical studies in this regard have confirmed the cholesterol-lowering effect of avocados.


According to a study, almonds could increase the level of HDL cholesterol in the blood, but also improve the function of transporting bad blood cholesterol to the liver. Other studies had already shown that the small oilseed had the capacity to reduce the blood level of LDL cholesterol, linked to a cardiovascular risk.

Eggplant




Eggplant is one of the fresh vegetables that has shown its ability to reduce cholesterol levels. This is thanks to its purple skin rich in antioxidants which fight against the oxidation of bad cholesterol. Eggplant contains soluble fiber capable of naturally eliminating cholesterol. A diet composed of soluble fiber can reduce its level in the blood by up to -15%.



Salmon, tuna, mackerel or sardines are fish that can be included in cholesterol-lowering diets, all have a high omega-3 content. 
These polyunsaturated fatty acids reduce the level of triglyceride which is a fat present in the blood. 
Thus, eating fish, preferably oily, between two and three times a week, lowers LDL cholesterol.

Nuts 


Nuts contain fat, but they are monounsaturated fats and types of saturated fats that help lower cholesterol levels and protect your heart. 
There is no snack better for heart health than nuts which contain fiber, protein, vitamin E, magnesium, B vitamins and potassium.


Oats


Oats are very rich in fiber and particularly well endowed with beta-glucan, a soluble fiber, oats would help reduce blood cholesterol levels. 

The Food and Drug Administration FDA allows two claims about the cholesterol-lowering benefits of oats, including that as part of a healthy diet, soluble fiber may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease

Olive oil 


Olive oil, one of the mainstays of the Mediterranean diet which is healthy for the heart, is why it is advisable to consume it instead of saturated fats, since it also contains monounsaturated fats which are better than saturated fat for heart health. And what's more, olives contain antioxidants which research has shown can reduce inflammation in blood vessels thereby improving cholesterol and triglyceride levels.



Pomegranate, or pomegranate juice, may lower cholesterol! 

Pomegranate pulp is rich in polyphenols, antioxidant compounds that help lower bad cholesterol, the combination of its anthocyanins and tannins produce paraoxonase, an anti-cholesterol enzyme.

Pomegranate juice contains antioxidants at higher levels than many other fruit juices