Learning About Cholesterol in Food About cholesterol Cholesterol is a fat-like substance found in human and animal tissue. It is also found in all the foods you eat that come from animals. Plants (such as fruits, vegetables and soy products) do not contain cholesterol. Although cholesterol does a lot of good things in your body, you do not need to eat cholesterol in food. Your body can make all the cholesterol it needs from the fats you eat. Because of this, most experts now say you should eat less than 300 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol a day. But, for some, this may be too much. Having too much cholesterol in your diet can lead to high blood cholesterol levels.
Blood cholesterol Blood cholesterol is made up of good (HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol. The bad cholesterol can clog up your arteries by building up within the walls. This narrows your blood vessels and can lead to atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries. Narrowed arteries reduce the blood flow (oxygen and nutrients) to your heart and body. This can lead to a heart attack or a stroke. High blood cholesterol levels are very unsafe when combined with these other risk factors for heart disease: artery
• smoking • high blood pressure
fatty deposits
• diabetes • obesity • a family history of heart disease
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Learning About Cholesterol in Food It is not easy to explain how the cholesterol you eat and the cholesterol in your blood are related. But, in cultures that eat a lot of foods that contain cholesterol, there is more heart disease. And, in cultures that eat only a little of these foods, the level of heart disease is low. The best plan is to avoid those high cholesterol foods when you can. The foods that have the largest amount of cholesterol are: • organ meats (liver, giblets, tongue, brains, etc.)
• egg yolks • shrimp • squid
Foods that help control cholesterol No food will cancel out the effects of an unhealthy diet. But if you use these foods as part of a low-fat, low cholesterol diet, it will help lower your blood cholesterol levels. Or, if you eat these in place of animal products that are high in saturated and/or trans fats, the results will be even better. • fruits • soy foods • vegetables • flaxseed • beans • olive oil • oats • fish • nuts • cholesterol lowering margarines (like Benecol®) Copyright © 2005–2010 Pritchett & Hull Associates, Inc. DO NOT DUPLICATE.
Pritchett & Hull Associates, Inc. Bringing Patients & Health Together ®
Atlanta, GA
800-241-4925