Foods with High Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a waxy substance that is produced in the liver. The body needs cholesterol to build and repair damaged cells. However, when the substance is in excess, it can be harmful to the body. High cholesterol in the body results from eating foods such as meat, poultry, dairy, palm oil, and coconut oil in excessive quantity. These high cholesterol foods have been proven to trigger an increased production of cholesterol by the liver; leading to high cholesterol levels in the blood.

Why the level of cholesterol in the blood matters

Cholesterol circulates in the blood and when its levels in the blood increase, which leads to health problems. There are two types of cholesterol, HDL and LDL. HDL is also known as good cholesterol, while LDL is the bad cholesterol. The problem arises when you have too much of the LDL or too little of the HDL because it leads to LDL buildup on the walls of the arteries.

The buildup leads to the narrowing of the arteries; a condition known as atherosclerosis. In case a blood clot blocks one of the narrowed arteries, one could get a heart attack. When the arteries are narrower, the heart has to work extra hard to pump blood to the entire body. This leads to the organ wearing out faster, tiredness, and if not checked, it could lead to eventual heart failure.

High Cholesterol Foods and Heart Health

High cholesterol levels are one of the major causes of issues such as coronary heart disease, stroke, and heart attack. The risk increases if the person also has issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or is a smoker.

Common misconceptions people have about cholesterol

Most people who are diagnosed with high cholesterol get there because they do not understand what causes the excessive buildup of cholesterol in the blood stream. Below are some myths that people still peddle on cholesterol levels:

• High cholesterol is not a concern for little children: the reality is that there are genetic factors such as familial hypercholesterolemia which predispose certain children to high cholesterol levels.
• You do not need to check your cholesterol till your forties: while it is true that most people with the health problem are middle aged, anyone can develop the problem regardless of their age.
• Thin people do not have high cholesterol: People who do not gain weight quickly are rarely aware of how much trans-fat they are eating, which makes them more susceptible to high cholesterol.

Those are a few of the basics that you need to know about HDL and LDL. The following five sites discuss cholesterol in detail and are a great resource for anyone who wants to prevent buildup and lower their cholesterol levels.

Top 5 Routes for "High Cholesterol Foods"

1. Heart.org This is the official website of the American Heart Association. It talks about heart health in general and the common problems affecting the heart; cholesterol is one of them.
2. Harvard.edu This website is run by the Harvard Medical School. The article outlines some of the foods which contain LDL which helps lower HDL levels in the body and improve heart health.
3. Menshealth.com The site tries to demystify the myth that cholesterol is a woman's problem. It outlines the foods and lifestyle choices that put men at risk of cholesterol buildup. It outlines the foods that people need to add to their diets to reduce the amount of HDL they are ingesting.
4. Heart.org.uk The website is run by a cholesterol charity in the UK. The site lists down all the foods that increase cholesterol levels in the body. It also outlines the foods that can help lower bad cholesterol.
5. Everydayhealth.com This site looks at the role played by the cooking methods we use in increasing levels of cholesterol in the body. It gives practical tips that can help reduce the amount of HDL people ingest during cooking.