When we go to the doctor and he gives us our cholesterol reading, many do not understand just exactly what he is talking about. Many people know that cholesterol is either good for you or bad, but many do not understand what is cholesterol. Cholesterol is simply a waxy matter that the liver creates which handles a number of duties in our body.
When we consume foods in our daily diet, our liver takes the food and turns it into cholesterol which helps aid in developing bile salts to digest the fat, build cell walls, and to create vitamin D. So why would we worry about eating too many foods that produce too much cholesterol in our body? The answer lies in the fact that too much of anything is essentially bad for you. If we understand what is cholesterol, we can better steer clear of consuming to much cholesterol.
The Bad And Good Cholesterol.
An easy way to watch whether we eat good or bad cholesterol is understand which foods produce the cholesterol. Bad cholesterol is found in foods that have animal fats such as meats and dairy. However foods such as whole grains, vegetables, and fruits have no cholesterol.
Bad cholesterol can cause much damage to our bodies including hardening of the arteries. This happens because the bad cholesterol builds up plaque which eventually blocks the arteries and shrinks our blood flow.
Good cholesterol on the other hand has a very good job that keeps our body healthy. Its main job is to carry the excess cholesterol back to the liver so bile salts can be created to carry it out of our system.
What Causes High Cholesterol?
When we ask our doctor about our cholesterol level, it is usually because we are worried about having a high cholesterol level. Having a high cholesterol level can be caused for many different reasons but the main cause is age. You see, our cholesterol level goes up as we get older.
There are many possible reasons that we have high cholesterol levels in our body. One reason may be hereditary. If this is the cause then you need to consult your doctor and get tested to determine if you also have high cholesterol. Another reason is physical activity. The more we exercise, the higher the levels of the good cholesterol will get within our system.
When we are determining what is cholesterol, and examining the causes and treatments, we often find that there is a direct link to our cholesterol levels and the food we eat on a daily basis. By eating foods rich in fiber, fruits, vegetables, fish and beans we can help keep the cholesterol in our body low and thus have a healthier life. By trying to avoid eating foods like meat and dairy that make our cholesterol levels high, we can also have a healthier life.