Where does it come from? Why is it such a problem? I am not a doctor or even a dietitian just a guy who struggled with his cholesterol problem for 12 years until I finally found the solution. We'll come back to that in a minute.
Cholesterol is a chemical compound that is naturally provided by our bodies. It is a combination of lipid (fat) and steroid. It is a building block for cell membranes and hormones like estrogen and testosterone. Eighty percent of our bodies' cholesterol is provided by our liver, while the rest comes from our diet of meat, fish and dairy products. Foods from plant based origin have no cholesterol. The liver, when doing its thing is able to regulate the levels of cholesterol in the blood stream and secretes it if it is needed by our bodies. That's all fine and good so what's the problem? As my doctor explained to me high levels of LDL (bad cholesterol), can put us at risk for heart disease. Why? Because if untreated it can build up in the walls of my heart's arteries (this is called plaque) and cause blood flow blockages. That's why you want lower levels here. But to the rescue comes what they call HDL (good cholesterol). It helps carry excess cholesterol from the arteries back to the liver where it can be passed from the body so higher levels here are better. To round out our cholesterol parts we then have what are called triglycerides which are also a type of fat in your blood and once again a high level here is also bad. These three together make up our cholesterol numbers.
Many other factors come into play when talking about cholesterol such as heredity and in my case liver damage due to a bout with hepatitis as a teenager and alcohol later on. This is where we come back to what the solution is. Remember the part in this article about which foods have no cholesterol in them at all? Yes. The answer is in plant based origin foods: vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts and seeds. Isn't it even more interesting that these foods are of the highest in nutrient density?
When the light bulb came on for me I was nearly 60 years old, extremely overweight and I was told that I needed to be on medication. I found that if I ate those foods and totally avoided the meat, dairy and sugar then I could find other things to worry about because I wouldn't be worried about cholesterol anymore. As a bonus I greatly reduced my weight as well as my chances of getting things like cancer and diabetes. Now would I trade all that for a hamburger, fries and a shake?
No thanks!
Hi, I'm Denny Sailor, the author of the eBook The Reluctant Vegan. As a result of my improved health through weight loss and vegan lifestyle I became a Certified Weight Loss Coach so I could help others who have health concerns. My eBook and health coaching program is available on http://www.wendysailor.com/ and my website is http://www.alwaysveganmostlyraw.com/
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