What is cholesterol?

We all have hectic schedules. We decide to cook something easy, fast or even go for ready-to-eat food to warm up and good luck... Do you know what all of that is? Junk, of course. We deserve better than that. Making healthy choices takes time and effort, I know. But the benefits that we can get in terms of quality of food, energy and health in general are almost immediate.

The question is: what is cholesterol?

It might surprise you, but cholesterol is not that bad. Let me explain. Cholesterol is just one of the many substances created and used by our body to keep us healthy. It is basically a waxy substance produced by the liver and found in certain foods. We use it to make vitamin D, produce some hormones, build cell protections and create bile salts that help you digest fat. Wax to digest fat, exactly. How crazy our body can be. There are 2 types of cholesterol: HDL and LDL. HDL is the so called good cholesterol which helps keeping the LDL (bad) cholesterol from getting lodged into your artery walls. A healthy level of HDL may also protect against heart attack and stroke, while low levels of HDL have been shown to increase the risk of heart disease. 

In order to increase your HDL and take its benefits you should reduce trans fats and have a balanced and nutritious diet.
When too much LDL is circulating into blood stream, weird things might happen: arteries can be obstructed at the point that the risk of heart attacks and strokes becomes quite consistent. LDL cholesterol is naturally produced by the body. But a number of people dispose of a good genetic inheritance by which they get more that they should. The overall amount of LDL is also determined by nutritional habits, namely eating saturated fat, trans fats and the junk food that you should be aware of (shouldn't you?) 

Diet, as always, plays a fundamental role in lowering your cholesterol. Here are some foods that can lower your cholesterol and protect your heart.

1.      Oatmeal and high-fiber foods

Oatmeal contains soluble fiber, which reduces the low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the bad 

boy. Soluble fiber is also found in foods like kidney beans, apples, pears, barley and prunes

      2.      Fish and omega-3 fatty acids
Eating fatty fish can be healthy for you heart because of the high level of omega-3 fatty acids, 
which can reduce blood pressure and lower the risk of developing blood clots.

3.    Walnuts, almonds and other nuts
Walnuts, almonds and other nuts can reduce blood cholesterol too. Rich in polyunsaturated 
fatty acids, walnuts also help keeping blood vessels healthy. Eating about a handful (1.5 
ounces, or 42.5 grams) a day of nuts, such as almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, some pine 
nuts, pistachio nuts and walnuts, may reduce the risk of heart disease. Just make sure the nuts 
you eat aren't salted or coated with sugar. 

Did you hear me? No salt. No sugar.
Caroline