What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fat substance produced by the liver, substance which is reposnsible in forming cell membranes and some hormones.
When we eat more animal fat, the liver starts to produce more cholesterol then is needed. This exces of cholesterol it will deposit on the blood vessel’s walls making te blood flow slower and thus preparing the ground for a future heart attack.
What contributes to the increase of cholesterol level?
In both heart disseases and cholesterol level increase the risk factors are:
- Age , because as we get older cholesterol slowly deposits on our blood vessels’s walls over the years
- Genetic factors to some extent. Your genetic make-up determines your cholesterol level. Some people inherit a condition called familial hypercholesterolemia, which means that very high cholesterol levels run in the family. Other people may simply be more likely than others to react to lifestyle factors (such as lack of exercise or a high-fat diet) that push up cholesterol levels.
- Gender: Men have more chances of heart attachs then women.
- Smoking
- A sedentary life (lack of exercise)
- Nutrition (Perhaps the most important)
- Stress
- Some medication
- Alcohol
Food that gets our cholesterol level down
- Cereals
- Soya
- Olives and olive oil
- Fish
- Fruits and vegetables
- Onion and Garlick
- Suflower seeds
- Coriander seeds
- Eggplants
What food should I avoid when I have a high cholesterol level
- Eggs (The yellow parts)
- Butter
- Any kind of fat creams, fat cookies, mayonaisse, fat sauces
- Fat mea
- Processed meat
- Fast food in general
- Fried food in general
- Pizza
- Chips
Good luck.
