You may have been told that you have to lower your fat intake or get your cholesterol levels in order, but did you know that there are actually two kinds of cholesterol? There’s bad cholesterol, and there’s also good cholesterol that you’ll want to keep in the body. Here is some information about these two substances, as well as how you can make the necessary lifestyle changes to keep your levels of each where they should be.
Good cholesterol is more technically known as high density lipoprotein (HDL), and the bad cholesterol is low density lipoprotein, or LDL. Part of the reason why cholesterol is such a problem is that it doesn’t dissolve in the blood, so if you have too much of it in the body, it will settle in the tissues and cause weight gain and clog your arteries and blood vessels. This substance has to be transported from cell to cell in the body, and the carriers that do this are the lipoproteins. LDL, the bad cholesterol, works slowly to get fatty deposits from one cell to the other, which is why people with blood pressure problems and too much fat on the body are often tired and don’t have much energy. The job of the lipoproteins is supposed to be to take excess fat to the tissues so that it can be stored for energy use later. This energy comes from the food we eat; any energy that the body does not use immediately is automatically stored, but the more energy that is stored, the more fatigued you feel after eating, particularly if you’re eating the wrong things.
In order to keep both types of cholesterol at the right level, you’ll need to manage your triglycerides. This is a substance that is created by the body, but you shouldn’t have too much of it, since it can lead to serious health problems. You can also find triglycerides in some of the things that you eat, which is why you have to be careful of your diet so that you’re not consuming too much of this substance.
By taking unhealthy foods out of your diet, you can manage your cholesterol levels quite effectively. Instead of eating lots of fast foods and fried meats, you can try baking your favorite dishes instead of using unhealthy oils for frying. You’ll also want to pay special attention to the snacks that you’re consuming throughout the day. Potato chips, cookies, and snack cakes all contain a considerable amount of cholesterol, so you’ll need to start eating things like nuts, fresh fruit, or trail mix in between meals to keep your good cholesterol at the right levels.
Staying active is another great way to make sure that both your good and bad cholesterol levels are where they should be. Start small by taking a walk after dinner each night, or jogging around the block in the morning before breakfast. You can increase your exercise time as you gain more energy, and you’ll be amazed at how much better you feel.
Heart disease kills more people each year than all of the cancers combined. Learn more about the causes, effects and treatments of this epidemic problem at .
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