What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a waxy substance produced by the liver and found in some foods, it is needed to make vitamin D and some hormones, build cell walls, and create bile salts that help you digest fat. Your body produces enough cholesterol to perform your basic functions.

Cholesterol is a type of lipid; lipids are fats that are found throughout the body. These fats are more prominently found in foods from animal sources. Eggs, meats, and whole-fat dairy products (including milk, cheese, and ice cream) are loaded with cholesterol, vegetables, fruits, and grains contain none.

The two most important types of lipoproteins are high-density lipoproteins (or HDL) and low-density lipoproteins (or LDL). Usually people call LDL cholesterol "bad cholesterol" and HDL cholesterol "good cholesterol" because of their different effects on the body. Most cholesterol is LDL cholesterol, and this is the kind that's most likely to clog the blood vessels, keeping blood from flowing through the body the way it should.

It is hard to avoid consuming cholesterol entirely because so many foods contain it. Too much cholesterol in the body can lead to serious problems like artery clogging and heart disease. Many factors can contribute to high cholesterol, among those are:

• Overweight
  
• Genetics
  
• Diet
  
• Lack of physical activity
  
• Age

You can definitely improve your health by managing your weight successfully, exercising and eating the right foods.

Some of the foods that can make your diet healthier and help control your cholesterol are:

• Omega fatty acid.
  
• Consume ocean caught fish at least three times a week, try salmon, sardines, mackerel and herring. You might consider taking an omega fatty acid supplement to complement your diet. You can try Herbalifeline, two or three capsules a day can give you the necessary amount of vital omega 3 acids.
  
• Soluble fiber like oatmeal
  
• One bowl of oatmeal contains about 3 grams of soluble fiber. Include other soluble-fiber-rich foods such as psyllium, apples, kidney beans, pears and barley. Oatmeal helps “flush” bad cholesterol.
  
• Nuts
  
• Consume about 1 to 2 grams a day of almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, some pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts.
  
• Eat soy
  
• Soy products contain high levels of polyunsaturated fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals and low levels of saturated fat. They are a great alternative to meat products.

Maintain a healthy weight, exercise and consume healthy foods. You will feel better and perhaps live longer, your body will certainly thank you.