There has been so much bad press about cholesterol these days that most people do not know that cholesterol is actually essential to the proper functioning of the body. Cholesterol is part of the production of sex hormone, regulate mood and the body defense to stress because of its mood regulating property. There are 2 category of cholesterol, not the commonly known good and the bad, but the dietary and blood cholesterol.



Most of us may not be aware that 80% of cholesterol are produce by our own liver. These cholesterol comprise of the so call good and the bad cholesterol. The good cholesterol protect us from heart disease and stroke while the bad cholesterol does the exact opposite of exposing us to the risk of such diseases. We have to understand how both the "good" and "bad" cholesterol works in our body so we can make the right choice in our diet, exercise and lifestyle to bring the cholesterol to an optimal level.

The difference between blood cholesterol and dietary cholesterol is that blood cholesterol circulates in your bloodstream and is produced right there in your very own liver. Dietary cholesterol, on the other hand, is ingested as part of your diet and is absorbed through your digestive system and then is absorbed into your bloodstream.

Family history of high cholesterol, presence of diabetes, thyroid or kidney dysfunctions has higher impact then dietary cholesterol on our cholesterol level. Same for lifestyle choices such as smoking or our exercise regime, and body weight which has more influence in our total cholesterol level then just dietary cholesterol.

There is a connection between the amount of fat, especially saturated fat and trans fatty acids that we consume and the level of our LDL cholesterol, (the bad one). When we eat an abundance of foods such as meat, egg yolks, dairy products, and foods that contain hydrogenated fats we can help to increase our LDL cholesterol level which is the "bad cholesterol". We want our LDL blood cholesterol level to be low and our HDL blood cholesterol level to be high in order for our bodies to be heart healthy. We should limit or avoid foods such as French fries, doughnuts, breaded or fried chicken, fish, crackers, cookies and baker products when trying to reduce our intake of trans fats (trans fatty acids).

While attempting to lower the bad (LDL) cholesterol, it is important to avoid the trans fat and saturated fat rather then avoiding the lean meat, eggs and dairy as these food contain the nutrients like zinc, protein, calcium, B-complex etc that the body needed to function properly.

Having high HDL cholesterol is healthy for our body because it helps to break-up the plaque that high levels of LDL cholesterol help to form in arteries leading to the heart and brain. HDL cholesterol can also help to reduce LDL cholesterol and get rid of it from our systems.

Now that you know cholesterol is not all bad but rather essential in our bodily function and the good cholesterol is pivotal in keeping our heart and brain healthy.