Fat and cholesterol are two words that could spiral up your stress levels. There are countless myths that revolve around the consumption of fats, especially if your cholesterol levels are high. While the amount of calories that fat provides is irrelevant, the type of fat you are consuming plays a major role in determining the level of the cholesterol.
Understanding Fats And Cholesterols
Fats are important for a healthy human being but not every type of fat is beneficial for your body. Cholesterol is present in the bloodstream. The low-density lipoprotein or the bad cholesterol is what is being discussed here. A high level of this bad cholesterol is known to be harmful to you overall well-being as it ups the risk of atherosclerosis and obesity-induced issues. The impact of cholesterol that your food gives you is quite negligible as against the impact rendered by trans fats and saturated fats.
Is Fat-Free Food Healthy?
The current food trends suggest you to grab the fat-free food choices when it comes to the high level of cholesterols. However, it is high time you stop and rethink about the real benefits and negative impacts of these processed foods on your body. In an attempt to lower cholesterol levels, if you try to opt for the fat-free variants, you might end up skipping even the healthy fats that are essential for your bodies. Moreover, the low fat diets are high in carbohydrates and starch whose large quantities are not healthy for your body.
Healthy And Unhealthy Fats
Distinguishing between the healthy and unhealthy fats is something that you should master, especially if you have to bring your cholesterol to normal levels. The healthy fats are the ones that include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. The best examples of these fat types would be the omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids that are known to lower the bad cholesterol (LDL) and improve the good cholesterol (HDL).
How Do Good Fats Help In Lowering The High Cholesterol?
The healthy quantity of good fats will result in normal levels of cholesterol. There are two types of cholesterols: One is bad (LDL), and the other one is good (HDL). Healthy fats tend to increase the levels of HDL in your bloodstream, thereby lowering LDL. On the other hand, when you consume unhealthy fats in excess, the LDL levels rise, lowering the HDL levels.
Myths About Fat And Cholesterol
There are many myths surrounding the fat and their effects on cholesterol levels. Below listed are the most common types that the majority of people believe.
Myth 1# Consuming Cholesterol-Rich Food And Saturated Fats Increase Cholesterol Levels.
This is not true completely. While unhealthy fat does result in the rise of LDL, it has nothing to do with the foods with cholesterol and saturated fats.
Myth 2# High Cholesterol Causes Heart Diseases.
A number of cholesterol levels in your blood will not affect your heart. It increases the flow of bloodstream and does not directly attack the heart.
Tips To Pick Food With Healthy Fats
Picking the right foods filled up with healthy fats is what is going to make a difference in the end. Choosing foods with healthy fats is very essential and below tips mentioned below will help you in your mission.
Use Plant Oils For Cooking.
Oils such as coconut oil and olive oil are heart-friendly and are rich in good fats. Thus, they can do wonders in lowering the levels of cholesterol.
Say no to Trans fat
Avoid consuming anything that has Trans-fat mentioned on it. They directly result in the rise of LDL and thus the cholesterol.
Switch Butters
There are many healthy replacements available in the market for your butter. You can always pick a soft tub margarine that has zero Trans-fat, or you can freeze your olive oil and use it as butter.
Consume Less Red Meat, Cheese, Milk And Ice Cream
These foods contain unsaturated fats, and increased consumption could trigger high levels of cholesterol. Low-fat cheeses are usually higher in sodium and not necessarily low in fat; so use your brains and not your heart to make heart-friendly decisions.
Every unhealthy food has a healthy substitute; you just have to search for it. There are many small steps that you can take in your every day that will make your cholesterol levels normal and will keep you healthy for a long time.