What is cholesterol?

A lot of people ask their health professional "what is cholesterol?"
One of the principal misunderstandings people have is that food is
packed with cholesterol whereas in fact, very little cholesterol is
found in foods. The human body makes all the cholesterol we need
naturally. However, we also get some cholesterol from certain types of
food that we eat. Foods from animal sources such as shrimp, butter,
beef, eggs and cheese contain cholesterol in varying amounts.

What is Cholesterol Contained In?

Eggs are particularly high; one egg yolk contains almost a whole day’s
recommended cholesterol amount. The American Heart Association
recommends that we eat no more than 300 mg of cholesterol each day,
but for anyone suffering from heart disease that limit is reduced to
200 mg per day.

What is cholesterol made from?

The formation of cholesterol involves a series of complicated
biochemical reactions that begins with a 2-carbon molecule. Most
cholesterol, approximately 80 percent or about 1,000 milligrams a day,
is made in the liver, but it is also created in small amounts by cells
lining the small intestine and by individual cells in the body. It is
generally made during the times when dietary fats are not available
because they have been digested, usually about 8 hours after we have
eaten a meal.

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Low Cholesterol Foods

Who Should Follow a High Fiber Diet?

Many doctors encourage patients to eat a high fiber diet because the
human body must be able to excrete waste. People eating a high fiber
diet are able to rid their systems of waste in a much more efficient
manner than those whose diets don’t contain much dietary fiber, as
dietary fiber keeps the digestive system in optimum working condition.
This is just as important as your body’s ability to absorb nutrients;
however our bodies cannot digest dietary fiber.

Fiber in the diet helps waste to move through the intestines and out
of the colon. It also helps to regulate the quantity of water that is
absorbed from waste before it is excreted. These are vital functions
because if waste is allowed to accumulate due to too much water
absorption, it can build up inside the intestines and colon and can
often result in colon cancer. This risk can be significantly reduced
by adjusting your diet to one that incorporates plenty of roughage.

Another side effect of adopting a high fiber diet is that it can
prevent constipation. This can have a positive effect on general
health as if waste is not removed from the digestive system toxins may
be re-absorbed and can cause headaches, loose stools, eating disorders
and disease. Although there are many other reasons for having loose
stools, and one may be a temporary reaction from over-eating, most
allergies improve significantly when a high fiber diet is followed for
a while.

To read more of this post and understand the benefits of eating a high fiber diet, visit Low Cholesterol Foods.