Do you know your cholesterol levels? And Should you be concerned with it? 💚

Cholesterol is type of blood lipid (fat like substance) that your liver produces naturally and its presence in your bloodstream is absolutely vital for the formation of healthy cell membranes, hormones and vitamin D!

💚The type and the amount of cholesterol is regulated by your food intake and lifestyle including physical activity.

LDL (“less healthier”) has gotten a bad reputation due to its association with heart disease. Remember the fat-free, low fat diet or “no butter”recommendations?

HDL ( aka “healthy cholesterol”) associated with positive health outcome, so you want to work on increasing its levels!

Recent studies indicate that most people with heart attacks do not have high LDL and elevated total cholesterol.

One large study looked at 541 hospitals with 136, 905 admissions for heart attacks.

75% of those people had normal LDL cholesterol’s with 50% having optimal LDL levels. so much for high LDL contributing to heart attacks.... researchers in the study found that most of these patients had metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes and diabesity.


The End of Low-Fat Diet Recommendations

The 2015 U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee reviewed all the research over 40 years and then finally told the public to stop worrying about dietary cholesterol, arguing it is “not a nutrient of concern.” They also finally lifted any advice to restrict dietary fat! After 35 years of a steady diet of low-fat recommendations! This was buried in the report but is huge news in the health and wellness world!

As an integrative dietitian, my recommendation is to focus on the the type of fat you eat, not the amount!

Trans-fats and refined vegetable oils ( from low-cost frozen meals, baked goods, packaged snack foods like chips, cookies and candies) promote abnormal cholesterol profiles; whereas, omega 3 oils from fish and monounsaturated fats found in nuts and olive oil can actually improve the type and quantity of your cholesterol!

Trans and damaged fats are unhealthy, but the biggest culprit of abnormal cholesterol levels is not fat at all. It is sugar in all its many forms.

The sugar you consume converts to abnormal blood cholesterol and belly fat. The worst kind of them all is high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) found in soda, juices, and in most processed foods. That’s what causes cholesterol issues in most people, not saturated or total fat.

That’s why if you are concerned with your cholesterol levels you should be also checking your blood sugar levels, Hemoglobin A1c ( average estimate for 3 months) and most importantly the particle size test of your cholesterol.

Fat and dietary cholesterol are not the enemies. It’s sugar and refined carbs that contribute to diabesity, heart disease, and so many other problems.

💚You must check for particle size and it’s numbers because it’s the only way to know what’s really going on with your cholesterol!

✅ You want to see the results that show lots of light, fluffy, big cholesterol particles and less of small, dense damaging cholesterol particles.

💚 when it comes to diet and exercise recommendations both are equally important!

🍏 Eat a low glycemic load high fiber diet fiber rich vegetables, berries and fruits helps to remove the bad cholesterol from your GI system. Additionally high fiber fresh foods are high in statins, which help to regulate cholesterol levels. Plants and omega-3 fats which includes non-starchy veggies good quality proteins found in beans seeds nuts and high-quality sustainably raised grass fed animal protein and wild seafood 🍎🍏🐟

🥥 The good fats in foods like avocado, coconut oil, extra-virgin olive oil, wild-caught fish, nuts, and seeds can improve the type and quantity of cholesterol in your body!

👍🏻Daily physical activity can optimize cholesterol levels! Studies show consistent, regular exercise can optimize cholesterol levels. If you’re a newbie, even 30 minutes of walking will help. More advanced exercisers can incorporate weight training and high-intensity interval training.

🤍 Focus on quality sleep. Optimizing blood sugar is just one of the numerous benefits of eight hours of sleep every night. Practice good sleep practices: Turn off the TV and Internet a few hours before bedtime. Many patients like to unwind with Sleep Support +

Take the right supplements. If you have been diagnosed with high dense cholesterol, you have small LDL and HDL particles or high triglycerides (over 100), you can use high-quality supplements to optimize cholesterol. These include:

  • A multi-vitamin

Ella Davar