Muscle Food: Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a structural component of cell membranes of our body. In addition, after it made other important functional molecules, vitamin D, steroid hormones and bile acids in bile. That is, there is a cholesterol our body produces naturally and one that we get from food.
Cholesterol is transported in blood bound to proteins and other fats, forming the so-called lipoproteins. The best known by the general population are HDL-c or good cholesterol and LDL-c or bad cholesterol. HDL is considered good because they lead cholesterol from peripheral cells to the liver, preventing it from accumulating in the blood vessel walls.
Dietary cholesterol is found only in foods of animal origin, among which the viscera, meat and sausages, cream and butter, kneading pastry leading dairy ingredients or animal fats and eggs.Until recently it was believed that excess cholesterol in the diet was the head of the incidence of cardiovascular disease. But it has been shown that what really matters is the total fat in the diet and its quality.
In short, we should not do without the fat, but consume each in proper proportion:
30% of total dietary calories should come from fat.
Regarding the quality of the fat, the recommended allocation is as follows:
SATURATED: 10% of the calories in the diet.
Monounsaturated: 10% of calories.
POLYUNSATURATED: 10% of calories.
In cholesterol, as recommended, is to limit your intake to less than 300 milligrams per day, or, what is, less than 100 milligrams of cholesterol per 1,000 calories.
Heart-healthy eating habits:
- Perform a varied, balanced diet in quantity and quality of food, according to individual needs.
- Practicing regularly exercise, according to the limitations of each person.
- Abandon the toxic habits (too much alcohol, self-medication, snuff …).
- It is necessary to suppress the snuff to be a risk factor to cardiovascular disease.
- Learning to follow a more relaxed pace of life, avoiding as much stress as possible.