In general, animal foods (fish, eggs, milk) contain cholesterol while plant foods are not. It is generally known that lipid substances fall into two major categories. Firstly, fats (mainly triglycerides) are the most abundant lipids in the human body and are an important source of energy in the body. The other class is called lipoid, which are the basic components of biofilms and account for approximately 5% of body weight. Besides of phospholipids and glycolipid, cholesterol is an important kind of lipoid.
Cholesterol is divided into high-density cholesterol and low-density cholesterol, the former has a protective effect on cardiovascular and it usually called "good cholesterol"; the latter has the risk to get coronary heart disease when it is increased, so it usually called " bad cholesterol." The content of Cholesterol in the blood range from 140 to 199 milligrams, which is a relatively normal cholesterol level. Steroidal compounds are solid alcohols orignated in the cells of plants and animals .Plant steroids are natural organic compounds in plants. Some plant steroids can be used for human beings to decreases the amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream, such as phytosterols.
Lowering cholesterol by eating healthy food
1. Do not eat foods with high cholesterol levels, such as animal organs and egg yolks. According to the standards recommended by the American Heart Association, daily intake of cholesterol should be less than 300 milligrams or less, while cholesterol in one egg yolk is 250 to 290 milligrams and 100 grams pork liver contains 469 milligrams cholesterol.
2. Eat less fat and oyster sauce to reduce the intake of saturated fat.
3. Eat more fruits and vegetables, such as konjac, fungus, seaweed, wakame, onion, pumpkin, sweet potatoes. These foods are rich in dietary fiber to help excrete cholesterol.
4. Monounsaturated fatty acids contained in olive oil, tea oil, corn oil and rapeseed oil have the effect of lowering LDL (“bad cholesterol”). So they can be used with vegetable oils such as soybean oil and peanut oil in the daily diet.
5. Fish oil and lecithin have a role in lowering lipids in blood , but their effect is mainly on the elevation of triglycerides, and the effect of reducing cholesterol is relatively small (of course, it is still useful).
6. Although antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin E cannot directly reduce cholesterol in the blood, they can help reduce the damage of cholesterol to blood vessels.
Lowering cholesterol by changing your lifestyle
1. If you are overweight, losing weight can help lower your LDL (“bad cholesterol”). This is especially important for people with metabolic syndrome. People with Metabolic syndrome would have higher triglyceride levels, lower HDL (good) cholesterol levels, and being overweight with a large waist measurement.
2. Everyone should get regular physical activity (30 minutes or more per day).
3. Research has shown that chronic stress will raise your LDL cholesterol level (“bad cholesterol”) and lower your HDL cholesterol (“good cholesterol”). Learn how to control your stress in daily life by communicating with your family and friends, taking exercise, listening to music and so on.
4. Quitting smoking for the sake of your health. Research shown that quitting smoking can raise HDL cholesterol (“good cholesterol”).
