Ten Stupid Mistakes We Make That Can Unknowingly Raise Our Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a substance that our body produces naturally or from certain foods, and it is necessary because it is involved in many important functions. Why are we so afraid of it? When its levels become unbalanced, problems arise because it can cause cardiovascular problems.
You watch your diet, you read food labels, you exercise, but your cholesterol continues to rise. Find out what mistakes you may be making and how to correct them.
Cream On Vegetables
If your vegetable creamers contain the same cream you use in your kitchen, you’re adding saturated fat to your diet, which doesn’t help control your cholesterol. To lighten them up, you can replace the cream with vegetable soup, skim milk, or use the lightest variety of cream (18% fat).
Always Look For Lighter Foods
A food is considered light (i.e., not bland) when it has less than 30% of the calories of its reference food. However, just because the words “light”, “no added sugar” or “low fat” appear on the package does not mean they are really low in fat or sugar. It simply tells you that they are less than the original, but may still have a fairly high level of sugar or fat.
Eat Only Fruit
Although fruits are not enough for adults, they are considered healthy. However, they are very rich in fructose, a sugar that is quickly absorbed. If you drink a lot of fruit with dinner, its sugar will be stored in the body as fat. Eating foods containing sugar every day also raises blood cholesterol levels. The best time to eat fruit is at breakfast, as a dessert after lunch or at lunchtime.
Excessive Exercise
If you do too much physical activity, your body will experience a drop in sugar (glucose) and demand foods that are high in sugar and fat. And there is evidence that you end up consuming more calories from fatty foods than you do during exercise. However, regular moderate exercise, especially aerobic exercise (walking, running, and swimming, dancing) helps reduce “bad” cholesterol and increase “good” cholesterol.
Smoking Or Being A Passive Smoker
Inhaling tobacco smoke allows “bad” cholesterol to attach better to the walls of the arteries. This increases the aggregation of cholesterol, triglycerides, and platelets, which promotes hardening of the arteries and makes them less flexible. If you have cholesterol problems, quitting smoking can be good for you.
Look For “Cholesterol Free”, Not The Entire Label
Many foods called “cholesterol-free” do not contain this specific type of fat, but may contain other fats, such as saturated or trans fats. And eating foods high in saturated and trans fats often affects blood cholesterol more than eating foods that contain cholesterol. So it depends on the amount and type of fat in the food.
Drink Plenty Of Water Every Day
Numerous studies assure that moderate consumption of alcohol, especially red wine, can improve “good” cholesterol due to its phenolic and tannin content. But what happens when consumption is higher? It saturates the liver enzymes responsible for fat metabolism, leading to an increase in the concentration of fat in the liver and an increase in bad cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein. Therefore, it is ideal not to take more than one glass.
Living With Stress Or Anxiety
Stress is a natural response to a threat. The body prepares itself by releasing hormones that mobilize fat and glucose. If they don’t burn and stress is chronic, then the level of fat (lipids) in the blood increases. Avoiding exercise kills two birds with one stone, as aerobic exercise (walking, running, biking and swimming) helps lower cholesterol and also helps reduce stress.
Eat More White Bread, Rice Or Pasta
Excessive consumption of refined carbohydrates can cause us to accumulate fat in the body because the excess carbohydrates are converted into triglycerides. Therefore, it is recommended to moderate its consumption and choose whole-grain cereals whenever possible. In addition, due to its fiber content, it slows down the absorption of cholesterol.
Take Contraceptives pills
There are medications that can increase the level of cholesterol in the blood. According to the Spanish Society of Cardiology, the main ones are birth control pills, steroids, cortisone, and diuretics. In addition, cholesterol can be increased if you suffer from diseases such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, diseases affecting the kidneys, or obstructive liver disease.
High cholesterol is an unobtrusive health threat. You may have developed it and didn’t know it until you had a routine blood test. How is that possible if you don’t overdo it with eggs, sausage, or red meat in your diet? There are other factors you may not have considered that can have a decisive impact on your cholesterol levels. Discover in our photo gallery the mistakes you may be unknowingly making, and the causes of your high cholesterol. And the treatments.
It’s Up To You
Cholesterol is a substance that our body produces naturally or from certain foods, and it is necessary because it is involved in many important functions. Why are we so afraid of it? When its levels become unbalanced, problems can arise because it can cause cardiovascular problems. The key to avoiding this is to find a balance between “bad cholesterol” (LDL) and “good cholesterol” (HDL), reducing the former and increasing the latter.
