Is the cholesterol in egg yolks the "good" or "bad" kind? Can you "burn" cholesterol by exercising? Which has more cholesterol, a tablespoon of butter or a cup of peanut butter? Most people know that fat is bad for them, but two-thirds of Americans are confused about how cholesterol differs from fats. The
fat issue is actually the most clearly defined topic in nutrition. Yes, most Americans should cut the fat. They need to do it now and for the rest of their lives, for the sake of their hearts, health and waistlines. Given that National Education Cholesterol Month is this September, stockpiling some cholesterol facts may be in line. Learning more will clear up the confusion and help you to dodge the fat in your diet. Can You Burn Off Cholesterol? Cholesterol is a type of lipid, just as fats are. However, unlike fat, cholesterol can't be exercised off, sweated out or burned for energy. It is found only in animal products, including meat, chicken, fish, eggs, organ meats and high-fat dairy products. Is Cholesterol Good or Bad? Just as homemade oil-and-vinegar dressing separates into a watery pool with a fat-slick topping, so also would fats
and cholesterol if they were dumped directly into the blood. To solve this dilemma, the body transports fat and cholesterol by coating them with a water-soluble "bubble" of protein. This protein-fat bubble is called a lipoprotein. Test Your Cholesterol
Your risk for heart disease can be assessed with a blood-cholesterol test. In this test, your total-cholesterol reading should approximate the sum of your LDL, HDL and other lipoproteins. If you
have 3.5 mg of total cholesterol, or less, for every 1 mg of HDLs, then your cholesterol ratio is ideal. According to guidelines from the National Cholesterol Education Program: The Fat Primer The fats that supply calories, float in your blood and accumulate in your thighs and hips are called "triglycerides." They can be saturated or unsaturated, and the unsaturated ones can be either
monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. For every ounce of triglycerides you eat, you add 250 calories (or 9 calories per gram -- the weight of a raisin) to your diet. Only saturated fats
increase blood levels of cholesterol and heart-disease risk. Which Ones Are Saturated? In general, the harder a fat, the more saturated it is. Beef and dairy fats are mostly saturated fats. Liquid oils are usually unsaturated fats, including monounsaturated
fats in olive and canola oils and polyunsaturated fats in safflower, corn, soybean and fish oils. Coconut, palm and palm kernel oils are exceptions to the rule; these liquid vegetable oils are highly saturated fats. Fear of Frying Eating foods with a lot of saturated fat raises your risk for heart disease; this causes the amount of bad LDLs in your blood to increase while good HDLs decrease. Cut the saturated fat, and your blood-cholesterol levels and your risk for heart disease drop. Your risk for cancer also decreases. A diet with more polyunsaturated fats, rather than saturated fats, lowers total blood-cholesterol levels, but unfortunately also drops HDL levels, so you lose both good and bad cholesterol. Olive oil is another story. This oil lowers total-blood cholesterol and LDL cholesterol without causing HDL levels to drop. By using olive oil, you can decrease your total-cholesterol levels while maintaining your HDL levels, thus decreasing your risk for heart disease. Fish oil also lowers heart-disease risk. Consequently, olive and fish are the oils of choice. Trans, Schmans Hydrogenated fats are liquid vegetable oils made creamy when manufacturers convert some of the unsaturated fats into saturated ones through a process called "hydrogenation." This process also rearranges the molecular shape of the remaining unsaturated fats. The resulting shape is an abnormal "trans" shape. Trans fatty acids constitute up to 60 percent of the fat in processed foods containing hydrogenated fats. TFAs raise blood-cholesterol levels and increase heart-disease risk just like saturated fats. Knowing your fats gives you an edge when it comes to buying and preparing the right foods to eat. And when you steer away from the saturated fat and trans fatty acids, you can live a heart-healthy life. The bottom line is:
Is saturated fat the same as cholesterol?Saturated fat. There are different types of fat in the food we eat, and saturated fats are the type that raise blood cholesterol. Many foods contain saturated fat, especially animal foods such as meat, butter and dairy products, and foods that are made with them, such as cakes and biscuits.
Is saturated fat a source of cholesterol?The American Heart Association recommends limiting saturated fats – which are found in butter, cheese, red meat and other animal-based foods, and tropical oils. Decades of sound science has proven it can raise your “bad” cholesterol and put you at higher risk for heart disease.
Does lowering saturated fat lower cholesterol?Saturated fats
Too much saturated fat will raise your cholesterol. Cut down on foods high in saturated fat and replace them with foods higher in unsaturated fat. Saturated fats are usually solid at room temperature. Most foods foods high in saturated fats come from animals, as well as coconut products.
What are examples of saturated fats?Saturated fat is found in:. butter, ghee, suet, lard, coconut oil and palm oil.. cakes.. biscuits.. fatty cuts of meat.. sausages.. bacon.. cured meats like salami, chorizo and pancetta.. cheese.. |