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Look around you at the food you eat. Most of that everyday fare is actually taking you to the brink of some real serious heart problems! The culprit is the high level of cholesterol in almost everything you consume. Understanding the cholesterol mechanism is of utmost importance to make an intelligent selection of the foods to include in your diet, and ultimately on the quality of your life.

Health magazines and sites warn you about the dangers of cholesterol. They say that high levels of cholesterol in your diet can and do lead to serious heart problems like strokes, heart attacks, heart disease, and artery disease. These serious ailments and conditions are further aggravated if you smoke, or suffer from hypertension and obesity, or have a hereditary condition.

The thing to understand is that when we speak of cholesterol, we are actually speaking of three different things: good cholesterol (HDL), bad cholesterol (LDL), and triglycerides. Triglycerides are not really cholesterol but are very intimately associated with regular cholesterol. Now not all these things are unhealthy or disease causing. In fact the body requires cholesterol and triglycerides too. The trick is in identifying the good ones and including them in your daily diet, and simultaneously avoiding the unhealthy ones. Fish cholesterol and triglycerides is good. Omega-3 fats found in a number of fish are recommended by physicians and nutritionists for patients suffering from diseases caused by cholesterol, because Omega-3 actually helps to reduce the level of bad cholesterol.

A further twist in this tale is that, more often than not, we wrongly blame specific foods for high levels of bad cholesterol. The cooking method, the medium used for cooking, and the other foods that we consume along with the specific food contribute significantly to aggravated cholesterol levels. As an example, eggs were standard breakfast fare once. Then they were declared ‘Bad!’ because they contained cholesterol. Further research has shown that we should avoid the yolk of the egg and not the white! So now we’re seeing eggs dished up with most of the yolk removed.

These swings in favor of or against cholesterol-containing foods confuse the man on the street. Eggs are not the main culprit in raising the level of bad cholesterol. The thing to avoid is not eggs by themselves, but to say no to the large helpings of bacon, cheese and sausages on the side. Paying attention to the way in which your food is cooked will pay off more than simply concentrating on including this and excluding that food from your diet.

The way the food is cooked is just as much to blame for high cholesterol levels in the bloodstream. Even foods innocent of any trace of cholesterol, can be transformed into real dangerous dishes. If the food is fried in oil or margarine then the goodness of the food is overpowered by the saturated fats present in the cooking medium. Red meats, poultry products, and dairy products contain high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. So it’s best to stay away from fried stuff and animal products.

Saturated fats are a deadly ingredient in your diet, making the liver increase production of LDL and triglycerides which leads to artery blockage and strokes.

There is no sense in banning specific food items from your diet. It makes more practical sense to maintain a moderate approach. Have everything, but in moderation. Keep a strict vigil on what you eat and how it is cooked. A fresh potato salad is good but French fries is not! Choose to grill your food rather than fry it. Have plenty of fresh vegetables. These very ordinary precautions will help to keep your heart beating perfectly for many, many years!