Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that is very important to the human body. It helps the body produce new cells, hormones and insulate nerves. Among them, the cholesterol required by the human body is not only produced by the liver, but the cholesterol content can also be increased through food, such as meat, milk, eggs and other animal foods.

Cholesterol travels in the blood in the form of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL). Among them, LDL easily adheres to the artery wall, causing artery blockage and leading to cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure, so it is also called bad cholesterol; HDL, on the contrary, can remove bad cholesterol from the blood, reduce cholesterol concentration, and prevent cardiovascular diseases. , so it is also called good cholesterol. You can lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol through diet.

Excessive bad cholesterol may cause myocardial infarction

When the blood concentration contains too high cholesterol, it is easy for plaque to accumulate in the artery wall, leading to atherosclerosis, which in turn narrows the arteries and slows down the blood flow. If the blood cannot deliver enough oxygen to the heart , symptoms such as chest pain may occur.

What’s more serious is that if the hardened plaque in the artery ruptures, causing platelets to activate and form thrombus, it may completely block the blood vessel in a very short time, preventing blood from returning to the myocardium, and sudden death is prone to occur, which can lead to heart attack, Myocardial infarction can be fatal in severe cases. The main cause of arterial blockage is bad cholesterol. In addition, excessive triglycerides (Triglycerides) are also considered to be related to cardiovascular disease.

Trans fats and saturated fats also increase bad cholesterol

Trans fats (Trans fats) will increase bad cholesterol. In addition to having low nutritional value to the human body, they also increase the risk of heart disease. The main source of trans fats is the addition of incompletely hydrogenated oils (PHOs), which are widely found in various foods. Therefore, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has stipulated that starting from July 1, 2020, it is prohibited to add incompletely hydrogenated oil to food.

Saturated fat is one of the reasons for increasing bad cholesterol, which can cause plaque accumulation in blood vessels and cause blood vessel blockage. Although the “2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines” released by the United States in the past has lifted the daily limit of 300 mg of cholesterol, It is still recommended that people’s daily intake of saturated fat should be less than 10% of total daily calories. The following are common food sources of saturated fat:

1. dessert
   
2. pastry
   
3. fried food
   
4. red meat
   
5. highly processed meat
   
6. fat meat
   
7. Palm oil and coconut oil
   
8. ull-fat dairy products

Consuming too many high-cholesterol foods, such as fast and processed foods, can lead to obesity and overweight, which puts you at a higher risk of heart disease and other health problems.

What are the foods to remove bad cholesterol?

If we want to lower bad cholesterol, we need to reduce the intake of saturated fat and trans fat. We can reduce bad cholesterol in the body through the following foods:

1. vegetable
   
2. beans
   
3. fruit
   
4. oat
   
5. kelp
   
6. fish

In addition to taking in the above-mentioned foods, try to change cooking methods to steaming, stewing, and grilling, and avoid using fried or excessive seasonings.

Choosing a good oil is also important!

In addition to choosing ingredients carefully, the cooking oil you choose for cooking can also remove cholesterol from the blood. Some oils contain monounsaturated fatty acids that can remove bad cholesterol and retain good cholesterol, such as olive oil and bitter camellia oil. Choose these on a daily basis. Cooking with oil can effectively help the body lower cholesterol. In addition, nuts are also rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, including cashew nuts, almond nuts, cashew nuts, etc. Regular supplementation can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Effect of exercise on cholesterol

Not only diet, but regular exercise can also prevent cardiovascular disease. Experiments have proven that aerobic exercise can increase good cholesterol lipoproteins, reduce body fat content, control weight, and promote metabolism. It also reduces blood cholesterol levels and other causes of cardiovascular disease.

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