What is cholesterol and how can we prevent it?

We often talk about cholesterol as if it were some sort of abstract thing. It isn’t though! And it’s crucial to understand everything about it if you want to achieve excellent health. That’s why we want to share with you today exactly what cholesterol is, what its function in the body is, and what the healthiest foods are that contain it.

Cholesterol is a lipid that plays a key role in the formation of membranes in the body’s cells. It also synthesizes some hormones and promotes good digestion, acting as a bile acid precursor.

Before we continue, however, it’s important for us to distinguish between two variants of cholesterol. One is formed by low density lipoproteins; the other by high density lipoproteins. The first is harmful to our health because it can inhibit blood flow and trigger problematic clots for our vital organs such as the heart and brain. High density cholesterol, on the other hand, achieves the opposite, benefitting the health of our bodies. To truly understand what cholesterol is, it’s essential to realize that these two varieties exist, with their very different results.

The importance of a good diet

Choosing foods with high density cholesterol provides several benefits to the body without there being any adverse health effects. In fact, the cardiovascular system is greatly benefited, as this type of cholesterol lowers the levels of harmful cholesterol.

What foods are beneficial for your health?

The food that most typically increases the levels of high density cholesterol is high quality extra virgin olive oil, such as oils from Carapelli. These oils have a plethora of healthy properties for our bodies. Moreover, when you taste these oils, ’what cholesterol is’ is the least of your worries, since the taste is intoxicating from the very first moment.

As well as extra virgin olive oil, other foods with high levels of healthy cholesterol include:

• vegetable fats in almonds, nuts and avocado,

• high fiber foods such as oatmeal,

• and fish containing omega 3, such as salmon, tuna, or mackerel.

Once it is clear what cholesterol is, we just need to create a diet containing foods that are healthy for our bodies. Choose the best products and you will soon discover how excellent health and unbeatable taste can come from the very same harvest.