Why Eating Cholesterol Is Occassionally Good For Health!

Like fat, high blood cholesterol is a Coronary Heart Disease risk factor which can be easily controlled by making simple changes to our eating habits.


Cholesterol is carried in our blood in two forms, bound to two different proteins called lipoproteins.

• Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL)

LDL is the bad cholesterol because this is the one that builds up and clogs the arteries.

• High Density Lipoprotein (HDL)

HDL is the good cholesterol because it gathers excess cholesterol and carries it back to the liver where it is broken down for removal from the body. It can also help remove the cholesterol already deposited on the artery walls.

Most people unaware of these two types of cholesterol, simply ban cholesterol from their diet. This is a very BAD practice! Higher levels of HDL are considered desirable while excessive amounts of the LDL cholesterol can be harmful.

Our body manufactures the cholesterol it needs. However, the food we eat such as the type of fat, dietary cholesterol and fibre, can affect our blood cholesterol.



As it is vital to limit your cholesterol intake to 300 mg per day, you should eat foods containing it only occasionally. Remember that only foods of animal origin contain cholesterol.

High Cholesterol: Butter, Cream, Full Cream Dairy products e.g. milk, cheddar cheese, beef, lamb, mutton, pork, duck, chicken, turkey.

Very High Cholesterol: Egg Yolk (Restrict to 3 - 4 per week), Caviar, Prawns, Shrimps

These foods also have a very high saturated fat content, they should be eaten less frequently. (Meat, fish and chicken have similar cholesterol values, but differ in their saturated fat content.)

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WHEN YOUR RECIPE CALLS FOR
USE:





250 ml (1 cup) butter
250 ml (1 cup) polyunsaturated margarine OR 250 ml (1 cup) oil





250 ml (1 cup) hard margarine
250 ml (1 cup) oil OR 220 ml (7/8 cup) oil plus OR 45 ml (3 tbsp) polyunsaturated margarine





250 ml (1 cup) whole milk
250 ml (1 cup) skim milk OR 250 ml (1 cup) low fat milk





250 ml (1 cup) light cream
45 ml (3 tbsp) oil and 250 ml (1 cup) skim milk OR 250 ml (1 cup) low fat evaporated milk





250 ml (1 cup) whipping cream
167 ml (2/3 cup) skim milk and 83 ml (1/3 cup) oil





250 ml (1 cup) sour cream
250 ml (1 cup) plain low fat yoghurt OR 250 ml (1 cup) smooth low fat cottage cheese OR 187 ml (3/4 cup) low fat buttermilk and 62,5 ml (1/4 cup) oil





1 whole egg
1 egg white and 10 ml (2 tsp) oil OR 2 egg whites





30 g (1/3 cup) cheddar cheese
30 g (1/3 cup) low fat mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan OR any low fat hard cheese (20 - 24% fat) OR 30 g (2 tbsp) low fat cottage cheese

Our diet generally contains too much cholesterol (LDL cholesterol). To gain the right balance, we should try to replace animal products like butter with polyunsaturated oil and tub margarines.

Reference/Pictures: Texte de Biochimie Université Lille 2 (Biochemistry Text Book University of Lille 2)