motd Tues Sept 27 - Cholesterol

[Guest guest]

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

Tuesday, 27 September 2011

Everyone listen up because class is now

in session! Okay, now that I have your attention...

I like to learn new things and, when I do,

I like to share what I've learned...with you.

And today in my class, you're going to learn all

about cholesterol.

Cholesterol is a type of fat found in

everyone's body.

First of all, you should know that cholesterol is

a type of fat found in everyone's body. But did you

know there are two types of cholesterol? There's

HDL and there's LDL.

Now LDL cholesterol would be the "bad guy" in

today's class. Why? Because LDL cholesterol builds

up a greasy, waxy substance in your body's arteries

called plaque. That plaque

restricts the flow of blood through your arteries

and can lead to some health problems we'll talk

about later in this lesson.

Now I know, you may be wondering why I began our

lesson talking about the bad cholesterol instead of

the good. Well wait, I do have a reason. See, I

began by discussing the bad cholesterol because it's

gonna help you see why the good cholesterol is so,

well...good for you!

HDL cholesterol...now that's the

good stuff!

HDL cholesterol...now that's the good

stuff! And why is it so good? Easy answer. HDL

cholesterol actually helps remove the bad LDL

cholesterol from your body. That's right, HDL

cholesterol tells that bad LDL stuff to...get outta

town! (And I mean out of

your arteries.) Now you see why I was saving the

good HDL cholesterol for last. (It helps make my

point.)

To help you picture what's going on inside you, I

want you to think of your arteries as very tiny

tubes that run throughout your body. (In fact,

that's what they are.) Those important little tubes

carry oxygen-rich blood to each of your body's

organs. When the walls of your arteries get lined

with that nasty-old plaque I told you about earlier,

that's where the problems begin.

LDL cholesterol cakes up your arteries,

restricting blood flow, leading to heart and other

circulatory issues. I'm talking heart attacks and

strokes here. See? That's the ugly part.

I'm sad to say that I've known too many people

throughout my career who've suffered heart attacks

or strokes because of the way they ate.

If you haven't been to the doctor and had your own

cholesterol checked lately, you really need to. It's

that's important. And I can guarantee, when

it comes to your cholesterol level, your doctor's

gonna tell you what I'm about to tell you. "Watch

the fats you eat!"

Bad LDL cholesterol comes from animal-based

fats.

That bad LDL cholesterol comes from animal-based

fats. I'm talking foods like steaks, bacon, egg

yolks and high-fat dairy products. And believe me,

if you're eating lots of these foods, you're gonna

end up in "Plaque City" and I'm not kidding!

Now I do want you to remember that fat is one of the

six food groups and your body needs a little fat

everyday. Your body wants and needs that

good fat...in moderation. We'll be talking

about one of those sources of good fat tomorrow.

Love,