Cholesterol

For years we have been told that cholesterol intake should be kept to a bare minimum as doing so will help decrease blood cholesterol levels and promote overall health. Although the theory of lowering dietary cholesterol intake to lower internal cholesterol makes logical sense, dietary cholesterol does NOT influence our cholesterol levels as previously though. In fact, when dietary intake of cholesterol is decreased, the liver compensates by producing more cholesterol, leaving total cholesterol levels relatively unchanged. In the same way, if cholesterol consumption is increased, the liver produces less cholesterol, and again, total cholesterol values will not be substantially altered.

Now that’s not to say that we should crazy wild with our intake of cholesterol, but it does mean that we can expect cholesterol levels to remain relatively stable over a wide range of dietary intakes. Given this information, you may be wondering why the body would ever produce more cholesterol if cholesterol is so “bad”, and that’s a good question. Cholesterol acts as an antioxidant against dangerous free radicals within the blood and is also necessary to produce certain hormones that help to fight against heart disease. When there are high levels of undesirable substances in the blood (caused by the dietary intake of damaged fats, highly processed “unhealthy” foods, and large quantities of sugars), cholesterol levels rise in order to combat these substances.

Blaming heart disease on high cholesterol is like blaming infection on high levels of antibodies (special proteins produced by the body in order to defend against foreign bacteria and infectious agents). If the body allowed cholesterol to fall in the presence of large amounts of free radicals, our risk for heart disease would increase, not decrease, and fortunately our bodies won’t let that happen.

So, the answer to decreasing blood cholesterol levels is not avoiding omelets and not necessarily decreasing dietary cholesterol intake, but rather improving ones diet overall by eating healthier in general and avoiding the other harmful types of foods mentioned. Combine that with increased physical activity and both you and your cholesterol levels will be more manageable in a healthy range.

 

 

Article Review: Embracing where you are

Comparison has become the social norm. We are constantly striving for that perfect life that we think we need to reach to be “happy”. One of the main things we compare is our body image and fitness level. Many think that having a perfect body and always working out must lead to a life full of romance, adventure, and fun; where nothing inherently bad happens. Fortunately, it doesn’t necessarily work that way. As much as someone’s life seems perfect, it most likely isn’t, and comparison is the joy-killer.

“We’re all bozos on the bus,” said Woodstock MC Wavy Gravy in 1969, “so we might as well sit back and enjoy the ride.”

Instead of using this “ideal” person as a standard of what we need to be like, we need to pursue life, especially fitness, and nutrition, with goals that are personally attainable and realistic and stop viewing ourselves as inadequate. Feeling good about our bodies and our health is much more important than striving for a goal society and media has made us think we need to have.

The following 7 tips, summarized from an article on Precision Nutrition, help with learning how to be OK with how your life is in this given moment.

  1. Reboot your expectations. The “fit” bodies that are seen on TV and other media aren’t easily manageable nor is it all that exciting or healthy. Those models and actors get paid to be in the shape that they are, and that is basically their life – workout, cold chicken, no social life, and not much fun.
  2. Find realistic role models. The idea of “fit and healthy” is typically those on the covers of fitness magazines and such. However, fit and healthy have more of a spectrum. Those models may look good, but they aren’t necessarily fit and healthy. Everyday people who stay fit and healthy but don’t necessarily look “flawless” are more of an ideal role model.
  3. Embrace the struggle. Life isn’t easy. It may seem like some people have it “easy”, but in reality, their problems might not be able to be seen by everyone. The reward of being healthier and happier is most of the time worth going through the hard times and difficult changes to get to. 
  4. Recognize and respect your not-OK-ness. No one has their life completely together 100% of the time. The important thing to do is recognize what is going wrong and find the root of the problem. Some problems can be worked on directly, and others can’t be changed but can be worked around. Also, knowing yourself and your body can help with identifying when extra help is needed in some places at certain times.
  5. Learn to be OK with your not-OK-ness. Like what was mentioned in the last step, things are never going to be 100%, it’s just not feasible, and so learning to be OK with things not being perfect is imperative to accepting yourself and life.
  6. Take small steps towards slightly more OK. In a society where everyone’s lives are posted online, people tend to think the bigger and flashier the goal the better. However, these BIG goals aren’t practical, plus they might not be attainable by most. So taking small steps and achieving small goals is much better for self-worth than trying to take on a big goal and failing.
  7. Find your workarounds. If there is something that limits you from doing a particular activity or eating a certain food, then find an alternative that will still keep you on track and moving forward. Everyone has speedbumps along the way to achieving something, so learning how to work around them and stay on task is key.

The happy life that everyone strives for can be attainable through loving ourselves, accepting our flaws, creating goals that can be achieved, and asking for help when needed. So analyze yourself and life to recognize what needs to change and take small steps towards being OK.

Article Link: https://www.precisionnutrition.com/that-fit-person-whos-got-it-all-together-doesnt