Cholesterol and fat are essential nutrients in your diet, but both relate to the risk of heart disease. Cholesterol from food may affect your blood cholesterol level, particularly when you eat it in excessive amounts. Saturated fat is another culprit in raising blood cholesterol levels. Your body converts dietary saturated fat into cholesterol and other fats that can damage your blood vessels and your heart. Therefore, it is wise to reduce your intake of both cholesterol and fat.
Cholesterol is found only in foods of animal origin, such as red meat, eggs, milk and milk products fish, poultry,and animal fats such as lard and butter. The best way to limit the total amount of cholesterol in your diet is to go easy on animal foods and eat more grains, vegetables, and fruits.
Fat comes from both animal and plant sources. There are three types of fat, and they have different effects on bjpod cholesterol levels:
Saturated fats tend to raise total blood cholesterol levels, i Monounsaturated fats in the recommended amounts may tend to raise the “good” type of blood cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, without raising total blood cholesterol. Polyunsaturated fats in the recommended amounts may tend to reduce total blood cholesterol, but they also lower the “good” HDL cholesterol.
All fat is made up of a mixture of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats. The most important message is to reduce the amount of all types of fat in your diet. The foods that probably contribute most to your fat intake are fats and oils (pourable and spreadable), meat, and milk and other dairy products.
Research shows that the most tic and effective strategies to reduce fat include substituting lean meats for higher-fat selections, substituting milk for Whole or low-fat milk using less “pourable” or “spread fats (butter, margarine, oil, sauces, dressings, gravies).
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