Cholesterol in food
Your body cannot function without cholesterol. However, one in three people in the Netherlands has high cholesterol. And that is harmful to health. Nutrition plays an important role. What should you eat or not eat?
Fats and cholesterol are inextricably linked. Our body cannot do without fats. But one fat is not the other. To maintain cholesterol levels, it is important not to eat too many products with cholesterol. But it is even more important to choose the right fats. There are saturated fats and unsaturated fats.
Saturated fats
You need as little of saturated fats as possible. These fats increase the amount of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood. This is not good for health because too much LDL in the blood increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Saturated fatty acids have a greater effect on blood cholesterol levels than dietary cholesterol. Saturated fats are often hidden in foods such as full-fat dairy products and fatty meats. But they are also in butter, margarine in a wrapper, cookies, chocolate and pastries.
Unsaturated fats
Oil, margarine in a tub, bottles with liquid margarine and frying oil mainly contain unsaturated fats. You do need unsaturated fats. These fats are made from plants and are essential. That means your body can’t make them on its own. You need them to build up your cells and your resistance. In addition, the good cholesterol (HDL) from unsaturated fats breaks down the bad cholesterol (LDL) from saturated fats and thus lowers the cholesterol level in the blood. Unsaturated fats are also found in fish, nuts, mayonnaise and vegetable oils (olive oil).
Healthy fatty fish
All types of fish contain unsaturated fats. However, fatty fish such as herring, mackerel, salmon and eel contain the most unsaturated fatty acids. That is why the Nutrition Center recommends eating fish at least twice a week, of which at least once is oily fish. When preparing fish, make sure that you also use unsaturated fats, such as products based on olive oil. People who eat fatty fish twice a week have a much lower risk of a heart attack and cardiovascular disease. For people who do not eat fish, fish oil capsules are an alternative.
The fable of eggs
Who says cholesterol, almost automatically says eggs. However, eggs are incorrectly known as cholesterol raisers. You should indeed be careful with cholesterol, but there is a big difference between cholesterol in the blood and cholesterol in the diet. Cholesterol-rich foods have little influence on the cholesterol level in our blood. Much worse is eating saturated fats. Compared to the other sources of cholesterol, the egg is fortunate to be relatively low in saturated fatty acids. Eggs contain a lot of unsaturated fats, which help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Other factors
Cholesterol levels can be maintained with a good and varied diet. But diet is not the only factor. Less stress, not smoking, moderate alcohol consumption and more exercise are just as important to keep your cholesterol under control. In addition, heredity plays a major role.
