Cholesterol is a necessary part of life. Without it we can not make cell walls, hormones, vitamin D or digest fat! Sounds crazy doesn't it? This monster "cholesterol" is actually something your body needs to survive!!!  

The most important thing for you to learn and understand is the proper balance of HDL and LDL cholesterol. We use the term coronary risk factor and the formula is: total cholesterol divided by HDL cholesterol. The number you get from this formula should ideally be below 4.0. What this means is... at 4.0 or less, you have the proper ratio of HDL to LDL.   

For example; if your total cholesterol is 175 and your HDL is 45, your coronary risk factor is 3.9. Also, if your Total cholesterol is 253 and your HDL is 65 your risk factor is 3.9.

You see, it's not about the total number of cholesterol. What's important is the ratio of the two different types of cholesterol. Both types of cholesterol have their own specific duties. 

• LDL Cholesterol is like an oil truck that delivers fat to the body's cells. Cells have receptor sites, that work like a loading dock. If the warehouse is full and there is no place to deliver the fat, the dock is closed. So the trucks just keep driving around looking for a place to unload their cargo. This means that they are wandering through your arteries, "all dressed up with no place to go."

• HDL Cholesterol is like a street sweeper. It comes along and cleans up left over LDL. It picks up the wandering LDL trucks full of cholesterol and brings them back to the liver to be processed.  

High LDL cholesterol becomes a concern when there is not enough HDL cholesterol to clean up all of the excess LDL. Another concern is when the interior walls of the arteries are inflamed due to smoking, diabetes or hypertension.  

The insides of our arteries are meant to be smooth and slick. When there is inflammation in the artery walls, tiny cracks and rough spots develop. LDL cholesterol can get hung up on these sand paper like rough patches. These deposits can thicken and harden and sometimes cause clots, which can lead to heart attacks, strokes and pulmonary embolisms. These deposits can also cause restricted blood flow to the heart and other areas of the body.  

Diet and exercise are very important in keeping the HDL/LDL balance. Since the liver is responsible for making 80% of the cholesterol in our body, it's important to make sure that the liver is functioning properly, and that you are providing the foods and blood supply that it needs. 

Eating foods high in saturated fat increases the amount of LDL that the liver produces. Saturated fats are fats that are solid when refrigerated, such as; butter, lard and margarine. Animal fats are also considered saturated fat.   

Eating foods which are considered unsaturated fats, such as; beans, grains, vegetables, seeds and nuts will help to increase HDL cholesterol, which is necessary to help control the balance of total cholesterol. Fats such as olive oil, safflower oil and sunflower oil are high in unsaturated fats.  

Reducing inflammation in your body is also an important factor. Reducing the amount of sugar in your diet, getting regular exercise and eating lots of fresh vegetables and fruits is a great way to help reduce inflammation. Also avoiding foods, such as; cows milk, soda pop, pork, fried & greasy foods, processed foods and chocolate is very important.   

Increasing HDL cholesterol automatically lowers LDL cholesterol because there are more street sweepers to clean up the extra LDL's. It makes total sense to make an effort to increase the amount of HDL in your blood.  

Do these things to help increase HDL cholesterol 

• Exercise 210 minutes a week, walk, run... just get moving
• Drop those excess pounds, by eating more wholesome foods and avoiding sugar, processed foods and trans fats.
   
• Stop Smoking... smoking lowers HDL
• Increase omega fatty acids... salmon, walnuts, avocados, farm fresh eggs, and take a supplement too

Your health is in your control. Making some slight adjustments to your lifestyle can change your body and your health.