The Good of Cholesterol

In the movie, Cousin Vinny, Joe Pesci, looks on in horror as a diner cook runs a block of lard across his grill and then starts frying eggs.

"Excuse me, you guys down here hear about the ongoing cholesterol problem in the country?" asks Pesci, his eyes bugging out.

The on-going belief here is that eating high cholesterol foods will cause a heart attack. If that is the case, then why are some vegetarians diagnosed with high cholesterol?

Cholesterol is formed by the body to protect itself from free radical damage. Kind of like human rust. The more free radical invaders (eg. smoking, processed carbohydrates, stress, pollution, etc.) the more cholesterol produced!

This does not mean that the person is consuming too much bad cholesterol, but rather their body is under attack from too many free radicals. It is like when your immune system is low and you get infections. Your body is producing swelling, discharges, etc. to defend against the invaders.

By the way, HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) is good cholesterol which will actually clean out your arteries. LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) and VLDL (Very Low Density Lipoprotein) are the bad cholesterols that will form clots in your blood stream. Egg yolks are high in HDL. I eat plenty of eggs and have consistent low LDL readings.

A couple more points. The Inuit and Eskimos eat high fat, meat and fish diets and have low heart disease. The African Masai tribal people eat mostly meat, a mixture of milk and blood and some fruits. They also have low heart disease. That is until they are crammed into crowded housing and fed processed carbohydrates.

So, think exercise, low stress and getting rid of junk in the diet (eg. processed carbohydrates, sugars, pop, etc.) and ensuring that the diet contains enough liver-supportive substances like: lecithin (lots in egg yolks), choline, inositol, biotin and vitamins B12 and B15. You also need protective minerals often found in eggs, nuts, fish and meat. Namely, magnesium, selenium, manganese, zinc, potassium and chromium.

Doug Setter holds a Bachelor's of Food and Nutrition. He has served as a paratrooper and U.N. Peacekeeper, has completed 5 full marathons and climbed Mt. Rainier. He held a welterweight kick-boxing title at age 40. He consults clients in alcohol reduction, stomach-flattening, kick-boxing and nutrition. He is the author of Stomach Flattening, Reduce Your Alcohol Craving and One Less Victim. Visit his website: 2ndwindbodyscience.com 2ndwindbodyscience.com