Cholesterol deserves special attention and analysis of its effect on the body. Most people only know about the negative effects of this substance, believing that no cholesterol is beneficial. However, this substance takes part in the construction of hormones (especially sex) and many cells, in particular, nerve cells. Nevertheless, despite the indispensable properties, cholesterol is produced by the liver, therefore, even if you eat only plant foods, you will not have problems with a lack of it.
Often there are problems with its excess. Therefore, you need to know how cholesterol enters our body, and in what quantities. Often, cholesterol is found in foods of animal origin to one degree or another. To analyze each product, you need to establish the daily norm of cholesterol for a person, which is approximately 200-300 mg. So, for people under 30 years of age, this norm decreases to about 175 mg per 100 ml of blood. In the body of people older than 30, cholesterol in the products should receive no more than 250-300 mg.
The fact is that the cholesterol content in products depends on the degree of their fat content, and on the amount of saturated and unsaturated fats. For example, if lard contains large amounts of cholesterol and at the same time a large proportion of saturated (solid) fat, then the degree of harmfulness of this product increases significantly. Conversely, fish contain a lot of cholesterol, but saturated fats are much less. In contrast, they are a high number of unsaturated fats. Therefore, fish products are considered a preventive measure against the development of atherosclerosis, which leads to the accumulation of cholesterol and its sedimentation on the walls of blood vessels.
It should be noted that cholesterol in foods and the amount of fat depends on how animals were fed and in what conditions they were kept. This mainly applies to poultry and fish.
So which foods contain more cholesterol, and which ones are dangerous to our health (based on the level of this substance)? The greatest amount of it is found in the brain (from 800 to 2200 mg), kidneys (from 300 to 780 mg), as well as in pork (maximum - 380 mg - in the loin), beef liver (from 260 to 390 mg) and other animals, butter (240 to 280), and fat ghee. It should be remembered that cholesterol is not found in vegetable products and vegetable oil. But they are rich in sitosterol - a plant-based analogue of cholesterol, which, on the contrary, normalizes the metabolism of fats and their breakdown. But in the intestines, this substance combines with cholesterol, forming a complex that is poorly soluble and absorbed into the blood. This is why separate meals are recommended .
There are several rules, compliance with which helps to normalize cholesterol metabolism :
- Reduce the intake of foods that are rich in cholesterol.
- Eat moderately, do not overeat.
- Eat fiber-rich foods. Fiber promotes the binding of cholesterol in the gastrointestinal tract.
- A full supply of vitamins to the body that break down this substance and help to remove it.
- It is necessary to ensure that there is no excess body weight. Excess and severe lack of weight leads to a malfunction of all systems.
- It is necessary to get rid of bad habits (alcohol, smoking).
Remember that the fish, although it contains sufficient cholesterol, helps its breakdown and excretion from the body. Also, low-fat cheeses, cottage cheese and dairy products have proven themselves well in this. It is not recommended to often eat egg yolks, fatty meat, soup fat, sour cream and butter. The most important thing is not to abuse. You can eat everything, only in moderation, because the cholesterol in the products enters the body and so on in sufficient doses!