Facts About Cholesterol and Calories
Cholesterol and calories are two things that have different functions even though both can be obtained from food. Both are required by the body but when consumed in excess amount can contribute to chronic disease.
By coincidence, many high-cholesterol foods are also high in calories. This is because high cholesterol foods tend to be high in fat, and fat has the highest calories.
Not all foods contain cholesterol, but all foods have calories. Cholesterol is found only in animal products like egg yolks, red meat, offal, poultry, shellfish, cream and milk products.
While calories are owned by almost all foods. Though according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), healthy foods are naturally low in calories and contain packed with important nutrients.
Example of low-calorie foods are fruits, vegetables, grains, low-fat milk products, and protein such as fish, nuts, soy and chicken breast without the skin.
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a fatty substance found in blood and body cells and are essential nutrients that the human body needs to perform its main function.
Cholesterols are composed of in the body by the liver and then sent to various parts of the body by the blood. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), cholesterol is used to form cell membranes and hormones.
Two main types of cholesterols are low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). High LDL and low HDL is a risk factor for heart disease.
LDL should be below 160-190 mg / dL for most people and less than 100-130 mg / dL for diabetics and people at risk of heart disease. While the HDL should be above 40-50 mg / dL for good health.
LDL can be lowered by limiting foods high in cholesterol and HDL can be enhanced with emphasis on exercise.
According to Livestrong, the Federal dietary guidelines recommend limiting cholesterol to less than 300 mg per day. But people with heart disease should limit cholesterol intake of less than 200 mg per day.
Calorie
Calorie is the amount of energy stored in food or unit to calculate the energy. In other words, high-calorie foods will produce more energy.
Just so you know, fat has the most amount of calories compared to carbohydrates and proteins. Eating too few calories can lead to malnutrition, but eat excess amount of calories can contribute to weight gain and obesity (overweight).
Obesity is a risk factor for heart disease, diabetes, cancer, liver, kidney disease, stroke and other chronic conditions. Then the number of calories consumed a day should be balanced with the number of calories expended through daily activities and exercises.
According to the AHA, the average adult needs about 2000 calories per day, but these figures vary by age, gender, level of activity and health goals.
In general, men, people who are physically active and young adults need more calories than others. People who are overweight need to reduce caloric intake and increase physical activity levels to support weight loss.
How to reduce cholesterol and calories
People who are overweight should reduce the intake of cholesterol and calories. Eating plant foods like fruits, vegetables and grains, and limiting meat and dairy products high in fat will help reduce cholesterol and caloric intake.
Calorie intake can also be reduced by reducing the amount of fat, sugar and alcohol, namely by limiting fried foods, fast food, soda, sweet dessert, snacks, butter, cream and candy.
Tagged with: Calories, Cholesterol, cholesterol intake, Essential Nutrients, fatty substance, high cholesterol foods, high density lipoprotein, low calorie foods, low density lipoprotein, Low Fat Milk, low hdl, Milk Products,
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