Managing Healthy Cholesterol Levels
Sarah Dobec, Holistic Nutritionist

Are you afraid to eat an egg because of its cholesterol content? Well what if I told you that the stress around your daily decisions could also be contributing to your rising cholesterol levels?

For years we have directly linked dietary cholesterol with serum cholesterol. It is important to be aware of what we put in our mouths on a daily basis and yes, to a certain degree dietary cholesterol will contribute to your serum cholesterol but there are many other contributing factors.

Raised serum cholesterol is a symptom of an imbalance in the body. Cholesterol is created in the liver and distributed through the body for a variety of essential reasons. Cholesterol is:

- the foundation of every hormone
- an essential part of every cell structure needed for proper brain and nerve function
- an antioxidant in the body.

Therefore, it is important for us to consider the root cause of high cholesterol levels. Why is our body producing more cholesterol than is considered healthy? Some root causes could be:

* High stress levels - Adrenaline is a hormone so when our stress levels are high, our cholesterol needs go up.

* Inflammation in the body - When we experience inflammation cells are damaged and require cholesterol to be repaired. Inflammation is a common ailment in North America. When we address inflammation we often see remarkable improvements in health.

* Lack of exercise and fibre in the diet. Exercise is essential for overall health and can contribute to lowering serum cholesterol. Fibre will help collect and remove cholesterol from the body.

Recommendations:

 Eat a diet high in vegetable, fruit, whole grains, essential fatty acids, water and fibre. Eat moderately - organic meat, poultry and dairy products.

 Exercise every day.

 Address stress - easy to say, not so easy to do. Make this a priority.

 Ensure you are getting enough vitamin C, as well as other anti-oxidants from fresh fruit and vegetables.

 Talk to your health care providers about your concerns around cholesterol and create a plan to manage healthy levels and a healthy life!