If you are worried that your cholesterol is too high, your first question may well be, "Well, what should my cholesterol be?" The answer to this question is not as simple as you may think. To really understand what your cholesterol levels should be, you must first know about the different types of cholesterol and how they work in your body.

Have I Got Too Much Cholesterol?

The first thing you should know if you are asking, "What should my cholesterol be?" is that not all cholesterol is bad for you. In fact, your body needs some cholesterol in order to function. It helps to create hormones, digestive juices, vitamin D, nerve synapses, and is a major component in cell membranes.

When you have more cholesterol in your blood than your body needs, however, the excess starts to build up on the walls of your arteries, causing them to narrow and harden. This can lead to heart disease, and if a blood clot gets caught in these narrow arteries, it can cause a heart attack or stroke. For this reason, it is incredibly important that you keep your cholesterol levels in check.

"Good" and "Bad" Types of Cholesterol

There are two main types of cholesterol, and it is the ratio between these two that will determine whether or not your cholesterol levels are healthy. The first type is of cholesterol is called low-density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol, and it is usually referred to as "bad" cholesterol, because it is the type that will clog your arteries. The other kind of cholesterol is high-density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol, and it is known as "good" cholesterol because it helps to carry excess LDL cholesterol out of your blood.

Both LDL and HDL cholesterol is needed in your body, but it is essential to maintain the proper ratio of these two in order to avoid heart disease. In women, this ratio should be no less than one part HDL cholesterol per four parts total cholesterol (1:4), and for men it should be no less than 1:4½.

What Numbers Are Right For Cholesterol?

So now that you know about the two different kinds of cholesterol, you are probably saying to yourself, "Yes, but what should my cholesterol be numerically, for both types?" Cholesterol levels are measured inmilligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), and they can only be determined though a blood test. Your results will normally be broken down into your total cholesterol, LDL, and HDL levels.

An optimal range for total cholesterol levels would be less than 180 mg/dL, although anything below 200 is still desirable. Anything between 200 and 239 mg/dL is considered to be borderline high and should be watched closely to make sure it does not go up. Levels of 240 mg/dL and over are considered high, and your doctor will probably recommend that you make dietary changes or take medication to lower them.

For LDL levels specifically, the optimal range is considered to be lower than 100 mg/dL. Levels of 129 mg/dL and below are still good, but if they are any higher than that you should start considering making dietary changes. Levels of 160 mg/dL and above are considered high, and anything about 190 mg/dL is very high.

HDL cholesterol levels should ideally be above 60mg/dL. Levels of 40 mg/dL and below are considered low. Remember, if your LDL or total cholesterol levels are high, you want to actually raise your HDL levels, not lower them. Increased HDL levels will carry more LDL out of your blood, lowering your bad cholesterol levels.

If you have been wondering "What should my cholesterol be?" hopefully this article has helped answer your question. If you have any doubts or further inquiries, you should discuss them with your physician. They will be able to give you further information and advice about lowering your LDL cholesterol levels.

For more information about high cholesterol, a life threatening problem, and how to manage it, visit http://www.loweringcholesterolfoods.com/

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If you look at all of the different options of nuts that are available on the shelves of your grocery store you will quickly notice that many of them have a statement that is often depicted with a big red heart symbol. This statement reads, "Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease." This comes from the FDA. For the FDA to make a statement like that it must mean that there is some strong research to back it up.

While many nuts are included as being good for your heart, one nut stands above the rest. That nut is the almond - though, almonds are technically seeds and not nuts. What makes almonds so good for you?

Almonds are high in dietary fiber. In one serving you can get 3mg of fiber, which is a lot. Including fiber in your diet is known to help reduce cholesterol levels and to decrease the risk of heart disease.

Almonds are full of Vitamin E. This is very important for fighting plaque buildup in the walls of your arteries. Plaque is created when bad cholesterol (LDL) is broken down through a process called oxidation. Vitamin E interacts with LDL molecules in a way that it prevents this breakdown process. In a study at Harvard it was discovered that the most dangerous type of cholesterol have very low levels of Vitamin E.

Almonds are high in monounsaturated fat. In recent years fat's role as being enemy number one has decreased and doctors are becoming aware that some fats are very good for the body. One 'good' fat is monounsaturated fat. In several studies it has been shown that monounsaturated fats help to decrease the level of LDL cholesterol in the blood. It is thought that this link is due to monounsaturated fat changing the LDL molecules so they 'stick' to the liver, thus reducing the amount flowing in your blood.

However, it is wise to be aware that almonds do contain a lot of calories in even small amounts. A serving of almonds, which is typically 20-30 almonds, can contain 200 or more calories. Therefore, it is best to use some restraint when eating almonds. Gaining weight will counteract any positive effects you may achieve by eating these nuts.

People who face the reality of high cholesterol may not also want to go the route of prescription drugs. By changing your diet, even in the slightest ways, it is possible to manage cholesterol levels without facing the possible side effects of medication. Nuts, and more specifically almonds, are a great way to start.

For more information on how to reduce bad cholesterol, including more info regarding the question of ' are almonds good for you ', read more articles that Christine Crotts has written about this subject.

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Cholesto-Rite is a 100% natural safe and proven herbal formula especially designed to help the body maintain healthy levels of LDL and HDL cholesterol. Cholesto-Rite also acts as a cardiovascular tonic and promotes the body's natural ability to fight harmful free radicals. Cholesto-Rite not only lowers LDL cholesterol, but also increases levels of HDL, the 'good' form of cholesterol that helps to remove excessive LDL from the bloodstream and prevent the buildup of plaque in the arteries. Regular use of Cholesto-Rite can help to balance the system and prevent heart disease and stroke, as well as ensure healthy arteries. Because Cholesto-Rite also contains herbs that have anti-oxidant properties, Cholesto-Rite can prevent the damage caused by free radicals in the system. Research has shown that free radicals (unstable oxygen molecules) are implicated in the build up of coronary plaque, leading to atherosclerosis, heart attack and even stroke.

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HDL cholesterol is the good cholesterol that helps remove excess bad cholesterol (LDL) from the bloodstream, which in turn reduces the build-up of plaque in the arteries.

There are number of strategies that can be used to improve HDL cholesterol levels naturally.

A low HDL level for men is one that is below 40 mg/dL, and for women a low HDL level is one that is below 50 mg/dL.

The level for women is higher because they produce estrogen which aides in the production of HDL.

Good HDL levels are considered to be above 60 mg/dL, which means that there is an optimal amount of HDL cholesterol for eliminating excess LDL from the bloodstream.

If your HDL level is lower than the recommended level, then there are a number of things you can do to improve HDL cholesterol levels naturally.

One thing that you can do is to try to lose weight. This will achieve a number of different things including a reduction in the level of LDL cholesterol that is present in your body, as well as increase the HDL count.

The other obvious benefit of losing weight is the increased satisfaction and self-confidence that you will have in yourself when you get rid of the extra pounds.

Exercise is another great strategy that can help you increase your HDL levels naturally.

Aerobic exercise when performed on a regular basis for 20 to 30 minutes can help burn excess fat and calories and get the heart rate up in order to increase blood and oxygen flow to the muscles and other organs in the body.

Another strategy that can help improve HDL cholesterol levels naturally is to eliminate foods that contain trans fat, saturated fats, and other harmful substances that can increase LDL cholesterol and reduce HDL cholesterol levels.

When foods that contain these types of substances are eliminated from your diet, HDL levels are improved.

To ensure success, consider adding natural supplements to your diet. They are extremely successful at raising HDL levels while lowering LDL.

Stopping the bad habit of smoking is also a great way to improve HDL cholesterol levels naturally.

Not only does quitting smoking help improve HDL counts, but it eliminates the many other health risks that are associated with smoking.

An overall reduction in alcohol is another valuable strategy that can help improve HDL cholesterol levels naturally.

It is recommended that men consume no more than one or two drinks per day, and women consume no more than one alcoholic drink per day.

If you are ready to improve HDL cholesterol levels naturally as well as lower LDL levels thus improving your heart health, then visit my website today for quality information to guide you to success.

Mary Ruddy is a former high cholesterol sufferer, from a family with a history of heart disease, and has successfully achieved perfect cholesterol levels, reversing and eliminating the risk of heart disease, and is a strong advocate of natural health care. Mary enjoys introducing people to the best natural products she can find and uses herself daily at: http://www.curing-cholesterol.com/

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Your liver produces eighty percent of the cholesterol your body needs to function effectively. Aside from the production of cholesterol, the liver is also responsible for the excretion of excess levels of LDL cholesterol in the body.

This process is carried out with the help of HDL cholesterol, which collects excess levels of LDL in the blood and brings them to the liver for excretion.

The amount of cholesterol in your body can be attributed to two key factors - inherited genetic disorder and diet.

Familial hypercholesterolemia is a genetic defect that causes high cholesterol levels in the blood.

People who inherit familial hypercholesterolemia have a lack of low-density lipoprotein receptors that remove cholesterol from the blood.

As a result, they will have high cholesterol levels from birth, which generally leads to an early development of hardening of the arteries and cardiovascular disease.

In dealing with this condition, following a low cholesterol diet is very important.

The kinds of foods that you include in your diet have a major impact on your levels of LDL cholesterol and your levels of HDL too.

Foods with high fat and cholesterol content promote an increase in LDL cholesterol levels in the body, as well as an increase in triglycerides and a decrease in HDL levels.

This includes animal products, full fat dairy products, fast food, processed food, pre-packaged food, cakes and biscuits.

Instead you need to eat more green leafy vegetables, onions, apples, blueberries, avocados, salmon, herring, mackerel, tuna, chicken (without skin), olive oil, canola oil, oats, oat bran, nuts and seeds.

These foods will provide you with soluble fibre and Omega 3, which will lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides while increasing HDL levels.

Lowering your levels of LDL, and increasing HDL levels, is the best way to prevent the occurrence of atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries.

Getting regular exercise will give your HDL cholesterol a boost, while at the same time lowering LDL. You need to maintain a steady pace for a minimum of 30 minutes a day, for at least five days a week.

Most people have now come to realize the value of adding natural supplements to their daily routine.

If you choose the right supplement, with the right purely natural ingredients, then you are well on your way to achieving heart healthy cholesterol levels and excellent heart health.

Aside from reducing the levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in your body, and raising HDL, the above recommendations will also help with:

* Preventing, reversing or stopping the development of plaque within the walls of the arteries
* Preventing the development of blood clots and arterial blockages
* Reducing the risk of having a stroke or a heart attack
* Providing additional benefit to both the cerebral and carotid arteries (major arteries that lead to the brain)
* Widening narrowed arteries

Following the above guidelines will ensure you achieve the recommended levels of LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and HDL, thus giving you peace of mind to enjoy life to the full.

If you are ready to achieve the right levels of LDL and HDL cholesterol levels to protect yourself against heart disease, then visit my website today for quality information to guide you to success.

Mary Ruddy is a former high cholesterol sufferer, from a family with a history of heart disease, and has successfully achieved perfect cholesterol levels, reversing and eliminating the risk of heart disease, and is a strong advocate of natural health care. Mary enjoys introducing people to the best natural products she can find and uses herself daily at: http://www.curing-cholesterol.com/

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Many people consider the possibility to undergo a special triglycerides diet because they have elevated levels of triglycerides. However, the triglycerides are absolutely necessary for the human body.

They are a type of lipids, which is found in the blood. They play important role in the process of storing energy for future use. The possibility to live without triglycerides is impossible.

Why high levels of triglycerides are dangerous?

High levels of triglycerides are associated with elevated risk for development atherosclerosis. This is a risk factor for heart attack and stroke. Some other factors could contribute to this risk but high levels of triglycerides are considered to be the most important factor, which contributes to the development of atherosclerosis.

Which foods increase the levels of triglycerides?

A lot of foods consist of triglycerides. However, the most important thing that each person can do to reduce the elevated levels of triglycerides is to reduce the quantity of carbohydrates, which he/she eats. Foods reach on carbohydrates are:

1. Bread,
2. Everything sweet- chocolate cakes, candies and etc.
3. Potatoes
4. Oatmeal, spaghetti, including pasta

These foods must be limited in every triglycerides diet.

What you should eat to have low levels of triglycerides?

To reduce the levels of triglycerides is not something hard. You need to reduce the amount of carbohydrates. However, you should not forget that carbohydrates are the main source of energy in human body. That's why you must not leave the carbohydrates for good; you need to limit them only. Usually, human body receives from carbohydrates about 50%-55% of the energy.

When people are advised to reduce the levels of triglycerides, they have to reduce this percentage. It is good to start with a percentage like 45%-50%. After some time you can reduce this percentage up to 40%. It is not recommended to reduce the energy percentage from carbohydrates below 40% because the metabolism of lipids and proteins would be disrupted.

One very good triglycerides diet for reducing the triglycerides is the following:

1. Breakfast:
1 Egg, 1 cup of juice, 50g cheese, 1 slice of bread, and 100g of meat- you can choose from chicken or fish. You are allowed to eat something sweet here, like small donut or a bar of chocolate
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Everything you eat during the breakfast will be digested by the end of the day. This means that you will not gain any pounds.

2. Lunch:
Fish and fruits are absolutely necessary here. Fish is rich on omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce the triglycerides further. Fruits will give you the carbohydrates, which you need. However, they are simple carbohydrates, which mean that they are easily digested and they will be used by your body.

3. Dinner:
This is the time, when you need to eat only small amount of carbohydrates. You can eat foods rich in proteins. You can drink milk, or take soy milk. Nuts and seeds will provide you with more than enough proteins.

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While healthy cholesterol levels for women are important, it is worth noting that cholesterol is something that every human being has to deal with on a day-to-day basis.

As men and women age, the importance of monitoring the levels of cholesterol that are found in the bloodstream becomes more and more important.

This because of the health risk factors that are involved.

Cholesterol levels for women usually have a little more variation and fluctuation for a number of different factors, so the numbers may not necessarily be the same between men and women.

Cholesterol is an important part of the every day processes that our body goes through.

It helps the body in the production of hormones and many other substances that are used to digest food that is consumed.

Since cholesterol is a fatty substance, it does not travel well through water.

The bloodstream is mostly made up of water so cholesterol needs some form of vehicle to transport it, which is what lipoproteins do.

The two types of lipoproteins are low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and high-density lipoproteins (HDL).

LDL is considered bad cholesterol because it can lead to a build-up of plaque in the arteries if too much exists, and HDL is considered good cholesterol because it helps carry excess cholesterol through the arteries to the liver.

One of the biggest reasons why cholesterol levels for women vary is because of the presence of estrogen.

Estrogen basically does two things for cholesterol.

One, it reduces the level of LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream which in turn reduces the risk for plaque build-up.

Two, it increases the level of HDL cholesterol in the blood stream which means that the woman's body is more capable of carrying excess cholesterol through the bloodstream and into the liver where it can be processed.

It is said that the production of estrogen is great during the earlier stages of a woman's life (puberty), but that is slows down in the later stages (menopause).

Good and bad cholesterol levels for women are slightly different than the recommended levels for men because of the fact that women produce estrogen.

Therefore, a desirable HDL level for women is 60 mg/dL or higher, and a desirable LDL level is 130 mg/dL or lower.

These are the levels that create the lowest risk for heart disease and other health issues such as heart attack, stroke, and more.

A heart healthy diet, regular exercise and natural supplements are the most recommended methods to maintain healthy cholesterol levels for women and men.

If you are ready to achieve heart healthy cholesterol levels for women and men, reducing your risk of heart disease, then visit my website today for quality information to guide you to success.

Mary Ruddy is a former high cholesterol sufferer, from a family with a history of heart disease, and has successfully achieved perfect cholesterol levels, reversing and eliminating the risk of heart disease, and is a strong advocate of natural health care. Mary enjoys introducing people to the best natural products she can find and uses herself daily at: http://www.curing-cholesterol.com/

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When we talk about the causes of high cholesterol levels, there are a few things that come to mind, and these are, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis and heart disease.

Though cholesterol is the topmost risk factor for all these, cholesterol still plays a vital role in our body.

Without cholesterol, our cells in the body cannot function well.

What really are the causes of high cholesterol levels then?

Before we discuss on that, let us first find out what are the types and functions of cholesterol.

Cholesterol functions when the blood carries it along with proteins to the tissues of the body. These are called lipoproteins.

On the other hand, there are three different types of lipoproteins namely; low-density lipoprotein known as LDL cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein known as HDL cholesterol and the triglycerides, which are usually found in fatty foods, but the body, can also produce this.

The high-density lipoproteins are the exception, as high amounts of these can bring about benefits to the body.

The main reason why we accumulate bad cholesterol in our body is through consuming large amounts of saturated fat, such as fatty foods and foods with high sugar content as well as drinking alcohol.

You also have to watch your weight, as being overweight almost always coincides with increased unwanted bad cholesterol.

Other causes of high cholesterol levels are smoking which is also the leading risk factor for almost all dreaded diseases.

It is also a documented cause for the elevation of low-density lipoproteins or LDL cholesterol.

This goes hand in hand with sedentary lifestyle thus we need to exercise in order to avoid the condition.

There is a definitive case wherein we cannot prevent the elevation of cholesterol and it is a condition called hyperlipidemia, which is genetically inherited.

With this condition, you cannot simply get rid of increased cholesterol levels, and so you need to learn the best way to manage them.

One of the most effective ways to manage the effects of the causes of high cholesterol levels is through the use of natural cholesterol supplements.

Just be careful and choose one that has completely natural ingredients from a quality company with a proven record of accomplishment for success.

Some ingredients worth looking out for are policosanol, inositol and rice bran oil.

Now that you are aware what the causes of high cholesterol levels are, it is up to you to avoid them as best possible and look after your health.

If you are ready to deal with the causes of high cholesterol levels and achieve heart healthy cholesterol levels, then visit my website today for quality information to guide you to success.

Mary Ruddy is a former high cholesterol sufferer, from a family with a history of heart disease, and has successfully achieved perfect cholesterol levels, reversing and eliminating the risk of heart disease, and is a strong advocate of natural health care. Mary enjoys introducing people to the best natural products she can find and uses herself daily at: http://www.curing-cholesterol.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mary_Ruddy

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