BIG BAD Cholesterol!

By Kim Marquardt, RN MSN

This blog post is from the Nurse Kim archives of myth busting. I want to share some "alternative" or maybe just lesser known health and wellness viewpoints for you to chew on.

*These posts are not intended as official medical advice.

They ARE meant to be fun, informative, and thought provoking, hopefully sparking an interest for you to do your own research (you can start with the links I provide!) and discover the marvels of the human body, and how it can function at its optimal performance level if we understand how it works and interacts with our environment and our diet.

I have a passion for health and wellness through lifestyle and nutrition and have done thousands of hours of research in addition to being a registered nurse for 23 years. I have done A LOT of self-experimentation in and around diet, lifestyle, body care, and supplementation and have spent a lot of time looking into the science behind it all (or lack thereof!). Check back weekly for the latest post!

-----

Let's take this one bite at a time (pun intended)... a few facts about cholesterol:

1. Cholesterol is an absolutely essential element that has so many important functions in the body. To summarize: it is a building block, repair substance, and energy transport element. You would die without cholesterol. In fact, an abnormally low cholesterol level is much more dangerous than a high one.
2. Every cell membrane in the human body is made of cholesterol. Your brain is largely made of cholesterol. Whoa! 
3. Cholesterol is so essential that your body makes it. If you don't eat enough of it, your liver will simply make more. If you eat more, your liver will make less. 
4. Did you know that the dietary guidelines removed cholesterol as a nutrient of concern and no longer recommend limiting it in the diet?! Check it out HERE. Why don't our medical practitioners know this and are still telling their patients to avoid cholesterol you ask? Great question!
5. A high cholesterol level is a good indication that your body is trying to repair something. Inflammation in the body raises cholesterol levels as it travels around and tries to fix things.
6. The reason they find cholesterol in the arteries in the form of plaques is because it is trying to repair damage to the vessel. It is a late sign of damage. It is not the REASON for the damage.
7. You've heard of HDL being "good" and LDL being "bad." That's because LDL is what they find in arterial plaque. But it's kind of like blaming the firefighters for fires because they are always at the scene of the crime. We confuse a substance that was there to help as the culprit for the problem. 
8. Your total cholesterol number is made up of several different elements. HDL, LDL, and triglycerides are the main subcategories. Your total cholesterol number is useless without these details. Any medical provider that just looks at your total cholesterol is VERY behind on their research. 
9. The goal to make sure your cholesterol stays healthy and doesn't get involved in the formation of arterial plaques is to get rid of systemic inflammation, NOT to get rid of the cholesterol.

Well... what's the moral of the story? 

• Don't fear cholesterol 
• Reverse systemic inflammation with your diet:
• Prioritize protein 
• Eat 1gm per pound of lean body mass per day (for most people that's around 100-150 grams) 
• Eat real, one ingredient, nutrient dense, whole foods: 
• eggs
• salmon
• beef
• chicken
• broccoli
• greens
• apples
• tomatoes
• potatoes
• Consider limiting processed carbs and sugar:
• bread
• pasta
• cereal
• chips
• cookies
• granola bars
• candy
• soda/sports drinks
• fruit juice
• Enjoy plenty of healthy fats: 
• olive oil
• coconut milk
• avocados
• olives
• nuts
• seeds
• cheese
• dark chocolate