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You’ve heard a 1000 times that you MUST eat Omega-3, but you don’t really know why? And do you hear stuff about “good cholesterol” and ”bad cholesterol” and that seems Greek to you? Let me explain! Pure and simple: let’s talk about Fat!
Omega-3 benefits
Simply speaking, Omega-3 is ”the brain fat” – it is known that Omega-3 is essential for the nervous system. Good fats, that come from (among other things) fat fish are important for our cognitive functions. Have you heard that ”eating fish will make you smart”? It’s actually kind of true! But Omega-3 has a lot of other benefits. First and foremost, the Omega-3 acids are vital for maintaining normal metabolism, and have the body working properly. Research shows that Omega-3 acids reduce inflammations and risks of inflammatory diseases, prevent blood clots in the arteries, improves skin health…. Last but not least, Omega-3 improves the levels of the good cholesterol in the body. There are a lot of studies (here is one from Harvard) about Omega-3 benefits, if you want to know more. The only problem with Omega-3 is that the body can’t create it by itself, we need to get it through food.
There are two types of Omega-3 acids, and we need both. ALA – alpha-linolenic acid os, found in green vegetables, rapseed, soybean and walnuts (did you know that by testing 9 walnuts a day, you’ll cover your daily need of ALA?). The other Omega-3 acid is called EPA and comes from fat fish. If you don’t have that in your diet yet – make the change and you’ll notice all the benefits that Omega-3 comes with!
Good and Bad Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a substance found in every cell of our body. It is often described as a fat, and it has a waxy appearance, to structure and build up the cell walls. It is a substance necessary to maintain a healthy body, because it helps to build up a lot of hormones, and also Vitamin D. Some of the cholesterol is produced by body itself and some of it comes via food. There is a genetic factor to one’s levels of cholesterol, but they can also be adjusted by the right diet and exercise. Since high cholesterol levels don’t give any symptoms, they should be blood-tested regularly.
The two known types of cholesterol are: LDL-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, ”good” cholesterol, and HDL-cholesterol – the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, also known as the ”bad cholesterol”. Although there are new studies, questioning the traditional view on cholesterol, it’s still a fact that high cholesterol levels in the body can be a contributor in calculating a risk for a person to develop a heart attack. Too much LDL in the blood can lead create plaque in the arteries, and eventually block a narrowed artery.
Get rid of the Bad Guys!
Needless to say, it’s important to keep low cholesterol levels. But luckily, it’s not that big an effort! Some life style changes and you’re good to go! So, in order to control – and lower your cholesterol levels, you should avoid things like: fast food, white bread, sugar and saturated fat (things like bacon must go!). And….. go train! Physical activity has a great impact on cholesterol levels, and is the easiest way to get them where they need to be. Being overweight or obese can lead to high LDSD-levels, so keeping your weight within ”normal” range is really important.
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