Careline

Did you know that not all cholesterol is bad to your health?

Cholesterol is important in the synthesis of steroids and certain hormone hence, the terms good and bad cholesterol.

Sun.Star accepts donations for victims of Typhoon Ondoy

But which is which? How do we draw the line? Let me share my personal experience.

One time I accompanied my mother to visit her cardiologist for her routine hospital check up following the surgery she had had almost a year ago.

I’ve always thought that visits to the doctor are like open windows of opportunity to learn more about health and diseases.

In spite of the fact that I’m already in a paramedical professional myself, I still find myself saying, “Oh, now I understand” or “How can one get this disease doc?” And what’s even more amazing is that an answer always leads to another question as if having a chemical chain reaction.

To cut the story short, my mom was advised to have a laboratory work-up and had to have her blood chemistry examined.

When results were out, she let me read and interpret the tiny half-piece of paper from which the result was encoded before handing it to the cardiologist for the final verdict.

Let’s just say she wanted to hear my opinion first before her cardiologist’s prudent judgment. But I say she just wanted to hear something “pleasing” rather than “depressing” as what always happens to denial patients.

When I started telling her how her blood chemistry slightly tipped the balance, she told me to “stop and let’s wait for the doctor’s opinion”.

Pretty ironic but my suspicion was correct, right? But I guess it’s all too natural for many to succumb into denial when they are threatened by a certain disease condition.

When the cardiologist finally got hold of the result, there was silence in the room for a moment or two.

It was the kind of silence one would expect should time would have stood still for a minute or two. And then she started clearing her throat as if going to cough but didn’t. Then said, “ Actually your overall blood chem is within acceptable limits but your LDL is slightly high and your HDL is low. What have you been eating lately?”
By the look of her face I’m sure my mom was surprised how her diet got involved despite of the fact that she had been strictly adhering to her prescribed diet after surgery.

Matter- of- fact, she has been form time to time, religiously following some self-proclaimed health cookbooks, which are readily purchased on bookstores or book sales. And what in the word are LDL’s and HDL’s?

Actually cholesterol is mostly derived from the food we eat, but sad to say they do not dissolve readily in the bloodstream so they have to be carried away by substances called lipoproteins and there are two types.

One is Low density lipoprotein (LDL) and the other is high density lipoprotein (HDL).

To simply put it, the former one is the bad and the latter one is the good.

When too much LDL or “bad cholesterol” circulates in your blood it can cause a build up in the inner walls of your arteries and may lead to heart attack or stroke.
On the other hand, HDL tends to carry some of these bad cholesterol away from the arteries and to the liver where it can be safely eliminated, thus earning the title “good cholesterol”.

So looking back at my mom’s diet, I started to agree with the question posed by the doctor and recalled exactly what my mom has been eating these past few weeks.

Usually, my mom starts her day with a half-cup of coffee (to prevent palpitations) and sandwiches for breakfast. Then for lunch regardless of the low-fat viand she chooses, she just consumes a single cup of rice as the maximum. For dinner, she usually finds contentment over fruit juices, Caesar salads or any vegetable salads then her usual half cup of coffee or full glass of non-fat milk.

As for sugar, she usually buys a cake of her choice once a week.

So where did she possibly go wrong?

I could not figure it out also by myself.

Then the doctor asked, “Are you using mayonnaise regularly?” Then even before my mom could utter an answer, suddenly almost at the speed of light, all my thoughts circled around the mayonnaises she would use for her sandwiches and salads. Not to mention her yearning for butter and peanut butters. And whenever she makes spaghetti or lasagna, it also dawned to me that she likes it extra creamy that’s why she adds commercial creams available in the market.

Yeah, she may love fruits but she doesn’t just peel bananas or bites apples immediately. She transforms them first into delicious and mouth- watery shakes or fruit salads and again creams, sweets and condensed milk are used as the main ingredients and these are known to be rich in fat and cholesterol.

According to her doctor, the richest sources of bad cholesterol are readily found in our fridges or pantries.

To cite an example, did you know that butters, which are almost part of every typical Filipino family’s breakfast menu- pan de sal spread with butter- is highly saturated with cholesterol?

Yes, so if you opt for butter, I suggest you go for the “Lite”.

If you are one of those who have the taste for exotic seafood, you better read along. Shrimps, squids and crabs also have considerably high content of cholesterol.
However, don’t be dismayed as fishes contain Omega three which helps lower your bad cholesterol.

When cooking food, choose broiled, boiled or baked instead of frying. If you must eat meat, I suggest you trim the exterior fat and remove skin from poultry before cooking.

Lastly, never take your veggies for granted. You need not to become a vegetarian, but it pays well to eat a well-balanced diet and you can never exclude vegetables from the list.

So I guess the missing part of the equation was made clear.

It’s not enough to peruse over some do-it yourself diet cookbook and presume your eating the right and healthful diet without scrutinizing the ingredients you use.
Lesson learned: Always read the back labels for health info and make it a habit.
(paul_careline@live.com)

Published in the Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro newspaper on October 1, 2009.