What is cholesterol and is it all bad? The differences between high cholesterol, healthy cholesterol levels and the steps for naturally lowering cholesterol can get confusing.

For example, high cholesterol puts you at risk for heart disease and a heart attack. But there’s both “good” and “bad” cholesterol and a high cholesterol level could also be a positive sign.

Understand cholesterol and knowing how to naturally manage it is very important.

What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a soft, waxy material found in the cells and bloodstream along with lipids (fats).

The confusion begins with the fact that cholesterol performs many vital and important functions in a healthy body. This includes making cell membranes and manufacturing essential hormones. However, too much of a “good” thing can turn out to be a “bad” thing.

Fat and blood, like oil and water, don’t mix. Consequently, to prevent clogging arteries and keep essential fats moving through the blood to the cells, tiny protein covered fat globules called lipoproteins are formed. For stability, these lipoproteins contain a small amount of cholesterol.

Of the several different kinds of lipoproteins, here are the most important to understand:

• Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) is “bad” cholesterol. It’s name means that LDL contains more fat than protein and is less dense.

• High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) is “good” cholesterol. HDL has less fat and more protein and is a heavier, denser molecule.

If you have too much LDL flowing through your blood, you have a greater risk of atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. Clogging of the arteries leading to the heart can cause a heart attack. And clogging of the arteries that lead to the brain can cause a stroke.

So a greater amount of LDL in the blood means a greater risk of both heart attack and stroke.

How Does Cholesterol Work?

HDL works like a roto-rooter. It scrubs cholesterol off artery walls and moves it out through the liver. High levels of HDL in the blood means better protection against heart attack and stroke.

And since too little HDL can increase your risk of heart disease, it’s also best to have LDL/HDL ratios of 3 to 1 or less. An HDL count lower than 40 mg/dl is considered to be a risk factor. This is particularly true for women, since women normally have higher HDL counts than men.

An HDL count over 60 mg/dl is known to be protective against heart disease.

Triglycerides are also a very important part of your blood lipid profile. Even though triglycerides are the most common fats found in the bloodstream, a high triglyceride count over 150 mg/dl is considered to be another risk factor for heart disease .

Self administered tests, available from pharmacies and on the internet, can give you some indication of your total cholesterol count, but they’re neither complete nor always accurate. They don’t, for example, show a breakdown of the LDL/HDL ratio or a triglyceride count.

Lifestyle and Diet for Lowering Cholesterol

Naturally lowering high cholesterol is not difficult for most people. Begin by gradually and persistently making the following basic lifestyle and dietary changes:

• Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day. Exercise works better than any drug available, without side effects. It lowers overall cholesterol, increases HDL and reduces LDL.

• Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. Colorful antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables have been shown to help lower cholesterol and protect against heart disease.

• Greatly increase your high fiber foods. Besides fruits and vegetables, increase your intake of other fiber food, such as whole grains and beans.

• Eat more good fat and reduce bad fats. Saturated animal fat, such as full fat dairy and red meat, raise cholesterol. Stick with olive oil and omega 3 fish for your main sources of fats.

• Include heart healthy supplements. Omega 3 fish oil can not only improve cholesterol, it also helps to lower blood pressure and reduce your overall risk of heart disease and stroke.

Because in the colon cleansing process our diet has a major importance it is very important to know what we should eat and to eat only healthy food. Many people rely only on their diet and the way they eat to help cleansing the colon. This is a good alternative to the invasive medical procedure, such as colon hydrotherapy, still it is very important that the methods to be combined so the effect can be real. This way you can combine a colon cleansing diet with different types of colon flush treatments by eating healthy food in addition to other natural cures so the positive effect can be greater.

Juice Fasting

Many people consider that an effective way to cleanse the colon is by not eating or by fast. The fast and the diet by not eating can help the body to clean itself of the built up feces in the colon. Fast juices are very popular. They can provide you with nutrients your body needs during the fast. It is very important that you consult your doctor before beginning any type of diet or fast.

Leafy Green Vegetables

Leafy green vegetables are perhaps the most important vegetable family in our diet. These dark-green vegetables provide fiber, Vitamins A and C, riboflavin,

Folic acid, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium and oxygen. Several studies have shown their remarkable benefits and the positive effect that vegetables like broccoli, spinach and kale have on the colon.

Fruit

Fruit have a very important part in making the colon cleanse more efficiently. Some of the most important diets include the following changes regarding the fruits: to eat fruits, sip on fruit or vegetable juice between meals, to eat as much fruit as you want but do not drink more than 6 ounces of fruit juice per hour.

Whole Grains

Whole grains are cereal grains that retain the bran and germ as well as the endosperm, in contrast to refined grains, which retain only the endosperm. Whole-meal products are made from whole-grain flour. We can find it in wheat breads wheat pastas and they have an important role in the colon cleanse process as well.

There are many unhealthy food that you need to avoid such as ice creams, chocolates and other high calorie foods, fatty foods including fast food, burgers and french fries, but the best way to keep your colon clean is through a healthy diet, sport and exercise.