We've all heard the word cholesterol bandied about on various health and diet programs and even on the news from time to time, and we all know that high cholesterol is bad for us. However, actually understanding high cholesterol and what we can do about it is another thing altogether. A good start is to be able to identify and avoid high cholesterol foods.

There are a couple of aspects to consider when looking at the foods you are eating with regards to cholesterol levels. The first is the actual cholesterol level of the food itself, and the second is the effect the food has on your body as some foods can cause your liver to produce harmful cholesterol too. There are two types of cholesterol, LDL which stands for Low Density Lipoprotein and HDL which stands for High Density Lipoprotein. LDL cholesterol is the "bad" one, this is the type that clogs up your arteries and increases your chance of heart disease as a result. HDL cholesterol is the "good" one, which actually helps clear LDL cholesterol from your blood stream.  Our bodies actually produce both HDL and LDL cholesterol via our livers.

Our dietary cholesterol is found in all animal products such as full-fat dairy products, butter, ice cream, cream cheese, cheese, red meat and duck and goose meat. Certain "offal" products such as kidneys and hearts are also high in cholesterol. One of the problems with high cholesterol foods is that they all seem to taste so good, making them part of our daily diets, which isn't ideal. Now this doesn't mean you should stop eating them altogether, but just be aware of how much of them you are eating. There is no point in cutting out the foods you love, that would just be miserable, but be sensible about them and eat them in moderation.  Also be sure to help your body produce HDL cholesterol to help the LDL on it's way. Regular exercise is thought to promote the production of HDL and has the added benefit of giving your heart a good workout and generally improving all over wellbeing.

By making sure you are eating a balanced diet, and exercising regularly, there is no reason why you shouldn't enjoy some of the high cholesterol foods you like, just so long as you are aware of how much of them you are consuming and be sure not to make them too regular.  Of course if you are already suffering from high cholesterol then you are best off making sure you bring your levels to within a healthy range before treating yourself.