Types of Fat

     Did you realize that your body makes from an eight to a quarter teaspoonful of pure cholesterol daily, and that is as much as you need? Any extra cholesterol eaten increases your body's total cholesterol. High cholesterol gives rise to atherosclerosis, a condition in which excessive cholesterol is deposited in artery walls. In time it blocks the blood flow to vital organs.

     Some fats are "friendly" to the heart and blood. These are called high density lipoproteins (HDL). They actually remove cholesterol from the various places where it has been deposited and take it back to the liver for disposal. "Oleic acid", found abundantly in olives, avocados, peanuts, and sesame seeds, for example, seems to help maintain or increase the HDL concentration in the body. Taking regular exercise and avoiding alcohol and rich desserts are other important ways to improve one's HDL level.

     Other "good fats", called the "omega 3 acids." are thought to help somewhat in reducing breast and colon cancer. Healthful food sources of omega 3 fats are soy beans, turnips, spinach, beans, bananas, rye grain, and nuts.

     Based from the book of "Eight Secret of Health by Ethel R. Nelson, M.D."