High HDL's and lower LDL's or was it the other way around?!?!

* I am not a medical professional of any kind - I do not play one on TV either :D
This is information I have found from sources I trust, which may or may not be information you should consider safe or practical for your family as everyone is DIFFERENT and has different allergies, needs and metabolisms!


I had my yearly fasting lipid panel ( Cholesterol screening)... Here are my numbers.
Total Cholesterol: 173
HDL : 43  (BAD! level)
LDL :  105  (GREAT! level)
triglycerides: 142 (GREAT! level)
SO.. what do they mean? Read on to discover what they are telling me!

Your HDL (Good) Cholesterol Level

With HDL (good) cholesterol, higher levels are better.
Low HDL cholesterol

• less than 40 mg/dL for men
• less than 50 mg/dL for women

....puts you at higher risk for heart disease. In the average man, good HDL cholesterol levels range from 40 to 50 mg/dL. In the average woman, they should range from 50 to 60 mg/dL. An HDL cholesterol level of 60 mg/dL or higher gives some protection against heart disease, irregardless if you are a man or a woman.

Smoking, being overweight and being sedentary can all result in lower HDL cholesterol. To raise your HDL level, avoid tobacco smoke, maintain a healthy weight and get at least 30–60 minutes of physical activity more days than not.

People with high blood triglycerides usually also have lower HDL cholesterol and a higher risk of heart attack and stroke. Progesterone, anabolic steroids and male sex hormones (testosterone) all lower HDL cholesterol levels. Female sex hormones raise HDL cholesterol levels.

Your LDL (Bad) Cholesterol Level

The lower your LDL cholesterol, the lower your risk of heart attack and stroke. In fact, it's a better gauge of risk than total blood cholesterol. In general, LDL levels fall into these categories:

LDL Cholesterol Levels
Less than 100 mg/dL	Optimal
100 to 129 mg/dL	Near Optimal/ Above Optimal
130 to 159 mg/dL	Borderline High
160 to 189 mg/dL	High
190 mg/dL and above	Very High

Your other risk factors for heart disease and stroke help determine what your LDL level should be, as well as the appropriate treatment for you. A healthy level for you may not be healthy for your friend or neighbor.
Here are some healthy oils to incorporate into  your diet: Not all oils react the same way in our blood stream..
Here is the Good Oil List:
Olive Oil                                Avocado oil                 Almond Oil
Safflower  Oil                        Sunflower oil                 Flaxseed oil
Coconut Oil                           Salmon Oil

All the oils above are natural oils, not Franken-oils, produced as by-products or in the presence of chemicals.
According to the American Heart Association.


Discuss your levels and your treatment options with your doctor to get the plan that works for you.
Here are examples of food to avoid or at least limit these foods to improve your heart health and  LDL levels:
These are especially high in saturated fat, cholesterol, or both. This list is adapted from guidelines from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

• fatty cuts of meat, marbled meats- including the meat drippings often made into gravy
  
• bacon, sausage, and processed meats
• duck, chicken, or turkey with skin
• egg yolks *LIMIT, some is healthy
• butter *LIMIT
• fat or oil that is hard or in stick form, lard, and shortening * limit, not exclude, the inclusion into your diet
• hydrogenated vegetable oil
• Shellfish
  
• cream, half-and-half, and whole-milk dairy products, such as cheese, ice cream, and sour cream *LIMIT amount consumed, some is necessary in a healthy diet
• processed grain products, such as cookies, cakes, muffins, and pastries

Saturated fats : Fat that occurs naturally in living matter contains varying proportions of saturated and unsaturated fat. Examples of foods containing a high proportion of saturated fat include dairy products (especially cream and cheese but also butter and ghee); animal fats such as suet, tallow, lard and fatty meat; coconut oil, cottonseed oil, palm kernel oil, chocolate, and some prepared foods^[1].
(Source: Wikipedia)

Hydrogenated oil:
Hydrogenation is the process of heating an oil and passing hydrogen bubbles through it. The fatty acids in the oil then acquire some of the hydrogen, which makes it more dense. If you fully hydrogenate, you create a solid (a fat) out of the oil. But if you stop part way, you a semi-solid partially hydrogenated oil that has a consistency like butter, only it's a lot cheaper.
Because of that consistency, and because it is cheap, it is a big favorite as a butter-substitute among "food" producers. It gives their products a richer flavor and texture, but doesn't cost near as much as it would to add butter.NOTE: Until the 1970's, food producers used coconut oil to get that buttery flavor and texture. The American obesity epidemic began when it was replaced with partially hydrogenated vegetable oil -- most often soybean oil.
What is wrong with that?
hydrogenated oils contain high levels of trans fats. A trans fat is an otherwise normal fatty acid that has been "transmogrified", by high-heat processing of a free oil. The fatty acids can be double-linked, cross-linked, bond-shifted, twisted, or messed up in a variety of other ways.
The problem with trans fats is that while the "business end" (the chemically active part) is messed up, the "anchor end" (the part that is attached to the cell wall) is unchanged. So they take up their position in the cell wall, like a guard on the fortress wall. But like a bad guard, they don't do their job! They let foreign invaders pass unchallenged, and they stop supplies at the gates instead of letting them in.
In short, trans fats are poisons, just like arsenic or cyanide. They interfere with the metabolic processes of life by taking the place of a natural substance that performs a critical function. And that is the definition of a poison. Your body has no defense against them, because they never even existed in our two billion years of evolution -- so we've never had the need or the opportunity to evolve a defense against them.
But the worst part is that in the last stages of oil processing (or "refining"), the oil is literally steam distilled to remove its odor. So it doesn't smell. But a hydrogenated oil is much worse than rancid butter. So if it did smell, it would smell worse than the most rancid butter you've ever seen. (And that goes for all refined oils, not just the hydrogenated ones. It's just that hydrogenated oils are everywhere in the American diet.) So the next time you see "partially hydrogenated oil" on a label, think "rancid butter".
(source: http://www.treelight.com/health/nutrition/PartiallyHydrogenatedOils.html  : briefest, least science sounding description possible)


Here is an article regarding what else to avoid eating to keep your health!

Your Triglyceride Level

Triglyceride is a form of fat. People with high triglycerides often have a high total cholesterol level, including high LDL (bad) cholesterol and low HDL (good) cholesterol levels.

Your triglyceride level will fall into one of these categories:

• Normal: less than 150 mg/dL
• Borderline-High: 150–199 mg/dL
• High: 200–499 mg/dL
• Very High: 500 mg/dL

Many people have high triglyceride levels due to being overweight/obese, physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, excess alcohol consumption (See bottom of page ) and/or a diet very high in carbohydrates (60 percent of more of calories). High triglycerides are a lifestyle-related risk factor; however, underlying diseases or genetic disorders can be the cause.

The main therapy to reduce triglyceride levels is to change your lifestyle. This means control your weight, eat a heart-healthy diet, get regular physical activity, avoid tobacco smoke, limit alcohol to one drink per day for women or two drinks per day for men and limit beverages and foods with added sugars. Visit your healthcare provider to create an action plan that will incorporate all these lifestyle changes. Sometimes, medication is needed in addition to a healthy diet and lifestyle.

A triglyceride level of 150 mg/dL or higher is one of the risk factors of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome increases the risk for heart disease and other disorders, including diabetes.

Now that you know the lingo and goal ...  Here's what your numbers should look like!!

Your Total Blood (or Serum) Cholesterol Level
Less than 200 mg/dL: Desirable
If your LDL, HDL and triglyceride levels are also at desirable levels and you have no other risk factors for heart disease, total blood cholesterol below 200 mg/dL puts you at relatively low risk of coronary heart disease. Even with a low risk, however, it’s still smart to eat a heart-healthy diet, get regular physical activity and avoid tobacco smoke. Have your cholesterol levels checked every five years or as your doctor recommends.

200–239 mg/dL: Borderline-High Risk
If your total cholesterol falls between 200 and 239 mg/dL, your doctor will evaluate your levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol and triglycerides. It's possible to have borderline-high total cholesterol numbers with normal levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol balanced by high HDL (good) cholesterol. Work with your doctor to create a prevention and treatment plan that's right for you. Make lifestyle changes, including eating a heart-healthy diet, getting regular physical activity and avoiding tobacco smoke. Depending on your LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and your other risk factors, you may also need medication. Ask your doctor how often you should have your cholesterol rechecked. 

240 mg/dL and over: High Risk
People who have a total cholesterol level of 240 mg/dL or more typically have twice the risk of coronary heart disease as people whose cholesterol level is desirable (200 mg/dL). If your test didn’t show your LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, your doctor should order a fasting profile. Work with your doctor to create a prevention and treatment plan that's right for you. Whether or not you need cholesterol-regulating medication, make lifestyle changes, including eating a heart-healthy diet, getting regular physical activity and avoiding tobacco smoke.

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So, what does it mean ?
You want your HDL's HIGH
                                   and your LDL's LOW....
The Good oils help raise the HDL's and do not contribute to LDL level's.

Some diet's , such as the Autism , diabetes and ADD/ADHD diets (not that they are the same affliction!) have had better success managing their symptoms with higher fat diets. These folks metabolize fats and nutrients differently , therefore these warnings and cholesterol figures do not really apply to them.

Another way to support the higher HDL and lower LDL levels is by consuming the proper amount of fiber in your diet. Here is a mayoclinic.com article about what it is and how much to get per day ( it is a 2 page article)   Here are Mayo Clinic recommended foods that are HIGH in fiber! and another list of  high fiber foods.

Feed yourself foods to fuel your health and know your risk levels!
Here is a link to discover yours. It is a guide, not taking into affect all factors you may have.

ClickThis

* Excessive alcohol consumption : What does moderate drinking mean?

There is no one definition of moderate drinking, but generally the term is used to describe a lower risk pattern of drinking. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, drinking in moderation is defined as having no more than 1 drink per day for women and no more than 2 drinks per day for men. This definition is referring to the amount consumed on any single day and is not intended as an average over several days.