Living Healthy

There’s nothing better than a relaxed evening at home, cooking for family or friends – warmth, fun, flavors, textures, welcoming aroma’s wafting through the house... How cool is it to be preparing a gourmet treat for everyone that is appetizing, tempting, wonderfully delicious, and healthy! It is a great feeling for any food enthusiast to know they’ve found a product like Loriva^® that complements and enhances their cooking. Our oils are a natural part of the party! They are beautiful to look at, gorgeous out on the counter top, absolutely scrumptious, heavenly to inhale, and healthy, healthy, healthy!

So, what about health? Our oils are cholesterol-free, but what does that mean for our health?

Cholesterol isn’t bad, contrary to what a lot of folks think. Cholesterol is a normal part of a healthy diet and a healthy body. But, as with all things, if the balance isn't correct, that’s where we begin to have problems - too much cholesterol or the wrong kind of cholesterol in our diet, and we can start to see health problems, like coronary heart disease, heart attack, or stroke.

What is Cholesterol?
Picture cholesterol as a soft, waxy, fatty substance that should be in the bloodstream and all the cells of our bodies. It is necessary for the production of cell membranes and some hormones. Cholesterol also facilitates other functions of the body.

How much cholesterol and the kind of cholesterol in our blood is what makes the difference between good and poor health.

How much cholesterol is right? Levels of cholesterol are determined by a blood test, and we’re all good about getting those blood tests, aren’t we? But when we get the results and are told our cholesterol levels - our "LDL" and "HDL" levels, do we know what that means?

What are the kinds of cholesterol?
There are two types of cholesterol: LDL which is dubbed "bad" cholesterol and HDL known as "good" cholesterol. Here’s a quick look at these two terms. Cholesterol doesn’t dissolve in the blood and so to get it to where it needs to be, which is the cells, it is "carried" by lipoproteins. This is where the terms originate:

• Low-Density Lipoprotein - LDL
• High-Density Lipoprotein - HDL

For a really good description of HDL and LDL cholesterol, take a look at The American Heart Association’s website: www.AmericanHeart.org.

LDL – (Bad) Cholesterol
Too much LDL in the blood can build up in the inner walls of the arteries that take blood to the heart and brain. LDL contributes to the buildup of a hard deposit known as plaque. If the buildup gets worse, it slowly narrows the arteries (like a clogged drainpipe) and makes them less flexible. Blood cannot flow easily back and forth, and if the blood clots, it can block the artery completely, resulting in a heart attack or stroke.

HDL – (Good) Cholesterol
HDL is known as "good" cholesterol because research has shown that high levels of HDL in the blood appear to protect against a heart attack. However, too little HDL can also increase the risk of heart disease because there’s not enough of it to do its job, which, medical research believes, is to transport cholesterol away from the arteries to the liver, and from there it is expelled from the body. Some experts also believe that HDL helps diminish levels of cholesterol in arterial plaque. This helps slow down plaque buildup.