instead helps make cell membranes. These are mega-import-
ant wrappers around our nerves. Cholesterol also helps the
body produce various hormones as well as vitamin D.
Blood cholesterol. This is the total cholesterol level your doc is
referring to after a blood test. It includes LDL (bad, you want it
low) and HDL (good, you want it high). When the wrong kinds
of lipoproteins—little packages that carry cholesterol through
your bloodstream—are overly populous, they clog arteries and
can lead to heart attack and stroke. How much of both types
you have floating around your body is determined mainly by
the types of fat you eat, as well as by sugar intake.
Dietary cholesterol. This is the amount of cholesterol in a food.
Only animal-based foods have any. That’s because it’s made
not only by our human bodies but by the bodies of other ani-
mals. One egg has about 200 milligrams of cholesterol—among
the highest of any foods. And it’s all in the yolk. (The rest of
your daily intake likely accumulates from small amounts in
meat, milk, cheese, and other animal products.) But it doesn’t
really matter, because dietary cholesterol only very minimally affects
blood cholesterol. The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
removed dietary cholesterol as a “nutrient of concern,” mean-
ing the nutrition community acknowledged that the best
available evidence suggested that the previous guidance given
for so many years had actually been mistaken. What had likely
happened was that researchers knew LDL cholesterol in our
blood raises heart disease risk (a correlation they still stand
by), so it was only logical to suggest that people steer clear
of foods that contained cholesterol. Except that’s not how it
actually works in the body. As Dr. Walter Willett wrote in his
book Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy, “No research has ever shown
that people who regularly eat eggs have more heart attacks122 how to be a Conscious EaterConscious Eater_02 PT_4th patches.indd 122 10/23/19 1:31 PM