10 high cholesterol foods
Cholesterol is found in animal products such as egg yolks, red meat, poultry, full fat dairy and seafood. If you wish to reduce your bad LDL cholesterol levels, it is best to restrict your intake of these foods. Remember, also, that foods high in saturated fat will increase your LDL cholesterol levels and sugar can also have a detrimental effect on your cholesterol health.
1. Shellfish:
Squid, shrimp, and oysters are high in dietary cholesterol. If you wish to decrease your cholesterol intake, choose scallops, mussels and clams, which are shellfish that are low in dietary cholesterol.
2. Eggs:
One egg yolk contains 200–250mg of dietary cholesterol, which is nearly the total recommended intake of 300mg cholesterol per day. If you suffer from high cholesterol, you can substitute whole eggs for egg whites, which have no cholesterol. Where a recipe calls for one egg, use to egg whites to substitute. However, if you have normal cholesterol levels you probably do not need to reduce your egg yolk intake.
3. Organ meats:
Organ meats such as liver, kidneys and sweetbreads are high in cholesterol, despite being fairly low in fat.
4. Fatty processed meats:
Processed meats like bacon, bologna, salami, hot dogs, and sausage are high in fat and salt and are high in cholesterol. Choose lean cuts of meat like turkey and chicken breast and avoid fatty cuts of meat and processed meat. Always trim the fat off whole cuts of meat to reduce your fat intake.
5. Fatty dairy products:
Butter, sauces made with cream and large quantities of whole milk dairy products are high in animal fat and should be avoided. Choose skim milk products that contain less fat and cholesterol. Replace cream and sour cream with low fat or non-fat yoghurt.
6. Full-fat cheese:
Cheese is high in cholesterol and you should limit your intake to twice a week if you need to reduce your cholesterol levels. Choose reduced fat hard cheeses and choose low fat white cheeses like ricotta and cottage cheese over hard cheese. Look for white cheese that is one percent fat.
7. Goose and duck:
Duck and goose meat has far more cholesterol than chicken or turkey and the skin of these poultry are very high in cholesterol.
8.Trans fats:
Trans fats found in margarine, biscuits, croissants, doughnuts, pastries and processed snack foods raise your LDL cholesterol and reduce the good HDL cholesterol in your bloodstream. Foods containing trans fats should be avoided altogether. Check labels of packaged food and use polyunsaturated fat when cooking sweets at home.
9. Deep fried foods:
Deep fried food such as chips, fish and battered take-away food can be cooked with trans fats and contain a lot of hidden fat. Choose food that has been cooked in polyunsaturated or monounsaturated oil instead.
10. Sugar:
While sugar does not contain dietary cholesterol, eating sugar promotes cholesterol production in your body. The average person’s intake of sugar is far higher than it should be and sugar is addictive. Cutting down on sugar within your diet in general will improve your cholesterol levels and lead to other health benefits.
