10 Foods that are High in Cholesterol

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10 Foods that are High in Cholesterol

To put it simply, cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that’s found in all the cells in your body. The body needs this fat to build healthy cells, however, high levels of cholesterol result in fatty deposits in your blood vessels. These deposits then grow and make it hard for blood to flow freely through your arteries. Sometimes, these deposits can break suddenly and form a clot that can result in a heart attack or stroke. There are two main types of cholesterol: low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good” cholesterol. Too much LDL cholesterol in your blood increases your risk for coronary artery disease and other heart diseases.

There are several ways to cause high cholesterol in the body; inheritance, poor diets, obesity, lack of exercise, smoking, taking alcohol, and aging. As much as young children can have unhealthy cholesterol, it is much more common in people over 40. As you age, your liver becomes less able to remove LDL cholesterol. However, not all high-cholesterol foods are bad for you but foods high in saturated fat should be on your radar as they can cause raise your cholesterol levels making you gain weight. There are also medical conditions that can result in unhealthy cholesterol levels like chronic kidney disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, hypothyroidism, and lupus. Some medications for various health problems like acne, cancer, high blood pressure, HIV/AIDS, irregular heart rhythms, and organ transplants, can also increase cholesterol levels.

You can prevent high cholesterol by consuming low-salt diets that emphasize fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, limiting the number of animal fats and using good fats in moderation, losing those extra pounds, quitting smoking, moving about in the form of exercising, drinking alcohol in moderation or none at all and manage stress. It is important to note that high cholesterol has no symptoms so it is crucial to do a blood test as it is the only way to detect if you have it. This list has done half the work for you by compiling foods that are high in cholesterol and should be consumed in moderation especially if you want to lower your cholesterol levels. The other half is for you to do, take a look:

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1. Dairy products made from whole-fat milk

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These products include milk, yogurt, cream, and cheese. Full-fat dairy is a rich source of nutrients including fat.  In as much as whole-fat dairy all these nutrients and the good cholesterol (HDL) also contain saturated fat with bad cholesterol (LDL). More so, commercial dairy products are overly processed with added ingredients like sugar. This does not mean that you should skip that scoop of the beloved ice cream! When choosing these products you should be clever about it. Choose products with less processed sugars, and low fat, and last but not least learn how to moderate. Another way to avoid the high cholesterol in these dairy products is to substitute; for example in the case of cheese ditch that nacho cheese and instead go for cheeses lower in cholesterol like goat cheese, parmesan, and blue cheese.

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2. Fatty meats and processed meats

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These fatty meats include hot dogs, sausages, and bacon. Yes, bacon! If you have to lower that cholesterol, stay away from bacon! These meats are acquired from the fattiest cuts of red meat, and therefore contain high cholesterol and saturated fat. A  healthier option to still enjoy bacon and sausage is to opt for turkey or chicken ones as they are lower in cholesterol, but not entirely cholesterol-free.

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3. Fried foods

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Fast foods are a menace to healthy eating; they are cooked in saturated fat and sometimes coated with dipping made of processed sugar! Foods that have taken a dip in the deep fryer, French fries, chicken with skin, chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, and onion rings are some examples of these fried foods that are high in cholesterol. Frying increases the energy density or calorie count of foods. You should make better decisions like; baking or using an air fryer to cook these foods, substituting the unsaturated oil for olive oil, avoiding the skin on that chicken, and better yet avoiding the gravy that comes with it as they only tend to increase the amount of cholesterol and fat you are taking in.

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4. Baked goods, snacks, or desserts

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Cookies, cakes, and doughnuts usually contain butter or shortening, making them high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Most times they have lots of sugar, which can lead to high levels of blood triglycerides, an unhealthy blood fat (lipid) that can be a risk factor for coronary heart disease. A better way to enjoy healthier desserts is to make them at home. That way you will ensure that you go less on the shortening, butter, and sugar. Substitutes can also be made for example using applesauce for eggs or butter in your baking. Choosing fruits for these pastries is another healthier option like having low-fat frozen yogurt topped with berries for dessert. Microwave Popcorn is another high-cholesterol snack that should be substituted with plain popcorn and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. With all this said and done that homemade apple pie will hit home in a whole different way!

5. Red Meat

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Beef, lamb, and pork are some of the red meats high in saturated fats and high cholesterol. Cuts of meat like hamburgers, ribs, pork chops, and roasts contain lots of fat. As said before avoiding entirely is not the answer, you just have to be smart about how to go about things. Enjoy these meats only on occasion; choose leaner cuts like sirloin, pork loin, or filet mignon. Better yet, substitute these high-cholesterol meats with proteins that are lower in saturated fat and cholesterol, like skinless chicken or turkey breast, fish, and beans.

6. Organ Meats

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They say the denser the color the richer the nutrients and these meats are rich in a whole range of nutrients and antioxidants. These nutrients qualify them for all kinds of diets but not for people trying to reduce their cholesterol. Livers, kidneys, brain, and heart regardless of the animal source are the high-cholesterol organ meats to beware of when keeping cholesterol at bay. However, as they are packed with nutrients, such as vitamin B12 and folate, and also excellent sources of iron and protein, skipping them altogether is not ideal, incorporating them in moderation into your diet will be more productive.

7. Animal fats

Animal fats like butter, ghee, and margarine and spreads like lard, suet and dripping are high in cholesterol. You can help reduce your risk of high cholesterol by substituting foods for regular butter that is lower in saturated fat or has been shown to have less impact on heart disease risk, such as grass-fed butter. Use avocado, nut butter, tahini, or spreads made from healthy unsaturated fats (such as canola, sunflower, or extra virgin olive oil) instead of those made with saturated fat (such as butter, coconut oil, and cream).

8. Foods with tropical oils

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Oils such as coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel do raise cholesterol considerably. They contain saturated fat, which should be limited to a heart-healthy diet. Over time coconut oil has become popular in more ways than one. It improves the flavor of foods but should be used in small amounts only. Its substitute, olive oil, can be used as the main cooking oil. Using other healthy oils for cooking like canola, sunflower, soybean, extra virgin olive oil, sesame, and peanut oils is often the healthier and better option.

9. Shellfish

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Fish such as mussels, crab, lobster, shrimp, squid, and, oysters are the highest-cholesterol seafood. Fish do not have as much cholesterol like meat and are even termed as healthier but shellfish have more cholesterol than other fish. It is recommended that you eat fish for meat twice per week however, it all goes to how you prepare the fish. Lobster and crab can quickly become loaded with fat and cholesterol when served with a bowl of melted butter. Mussels, oysters, and clams can also be unhealthy if deep-fried. Grilling, steaming, or baking the shellfish using olive oil instead of butter as well as low-sodium herbs and spices instead of salt is the healthier alternative.

10. Egg yolks

High cholesterol in egg yolks has always been debatable. Is the humble egg high in cholesterol or not? Prevention is always better than cure and as scientists are still arguing about the cholesterol in egg yolks lowering the consumption could be the answer. Another way to be smart when enjoying the whole egg and not just the whites could be boiling or poaching them and not frying them. Pairing eggs with bacon, sausage, and ham might also boost heart disease. Eating more than two eggs a day or more than eight eggs a week could also increase the risk of increasing cholesterol in the body.