High Cholesterol Foods

Cholesterol is a sort of waxy and fatty substance, produced by the liver and found in the body lipids. Cholesterol is very important for the formation of cell membrane and proper functioning of many other parts of the body. It is the major factor that helps the body produce vitamin D and transport other major vitamins like vitamin A and vitamin E. Nonetheless, if the cholesterol levels get exceeded they can create several health problems like cardiovascular diseases and severe malfunctions in our body. More on causes of high cholesterol.

There are two types of cholesterol namely LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) and HDL (High Density Lipoprotein), LDL is supposedly the 'bad' cholesterol that we get through the saturated fats. Consumption of foods having high saturated fats is the main reason for high cholesterol levels in the body that leads to serious consequences like heart diseases, obesity and diabetes. In order to reduce the risk factors one must reduce the intake of saturated fats and to do that one must know what are the foods high in cholesterol.

High Cholesterol Foods
Presence of saturated fats and the trans fats make the food high in cholesterol. Foods high in cholesterol must be reduced or completely avoided if possible for the best physical health. An interesting fact about cholesterol is that there is simply no need to take additional cholesterol from outside sources as the body itself is quite capable of producing the required amount of cholesterol.

Animal products are the richest source of the saturated fats and as a result they are also the richest source of the high cholesterol as well. Egg yolks and livers are the foods to avoid high cholesterol as they are the biggest sources of the same. Food items other than animal products such as vegetables and fruits do not contain cholesterol.

List of Foods High in Cholesterol
Given below is the list of foods high in cholesterol counted in mg for each 100g portion of food.

Food	Cholesterol (in mg/100 g)
Beef	3100
Lamb	2504
Stewed chicken	300
Whole egg	2017
Veal	3100
Pork	2552
Egg yolk	2335
Fish oil (herring)	766
Fish oil (sardine)	710
Duck and goose	515
White fish	439

High Cholesterol Foods List: Milk & Milk Products

Food	Portion	Cholesterol (in mg)
Whole milk	1 cup	33
Skim milk	1 cup	10
Canned milk	1 cup	73
Dried whole milk	3.5 oz	120
Butter milk	1 cup	10
Danish blue cheese	100g	90
Cheddar cheese	100g	70
Processed cheese	100g	90
Parmesan cheese	100g	90
Mozzarella cheese	100g	68
Cheese spread	100g	70
Cream	100g	10
Whipped cream	100g	22
Ice cream	100g	45
French vanilla ice cream	100g	155

High Cholesterol foods
If you or any family member have any of the symptoms of high cholesterol, then it is really a high time to start a healthy diet with low cholesterol levels. There are several important instructions for you that will be helpful to choose the correct low cholesterol diet. More on food to eat to lower cholesterol: list of low cholesterol foods.

Following are a few things that you should start practicing with foods to avoid with high cholesterol.

• Try to avoid and replace butter with vegetable oil but avoid saturated vegetable oils like coconut oil and palm oil. You should also avoid solid fats. Use sunflower oil, canola, soybean or olive oil instead.
• Replace cheese (regular Swiss, American and cheddar) with low fat cheese like partly skim mozzarella and low fat American cheese.
• Cut the intake of meats that are high in fats and limit it to lean beef, veal, pork, lean beef roast, turkey breast and lean hams.
• Eat fish and skinless chicken more than other meat items. Also try to have at least one meatless meal once a week. Avoid as many as commercially made food products.
• Replace high fat snacks like French fries, candy bars, cashews and peanuts with low fat snacks like pretzel, carrots and fresh fruits.
• Reduce the consumption of eggs, especially egg yolks to 1 to 2 per week, try egg substitutes instead. Use salad dressings that are homemade.
• Avoid fast food items like hamburgers, meatloaf and cheeseburgers as they are very high in cholesterol.

Also eliminate the amount of consumption of meat products to maximum 6 oz per day. No matter what you eat, try to eat it in small portions and avoid canned and packaged foods and substitute them with raw food items. Include as many as green leafy vegetables and fresh fruits in your daily diet.

Avoiding foods with high cholesterol can be a lost cause if the act is not combined with a healthy lifestyle and plenty of exercise. Foods high in cholesterol can also vary as per their method of preparation. Follow the most healthy cooking methods to prepare the food. Well, this was all about why and how to avoid high cholesterol foods. Hope I have given the required information about foods high in cholesterol.

By Rutuja Jathar Published: 9/24/2009