Having some cholesterol in your body is a good thing because you need it to build healthy cells. If you have too much cholesterol, however, you increase your risk of heart disease, which is the No. 1 killer of people worldwide. High cholesterol is treatable and preventable in most cases, according to the Mayo Clinic website; diet, exercise and medicines all can help. If you have high cholesterol, talk to your doctor about treatment.
Significance
Your body makes cholesterol, and when you eat foods that have cholesterol, you add to the amount of cholesterol in your body. You need some cholesterol, but if you have too much it can build up in your arteries and increase your risk of heart attack or stroke, according to the American Heart Association, or AHA. Cholesterol is found in animal products including egg yolks, organ meats, milk, lard, poultry, meats and seafood.
Identification
If you are following a diet to reduce your blood cholesterol levels, you should limit yourself to 200 mg cholesterol a day, according to the AHA. You have borderline high cholesterol if you have 200 to 239 mg per deciliter of blood, and you have high cholesterol if you have 240 mg/dL. A cholesterol level that is lower than 200 mg/dL is desirable.
Considerations
Eating saturated fat raises your "bad" LDL cholesterol levels, according to AHA. Transfatty acids also raise these undesirable cholesterol levels. AHA recommends you limit your saturated fat intake to 7 percent of total calories and keep your transfat intake as low as possible.
Features
If you are eating to lower cholesterol, AHA recommends eating a maximum of 6 ounces of cooked poultry, lean meat, fish or seafood, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Most meats have about 70 mg cholesterol in a 3-ounce cooked serving, which is the size of a deck of cards. You also should swap solid fats like lard or shortening for liquid vegetable oils like safflower, canola or olive oil. Eating more fruits and vegetables also will help you lower your cholesterol, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Fat in Meat
The saturated fat content of meat can vary depending on the cut of meat and how you cook it. If you are eating to reduce cholesterol, choose lean cuts of meat with little visible fat, and trim any fat you can see prior to cooking. Buy extra-lean ground beef, and choose "select" or "choice" grades rather than "prime." Remove skin from poultry before you cook it. Broil or bake meat instead of frying.
