High dietary cholesterol can lead to high blood levels of cholesterol, a condition linked to cardiovascular disease. If you have normal cholesterol levels, try to get no more than 300mg of cholesterol daily, recommends cardiologist Thomas Behrenbeck on MayoClinic.com. If you already have high cholesterol, limit your intake to 200mg daily. Knowing which foods contain high amounts of cholesterol may help you control your daily intake.
Meats
Organ meats, such as liver, kidney and heart, are particularly high in cholesterol. A 100g, or 3.5 oz, serving of beef liver contains 396mg of cholesterol. To control your cholesterol intake, limit organ meats to one or two meals a month, recommend experts from the University of Cincinnati. Other high cholesterol meats include beef products like steak, roast and ground beef; pork products including ham; and processed meats like lunch meat and hot dogs. Shellfish also contain cholesterol, although in considerably smaller amounts than red meats. Eating 3 oz. of canned clams gives you around 57mg of cholesterol.
Eggs
Despite their small size, egg yolks contain a significant amount of cholesterol. Although egg whites are cholesterol-free, the yolk of a large chicken egg contains approximately 213mg of cholesterol. Egg yolks are, however, low in saturated fat and rich in nutrients including B-complex vitamins, zinc and essential fatty acids. If you choose to eat eggs, try to eat only one or two a week, and on days you eat eggs, limit the other cholesterol-rich foods you eat that day.
High-Fat Dairy
A number of dairy products can contribute to the amount of cholesterol in your diet. These include butter, cream and cream-based sauces, as well as whole milk and drinks made with whole milk. To lower your cholesterol intake from milk, switch to skim or 1/2 percent milk. Certain cheeses, such as American, Swiss and cheddar cheeses, are also high in cholesterol. Cottage cheese, low-fat American and mozzarella made with skim milk are low cholesterol alternatives.
Bakery Products
Commercially-made baked goods such as cookies, cakes, donuts and pies may be high in cholesterol. These products typically include egg yolks, whole milk, butter, lard, shortening and trans fats that can raise their cholesterol levels. Fat-free baked goods may contain no cholesterol. Check the nutrition facts label to ascertain how much cholesterol a particular product contains.
