Cholesterol is a fatty substance found in the blood. Everyone needs some cholesterol because cholesterol is necessary for production of hormones in the body. Cholesterol mainly comes from animal food sources. When too much cholesterol is in the blood it can cause fatty deposits in the arteries call plaques. These plaques build up and create blockages in the arteries. Atherosclerotic plaques in the coronary arteries can cause heart attacks. Certain foods should be avoided when trying to control high cholesterol.
Meat
Red meat contains the most cholesterol. Steak, hamburger and other fatty red meats have high saturated fat content which contributes to cholesterol levels. According to MayoClinic.com, saturated fat will elevate the total cholesterol as well as the LDL, or bad cholesterol. MayoClinic recommends no more than 10 percent of your daily calories come from saturated fats. Animal products including chicken, pork, lamb and egg yolk are all high in cholesterol. These foods should be minimized in a low-cholesterol diet.
Fast Foods
According to CalorieCount.com a sausage McMuffin with egg has 27 g of fat, 10 g of saturated fat and 285 mg of cholesterol. One KFC chicken breast contains 27 g of fat, 6 g of saturated fat and 105 mg of cholesterol. A Bavarian cream chocolate donut from Dunkin donuts has 9 g of fat, 2 g of saturated fat and 30 g of cholesterol. Fast foods in general are higher in fat and saturated fat content as well as calories. When the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.org analyzed kids meals at several fast food chains, they found the meals were packed full of calories, sodium and saturated fat. The committee listed the five worst kids meals. The worst, McDonald's Mighty Kids Meal had 840 calories and 37 g of fat.
Commercially Baked Goods
Commercially baked cookies and other pastries are particularly bad as they contain trans fats. Trans fats can be found in margarines, crackers and snack foods. Trans fats increase LDL, the bad cholesterol, while lowering HDL, the good cholesterol. MayoClinic warns that some companies market their foods as trans fat free but if there is less than 0.5 g of trans fat in the product it does not have to appear on the label. If a food contains partially hydrogenated oil, that is a trans fat.
