If you have just learned you have high blood cholesterol, you may have developed this condition by eating the wrong foods. A high cholesterol diet is often a contributing factor, but armed with good information, it is also something you can learn to avoid. Learn more about high cholesterol diets to keep your cholesterol level down and lower your chances of developing heart disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately one out of six American adults has high blood cholesterol.
Facts
According the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the leading cause of high blood cholesterol is eating excess amounts of saturated and trans fats and cholesterol. Out of all the foods in your diet, saturated fat is the one that increases LDL cholesterol the most. Foods that contain cholesterol usually contain saturated fat as well. A diet that contains 60 percent or more of carbohydrate calories can increase your chances of developing heart disease by raising your triglycerides, which are a kind of fat.
Saturated Fat
Foods that contain saturated fat are foods that have the type of fat that is solid when in, or out, of the refrigerator. Animal foods contain the most saturated fat, and some of these foods are whole milk, whole milk cheeses such as blue cheese and cream cheese, lard, butter, coconut oil, palm oil, fatty cuts of beef, chicken or turkey with the skin on it, Italian pork sausage and Italian pork salami.
Trans Fats
Trans fat's ability to increase blood cholesterol is almost the same as that of saturated fat. Another name for trans fat is trans fatty acids. This kind of fat is mostly found in foods produced using hydrogenated vegetable oils. Solid margarine comes under this category, as does shortening. Margarine and shortening that is more solid than other margarines and shortenings contain a higher amount of trans fat. Dairy foods and certain meats that are not hydrogenated contain trans fats as well.
Cholesterol
Eating many foods that contain cholesterol contributes to high blood cholesterol, but surprisingly, saturated fat increases cholesterol more. Foods that contain cholesterol are only animal foods. Animal foods that contain cholesterol include liver, egg yolks, shrimp and dairy products.
Prevention/Solution
To steer clear of a high-cholesterol diet, consume fewer foods that contain saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol. In particular, stay away from eating too much meat and dairy. Include more soluble-fiber foods in your diet and more plant stanols and sterols, since these foods work to keep cholesterol from being absorbed. Foods that contain soluble fiber include oatmeal, barley, oat bran, apples, bananas, peaches, berries, oranges, black beans, white beans and pinto beans. To get stanols and sterols into your diet, look for margarines and orange juice that contain these ingredients. Keep alcohol consumption and the consumption of simple sugar foods to a minimum to prevent a rise in triglycerides.
