High blood cholesterol levels increase your risk for developing heart disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Changes in your diet, such as substituting turkey bacon for regular pork bacon, provide modest reductions in cholesterol intake. A nutritionist can make more suggestions for a palatable, heart-healthy diet. Consult a doctor to determine if your cholesterol levels are high.
Goals of your heart-healthy diet should be to lower your total and "bad" LDL cholesterol levels as these increase your risk for heart disease. Choose unsaturated fats, such as from vegetable oils, nuts, olives and avocados. Your diet should be high in dietary fiber, which is a cholesterol-lowering nutrient.
Fat and Saturated Fat
A 100-g serving of turkey bacon has 28 g total fat, and 8 g saturated fat, compared to 42 g total fat and 14 g saturated fat in cooked pork bacon. Saturated fat raises levels of LDL cholesterol in your blood, and your intake should be no more than 10 percent of your total calories, according to MayoClinic.com. For a 2,000-calorie diet, this means limiting your saturated fat intake to no more than 22 g per day.
Cholesterol
Turkey bacon is slightly lower in cholesterol than pork bacon, with 98 mg compared to 110 mg cholesterol. Cholesterol in food can increase your blood cholesterol levels, and you should limit your daily intake to 300 mg if you are a healthy adult. Do not have more than 200 mg cholesterol per day if you have high cholesterol levels or heart disease, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Calories
Turkey bacon has 382 calories per 100-g serving, which is much lower than the 541 calories in the same size portion of pork bacon. If you are overweight, losing a few extra pounds can lower your cholesterol levels, according to MayoClinic.com. To lose weight, your calorie intake must be lower than your calorie expenditure, or the amount of calories you burn. Reduce your total calorie intake by choosing lower-calorie alternatives to traditional foods, such as full-fat pork bacon, and be sure to keep your portions the same or smaller to avoid extra calories.
