Cholesterol in your diet affects the levels of cholesterol in your bloodstream. Some persons prove more sensitive than others to dietary cholesterol, and other factors play important roles in your cardiovascular health. If you aim to limit the amount of cholesterol in your diet, however, it makes sense to keep track at every meal.
Cholesterol and Heart Disease
Limit dietary cholesterol to 200 to 300 mg per day, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Follow the lower recommendation if your low-density lipoprotein cholesterol -- LDL or "bad" cholesterol -- measures more than 130 mg/dL and additional risk factors for heart disease apply to you. Medical conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure increase your risk for suffering a heart attack or stroke. You're also more vulnerable if you smoke, drink more than a moderate amount of alcohol, weigh more than you should or don't get enough exercise. A family history of heart disease also increases your risk.
Breakfast
At breakfast, a single egg puts you over the low-range recommendation for daily cholesterol. One egg contains 212 mg of cholesterol. If you eat two eggs and two strips of bacon, your cholesterol count totals 442 mg -- and that's before you add butter to your toast. Butter contains 11 mg of cholesterol per teaspoon. Only animal products contain cholesterol. Non-fat dairy products contain a lot less cholesterol than full-fat choices. If you ate a bowl of oatmeal cooked with non-fat milk and topped it with a sliced banana and chopped walnuts, your cholesterol count for breakfast would total 4 mg.
Lunch
At lunch, a 1/4-lb. cheeseburger adds more than 120 mg of cholesterol to your diet. A 3-½ oz. serving of shrimp contains 194 mg of cholesterol. Avoid chopped chicken liver sandwiches for lunch. A 3-½ oz. serving of chicken liver contains 631 mg of cholesterol -- two to three day's worth. Lower-cholesterol choices include tuna, 30 mg of cholesterol per 3-½ oz. serving, and ham, 53 mg of cholesterol per 3-½ oz. Vegetable protein contains no cholesterol. If you eat vegetarian bean soup or a fruit and nut salad for lunch, you add zero cholesterol to your total.
Dinner
At dinner, choose lean protein and keep your portions small. A 3-½ oz. serving of beef sirloin contains 89 mg of cholesterol -- a manageable amount if you watch your cholesterol at breakfast and lunch. But a ½-lb. steak provides more cholesterol than you need in a day. Salmon contains 63 mg of cholesterol in 3 ½ oz. Serve meat dishes with cholesterol-free vegetables. Drizzle olive oil on a baked potato instead of topping it with butter or sour cream.
Considerations
While keeping track of your cholesterol measurements at each meal, don't forget to count the amount of saturated fat in your diet. Saturated fat such as cholesterol can raise your levels of LDL cholesterol. Many animal products contain both saturated fat and cholesterol. Skinless chicken, for instance, contains practically as much cholesterol as beef sirloin but makes a better choice because it contains 1 g of saturated fat per 3-½ oz. serving compared to 5 g for the sirloin. Limit saturated fat in your diet to 16 g to 22 g daily.
References
- MayoClinic.com; High Cholesterol; June 24 2010
- MayoClinic.com; Healthy Diet: End the Guesswork With These Nutrition Guidelines; February 2011
- University of California San Francisco Medical Center; Cholesterol Content of Foods; Feb. 2 2011
- United States Departmen of Agriculture Nutrient Database: Pork, cured, bacon, cooked, pan-fried
