Are your favorite foods endangering your health? An elevated blood cholesterol count brought on by a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease. While a single slice of pizza (13 mg cholesterol) won't do you in, frequent indulgence of high-cholesterol foods can cause problems.
Many high-cholesterol foods are also heavy in saturated fat. This fat and cholesterol content reduces the amount of beneficial nutrients you take in, leading to further metabolic imbalance. You can improve your overall health by watching what you eat and getting no more than 300 mg of dietary cholesterol per day. A food serving with 60 mg or more is considered high in cholesterol, while 15 mg or less is considered low by the Food and Drug Administration.
Seafood, Meat and Dairy Products
Knowing the cholesterol count of everyday menu items will help you make wise choices. In planning your diet, note that eggs (1 scrambled, 215 mg cholesterol), waffles (2 pieces, 104 mg) and butter 1 tablespoon, 31 mg) have high cholesterol content, while ready-to-eat cereals have none. A cup of nonfat milk has just 5 mg, reduced-fat milk has 20 mg and whole milk has 25 mg.
If your favorite foods include roast turkey (1 cup meat, 106 mg cholesterol), liver (2 slices pork braunschweiger, 102 mg) and fried chicken (1/2 breast, 119 mg), your cholesterol count will rise. Some fish and crustaceans, such as sole (1 fillet, 86), sardines (3 oz., 121 mg) and canned shrimp and crab (3 oz., 214 mg, 120 mg) are also high in cholesterol content.
Fast Foods
Note which fast foods have reasonable cholesterol counts and which ones you should reserve for occasional treats. A large hamburger with condiments has 87 mg cholesterol; add 11 mg if you add cheese. An order of breaded onion rings has 14 mg, while an order of fries has none.
Some of the highest cholesterol content is found in these favorite foods: chili (1 cup, 134 mg cholesterol), fried breaded shrimp (1 order, 200 mg) and breakfast sandwiches (English muffin, egg, cheese and Canadian bacon, 230). Among the lowest are beef chimichangas (4 mg), bean and cheese burritos (14 mg), submarine sandwiches (6-inch with cold cuts, 36 mg).
Other Foods
Fruits, vegetables and grains have no cholesterol. Popsicles have none, while ice cream (1/2 cup vanilla, 68 mg cholesterol) and frozen yogurt (1/2 cup vanilla, 1 mg) do. If your favorite foods include popcorn, potato chips or tortilla chips, rejoice; these foods have no cholesterol. Baked goods such as muffins, cookies and brownies have 15 mg or less, making them low in cholesterol. You can accompany your meals with cholesterol-free coffee, tea, carbonated colas, wine and beer.
