List of 22 Foods High in Cholesterol to Avoid

Cholesterol is known as a steroid lipid that found in the blood of the animals. It is very important to cell membranes as well as the production of hormones. In fact, cholesterol levels include good and bad cholesterol levels or called HDL and LDL. HDL is very necessary for successful performance of our body. However, LDL is not good for the body. High LDL or high cholesterol can lead to the risk of heart disease. So the important thing when your LDL is high is to lower your LDL cholesterol levels to minimize your risk. The desirable cholesterol level is under 200. The level from 200 to 239 is considered to be high. However, the daily value for cholesterol is often about 300 mg. Our bodies can produce enough cholesterol we need. So we don’t need to consume anymore. As we know the main reason of high cholesterol levels is from an unhealthy diet.  If you consume too much cholesterol, you can increase the risk of heart attack, atherosclerosis, stroke, peripheral arterial disease, and transient ischaemic attack. So the best way to control your cholesterol levels is a healthy diet together with the list foods high in cholesterol to avoid. Allremedies.com will show you what they are:

List Of The Foods High In Cholesterol To Avoid To Get A Healthy Body

1. Snack

Trans fats appear when hydrogen is added to vegetable oils and then is used in fried or baked foods such as crackers, French fries, and snack. Although ingredients of these foods are good and safe, vegetable oils with hydrogen are able to make a healthy food become a high-cholesterol food. According to a study, these foods can contain a lot of trans fats that can affect your cholesterol levels.

Read more: List of 19 foods high in purines for gout sufferers to avoid 

2. Sugar

Adding regularly more sugar in your diet can make your HDL in your body lower quickly. It is recommended that the best daily intake of sugar is about less than 6 teaspoons or 100 calories for women and less than 9 teaspoons or 150 calories for men.

See more: List of 10 foods high in uric acid to avoid 

3. Soft Drinks

Soft drinks are also included in the list of the foods high in cholesterol to avoid because just 355 ml of soft drinks can hold up to 10 teaspoons of sugar, one of the main factors make your cholesterol levels out of control. Besides that, consuming too much sugar can have the negative influence on your health.

4. Microwave Popcorn

Popcorn is one of the common foods of the teenage and the women. But depending on how to make it, it can be either good or bad for the health. Microwave popcorn is often made with butter, salt, and oil is not good for the health. It can make your cholesterol levels increase due to its extras like butter. If you want to have a bowl of healthy popcorn, you can make a butter-free and unsalted bowl of popcorn with a little olive oil and parmesan cheese to limit your cholesterol levels

5. Muffins

Muffins are a good choice for your breakfast. However, the people with high cholesterol levels should consider how they are made before eating. A low-fat muffin can be good for your health, but muffins made with eggs, whole milk and other ingredients like chocolate chips contain about 8 grams of fat per one serving. It is found that English muffin with egg, sausages, and cheese can contain up to 90% daily value for cholesterol per serving, and egg McMuffin with about 69% daily value for cholesterol per serving. Muffins are really not good for the people that need to limit the fat.

6. Butter

Butter is a common ingredient for many recipes that can make your dish more tasteful. It is often used for many foods like pancakes, mashed potatoes, popcorn and other foods. But this is one of the first foods high in cholesterol to avoid. Whipped butter can have about 7% daily value for cholesterol per one tablespoon and light butter and beef tallow with about 5%.

Find more: List of 10 foods high in sodium to avoid 

7. Macaroni And Cheese

Macaroni and cheese are necessary to limit among the foods high in cholesterol to avoid. We all know that the main macaroni and cheese ingredients include cheese, butter, and whole milk. Many types of cheese are rich in cholesterol with about from 7 to 11% daily value for cholesterol per ounce. Among them, cream cheese seems to be used popularly that can make your food more tasteful but it is also one of the foods high in cholesterol to avoid. It is estimated that 1 ounce of cream cheese can take up 27 mg of cholesterol or 10% daily value for cholesterol per ounce. In summary, many kinds of cheeses are loaded with cholesterol and saturated fats that can raise your cholesterol levels. If you like cheese, you should use low-fat cheese. And you can decrease your calories in your diet.

8. Margarine

Most of us assumed that margarine is better for the body than butter as it was made from unsaturated vegetable oils. However, a study from Harvard School of Public Health showed that this thought was wrong. In fact, some types of margarine like hard stick margarine have a great deal of trans fats that can worsen your heart than butter.

Read more: 30 healthy foods high in protein – the best list to choose 

9. Mashed Potatoes

In fact, potatoes are not the direct cause of raising your cholesterol levels. However, mashed potatoes can do it. Most of the mashed potatoes after being cooked are added a great deal of fats like butter, cream, whole milk and something like that. It turns a healthy food into a dish full of cholesterol and saturated fats that bad for the body.

10. Egg Yolks

One of the most common foods high in cholesterol to avoid is egg yolks. We know that eggs are always a good choice for breakfast as it contains a lot of nutrients that is necessary for the body. But they are also rich in cholesterol that is not good for the people with heart disease and high cholesterol levels. According to many studies, goose egg can take up to 409% daily value for cholesterol per egg, turkey egg with 246% daily value per egg, duck egg with 206% daily value per egg, and Quail’s egg with only 25% daily value per egg. Although you can eat them, you should notice a number of egg yolks adjust the cholesterol intake for the rest of the day.

11. Hamburgers

Hamburgers are always a quick choice for lunch for many people. A hamburger often includes bacon, cheese, onions, beef, and some other ingredients. That is why a hamburger is loaded up with cholesterol with about 47% daily value for cholesterol per serving. And the people with high cholesterol levels should limit this food in their meals

12. Processed Meats

The processed meats like bacon, sausages, ham, beef sticks are high in cholesterol. These foods are very common and eaten with bread and hamburger. They are considered as a good choice for the busy people. But you should avoid these foods. However, busy you are if you have high cholesterol levels and heart disease. It is found that beef sticks contain about 12% daily value for cholesterol per ounce, sausage with 11%, salami and pepperoni with 10%, and pork sausage and ham with 9%, and turkey bacon with 8%. Bacon is also one of the foods high in cholesterol to avoid you should remember. Only 1 piece of bacon can have 9 mg of cholesterol and 5 mg of pure fat.

13. Red Meats

Red meats are a good food for the health in general. But for the people with high cholesterol levels, they are the foods high in cholesterol to avoid. These meats like pork, lamb, and beef often have more saturated fat and cholesterol than other meats. In fact, each 3 oz of New Zealand lamb after cooking can have up to 36% daily value, rabbit with 35%, pork ribs with 34%, beef tenderloin with 28%. So eating too much red meat can affect your cholesterol levels and heart disease. Instead of eating red meats, you can have healthy alternatives like fish, beans, and chicken without being fried. These foods are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids that are very good for your heart health.

14. Rib-eye Steak

If you think that you can have rib-eye steak with cooked in olive oil without worrying about raising your cholesterol levels, you are wrong. A 4-ounce rib-eye steak is very high in cholesterol and saturated fats even under the best circumstances. If beef is your favorite foods and you don’t want to say goodbye to it, you should consider leaner cuts of meat like tip steak, rump, round, tenderloin in your diet. They are lower in cholesterol.

15. Liver

The liver is known to be rich in iron, one of the vital minerals for your body. However, it is not a good choice for the people with high cholesterol levels as it is very rich in cholesterol. The liver is a place that stores and concentrates cholesterol most among organ meats. All of you know that the best amount of cholesterol for a healthy adult is not over 300 mg. However, 3 ounces of the beef liver after cooking can contain up to 331 mg of cholesterol. It is estimated that lamb’s liver contains 47% daily value for cholesterol per ounce, beef liver with 37% daily value per ounce, chicken liver with 36%, and pork liver with 34%.

16. Animal Brains

Maybe a few people know that the main compositions of the brain are fat and cholesterol. It is estimated that beef, lamb, veal, and pork have from 1300 to 3000 mg of cholesterol for only 100 grams serving. It means that these foods can contain up to 1000% of daily value for cholesterol per 100 grams serving. It is really a terrible figure. And that is why the people with high cholesterol levels and heart disease should keep this food away.

17. Lobster

One of the foods high in cholesterol to avoid is lobster. Seafood generally is good for you, but some types of seafood are loaded with cholesterol that you should avoid eating too much. Lobster is a good example. If you are suffering from high cholesterol or heart disease, you should consider again when adding lobster in your meal. Because 3 ounces of lobster before dipping in melted butter can contain up to 61 mg of cholesterol. So if you want to have a good meal with seafood, you should remember it.

18. Some Other Certain Sea Foods

Not all sea foods are loaded with cholesterol. However, there are also certain sea foods you should limit your intake in order to avoid worsening your health. The first food we want to mention in this list is calamari or squid. This is known to be a low-fat food, but it is also high cholesterol with 233 mg of cholesterol per 100 grams, the equivalence of 78% of daily value.

Another seafood is similar to calamari is the crab. Although it is low in fat, it is also high in cholesterol with about 68 mg of cholesterol per 100 grams equals 23% of your daily intake you need.

A single shrimp contains up to 195 mg of cholesterol per 100 grams or 65% of daily intake you need. And oysters are also one of the seafood high in cholesterol to avoid with about 105 mg of cholesterol per 100 grams, the equivalence of 35% of daily value.

19. Chicken With The Skin

Chicken is a good low-fat meat when it doesn’t include the skin. But chicken with skin is more cholesterol and fat than a hamburger or a cup of ice cream. A fried chicken is also loaded up with cholesterol. It can contain up to 55% daily value of cholesterol per piece. And one more thing is that dark poultry meat is higher in fat than white meat. That is why you should opt for skinless chicken instead one chicken leg with the skin, for instance. Skipping the dark meat poultry is a good way to control your cholesterol levels.

20. Fish Roe And Caviar

The people like fish roe maybe feel sad when fish roe enters the list of the foods high in cholesterol to avoid. It is said that one tablespoon of fish roe 124% of daily value. It is a big figure for the people with high cholesterol levels.

Caviar is also rich in cholesterol and salt that the people with high cholesterol should avoid. It is found that 100 grams of caviar have up to 588 mg of cholesterol or 196 % of the daily value you need.

21. Ice Cream

Ice cream is one of the most favorite desserts for most people. However, it is also known to contain more cholesterol than 10 donuts and more fat than a hamburger. According to a study, 3.5 oz of a brand of ice cream can hold up to 45 mg of cholesterol while flavored ice cream like vanilla ice cream can be higher, about 80 mg of cholesterol. Fruit is known to be very rich in vitamins, and vital nutrients for your body. They are also low in calories. So a cup of fresh fruit for dessert will be better than a scoop of ice cream.

22. Cakes, Pies, And Cookies

Sweet foods like cakes, cookies or pies are always the favorite foods for many people. Most of them are often made from eggs and animal fats that are often high in cholesterol. And along with its extras, these foods easily enter the list of the foods high in cholesterol to avoid. You can see that Danish pastries can contain up to 54% daily value for cholesterol per piece, cream puffs with 43% daily value, pecan pie with 35% daily value, éclairs with 31% daily value.

Besides that, you should see some small tips when cooking to lower cholesterol levels in your body. They are:

You should avoid the fried foods. This is one of the main causes turn your healthy foods into the foods high in cholesterol and fats.

For the foods full of excess fat and skin, you should remove them from the meat and poultry before cooking to limit the cholesterol and fats intake.

Be careful of some certain vegetable oils like coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, and cocoa butter as they are loaded with saturated fats. Limiting your intake of these oils is also a good way to control your cholesterol levels.

The above are the list of foods high in cholesterol to avoid that you should know and some things you should avoid getting a healthy diet. If you have any question or idea related to this topic, you can leave it here and we will try to reply for you soon.