For those who suffer from high cholesterol the best and very first way to manage and lower their cholesterol levels is through their own diet plan. But many people are puzzled as to what constitutes a high cholesterol food they need to prevent and a low cholesterol food. This is because there is a difference between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol.
Usually many health guidelines recommend that dietary cholesterol not go beyond 300 mg per day for most healthy individuals, but if one suffers from high LDL blood cholesterol levels then this intake should be not more than 200 mg per day.
Cholesterol, a waxy like substance, is only found in animal meat and tissues and its sources consist of red meat, eggs, fish, poultry, and dairy products. On the flip side any food derived from plant sources is cholesterol free, which includes high fat plants food sources such as avocado’s and peanut butter. This is where the confusion generally happens because consuming large amounts of vegetable oil, which is practically 100% food fat, can considerably increase blood cholesterol levels, particularly when eaten with high cholesterol meals.
The fact is that blood LDL cholesterol levels are extremely influenced by the amount of saturated fat that one eats. There is a relationship between the amounts of saturated fat one eats the LDL cholesterol levels in the blood. For every one percent increase in calories acquired by eating saturated fat, blood cholesterol levels go up around two %. On the other hand for every one percent decrease in saturated fat intake cholesterol levels will lower about two percent.
The thing to remember when it comes staying away from high cholesterol foods is that while doing so will reduce LDL cholesterol levels, reducing saturated fat intake has a greater impact on these levels then many people are aware of. This does not mean that those who suffer from high cholesterol can eat high cholesterol foods, but they should be aware that there is more to lowering cholesterol then just this one thing.
The reason for this misunderstandings with the way cholesterol can increase in the blood stream is the way many foods are prepared and/or served. Let’s look at one of everyone’s favorite breakfasts; bacon/sausage and eggs. We all know that eggs are high in cholesterol, but what we don’t know is that the cholesterol in eggs has a tiny impact on blood cholesterol levels. It’s the high amount of saturated fat in the bacon or sausage that has a much greater impact on LDL cholesterol levels.
An additional offender is deep fat fried foods. A lot of food items are for the most part harmless until they are breaded and fried in hot oil. In fact, many fish and seafood choices are considered to be good for us because of the omega-3 fatty acids that they contain, but as soon as they are deep fried and eaten any advantages are cancelled by the saturated fat that boosts bad LDL cholesterol.
When it comes to high cholesterol foods to avoid it is important to remember that these types of food aren’t necessarily bad in and of themselves if eaten in moderation. The real problem happens when they are combined with high levels of saturated fat, which has a more serious effect on blood cholesterol levels.
