If a recent visit to your doctor or healthcare provider has informed you that you may have a higher-than-usual level of LDL cholesterol in your system, then you may have received a high cholesterol food chart to help you manage your diet. Using a high cholesterol food chart to steer clear of dangerous cholesterol-filled foods is a key staple in reducing your risk of various health problems, and lowering your bad cholesterol level. Remember, there's a significant difference between LDL (bad) cholesterol and HDL (good cholesterol), and high levels of HDL cholesterol are considered to be beneficial.
You may notice that the majority of bad cholesterol comes from animal products such as milk, cheese, meat, and eggs. Consumption of large amounts of these foods can be a direct cause of higher cholesterol.
Knowing Which Foods To Avoid:
With a high cholesterol food chart, you will not only learn which dietary choices may worsen your cholesterol level, but also discover how to make changes to your diet that can limit your exposure to unhealthy substances. For example, it's often a good idea to minimize the amount of saturated fat and oil in your diet through ingredients such as butter, lard, and palm oil. Instead of using these substances, stick to vegetable oils like canola or olive.
Similarly, it's worth staying away from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and trans-fats. These oils go through a process which turns them into solids, and they are often found in things like chips, cookies, and snack crackers.
Changing Your Diet:
To steer clear from unwanted excess cholesterol, limit your consumption of fatty meats such as pastrami, corned beef, steak, ribs, hot dogs, ground meat, bacon, and sausage. Also try to stay away from organ meats such as kidney and liver. You may want to replace these items with skinless turkey or chicken, veal, lean beef, fish, and pork. Reduce the amount of egg yolks you get in your diet, as these can be brimming with LDL cholesterol, and also stay away from milk products that are dosed with more than 1% fat. This will also mean avoiding products like cheese, cream, non-dairy coffee creamers, and whipped toppings for desserts that often contain coconut or palm oil.
Another way to lower your cholesterol levels and improve your overall health, is to attempt to reduce the amount of snack items you eat on a regular basis, such as cakes, muffins, crackers, and items made with whole eggs, whole milk, or hydrogenated fat. It is possible to buy baked goods that are low-in-fat at grocery stores. What's more, be sure to avoid fast foods like tacos, fried chicken, fries and hamburgers. Not only are these bad for your health overall, but they're also brimming with saturated fat which can clog up your arteries.
If you need more help thinking about the changes that you should make to your diet after a diagnosis of high cholesterol levels, then speak to your doctor about the steps you could take. You may also find it useful to talk to a professional dietitian if possible.
High Cholesterol Food Chart:
