High cholesterol can be caused by a number of things, from poor diet to genetics. There are many ways to treat high cholesterol, including diet and medication, but the most important thing is to address it in some way. Untreated high cholesterol can lead to a number of serious complications, including heart attack and stroke.
If you’re watching your cholesterol, you’re probably wary of foods that are known to be high in cholesterol. Some foods that might be flagged for cholesterol include fatty snacks, meats high in saturated fat, and deep-fried foods.
However, not all cholesterol is created equal. One type, LDL (low-density lipoprotein), sticks to your arteries, but another type, HDL, or high-density lipoprotein, picks up the wax and carries it to your liver, which knows how to process it.
A high-cholesterol food is healthier when it’s low in saturated fat. Experts say that sometimes limiting saturated fat can be just as effective, or even more effective, than cutting cholesterol altogether.
High-cholesterol foods to watch out for:
1. Eggs
They’re high in cholesterol, with one large fried egg having 169 milligrams, more than half the RDA of 300 milligrams. If high cholesterol runs in your family, your doctor will likely recommend aiming for 200 milligrams.
But eggs are also packed with vitamins, iron, and protein. They’re also low in saturated fat. Three to four whole eggs a week is fine. It’s the yolk that’s the tough one. Egg whites will give you protein without the cholesterol.
2. Sardines
A can of sardines packed in oil has 131 milligrams of cholesterol. The magic in sardines is in the omega-3s, which your body doesn’t make on its own. These fatty acids help control triglycerides — a type of fat in your blood that can be bad for your heart if eaten in large amounts.
3. Shellfish
Shrimp is high in cholesterol. You’ll get about 130 milligrams if you eat 12 large shrimp. But with only 2 grams of fat, shrimp are packed with B vitamins, protein, and the nutrients selenium and zinc. Check with your doctor, but you can enjoy them once or twice a week. Shrimp are also high in unsaturated fatty acids, which help raise HDL levels.
Other shellfish in the low-fat (lower cholesterol than shrimp) category include crab and octopus. Even better are clams, mussels, oysters, and scallops, which are both low in cholesterol and low in fat.
4. Lean meat
Compared to shrimp, it might seem like ground beef, with 110 milligrams of cholesterol, would be a better choice. But when you consider the 20 grams of fat (including 10 grams of saturated fat) in beef, red meat falls short. But trim all the fat, including marbling, from a steak, and you’ll have just 45 milligrams of cholesterol in a 4-ounce serving.
Stay away from fatty steaks, roasts, and regular ground beef. Instead, opt for 90 percent lean ground beef and leaner cuts: filet mignon, sirloin, tenderloin, and tenderloin. Even better: skinless roast chicken or lean ground poultry.
Grain-fed ground beef has three times the amount of omega-3 fatty acids as grain-fed beef. But with the increased omega-3s comes more saturated and trans fats.
