The harmful effects of the fast-paced life, affect our eating habits and also the way we live our lives. A hectic work schedule and party night makes us rely on the different processed foods that are easily available at nearby stores. Though this may make our lives easy, but these fatty foods make your body unhealthy.
These fast foods are high in salt, fat and sugar that are extremely harmful for our body. Though these types of foods are tasty, they lack in nutrients like Omega-3 fatty acids, calcium and fiber.Â
As you start growing older it is necessary to monitor the diet and be careful of the food you consume. These foods have the tendency to aggravate certain existing health conditions or even develop into a new one.
High cholesterol and heart disease is a serious health condition that affects a lot of people around the world. If you are detected with this health condition, then monitoring what you eat is extremely crucial.
What is cholesterol and what are high cholesterol foods?
Cholesterol is made naturally by liver and is transported inside the body through the bloodstream by proteins. It is an essential building block for cell membranes.
Cholesterol is needed by the body to produce hormones, Vitamin D and various other substances to digest the fatty foods. But, bad lifestyle and eating habits can produce way too much cholesterol, which can clog the arteries and block the blood flow leading to heart disease like heart attack and stroke.Â
The list of foods to avoid with high cholesterol
The following are the list of foods to avoid with high cholesterol if you are suffering from high cholesterol.
1. Liver
Liver as a food is extremely good for your health if your cholesterol levels are in limit. Liver is rich in iron for anyone who is healthy. Liver is also a high cholesterol food as this organ is the prime producer of cholesterol and is the place where this is stored according to the American Heart Association.
The cholesterol levels are highest in the liver of animals. Beef and Chicken liver are both high in cholesterol, but chicken liver tends to have more dietary cholesterol and saturated fat compared to beef liver. Â
2. Muffins
As soon as you hear the word muffin, your mouth starts watering. Muffins are one of the favored foods for breakfast. Muffins are tempting and tasty to eat, but before you bite into it, make sure you know how it is made. Traditionally muffins are high in fat content, which contributes to the rise in the levels of LDL cholesterol.
Muffins are usually made from animal products that have high amounts of saturated fats. If made correctly, from whole wheat or oat bran you can reduce the amount of animal products in the muffins. By combining healthy ingredients you can reduce the chance of your body generating the bad cholesterol.
Make sure the ingredients you add to the muffins when you bake it at home are less fatty and healthy. Even without animal fat, muffins can still be high in calories, so make sure you eat them in moderation.Â
3. Margarine
Butter lovers would love to have their food made with their favorite golden butter topping. Margarine was always touted as a healthy alternative to butter for the health conscious people, but is it really safe as it is believed to be. Margarine can also be loaded with calories and can increase the cholesterol levels in the blood.
Since margarine was known to be made from unsaturated vegetable oil, people felt it would be a safer alternative to butter, but margarine is also known to contain saturated fat and a good amount of cholesterol. According to the Harvard School of Public Health this belief that margarine was healthy as compared to butter is not true.
Instead, some margarine like the hard stick margarines were even worse than butter because they contained large amounts of transfats that is derived from partially hydrogenated oils.
The healthier option to margarine would be to include olive oil and some vegetable oil based spreads that contain the friendly mono and polyunsaturated fats. So, next time consider dipping your toast in olive oil for a healthier breakfast.Â
4. Microwave Popcorn
Popcorn on its own doesn’t contain any cholesterol, but the way you prepare them decides the amount of cholesterol in your popcorn. If you make popcorn with butter, then you are adding cholesterol to your snack.
Microwave popcorn made with butter, oil and high salt content is completely unhealthy. These extras are responsible for the increased cholesterol in your snack.
Air frying the popcorn without oil, butter and salt is a good option to lower the cholesterol levels. To make your bland popcorn tasty you can even consider adding a few drops of olive oil and sprinkling of parmesan cheese over it.Â
5. Commercial Bakery Foods
Bakery foods are always tasty and mouth watering. Cookies, cakes, muffins and chips are all difficult to resist, but these foods are high in cholesterol. If you are concerned about your health, then you should stay away from these easy to eat foods as they are laced with transfats because of the hydrogenated vegetable oils used in the making of some of these snacks.
6. Shellfish
Shellfish contains huge amounts of cholesterol. They are usually cooked in butter, which also contributes to the fat content. Therefore, people suffering from heart disease or high cholesterol should avoid prawns and lobsters as much as possible to stay healthy.
7. Mac and Cheese
Mac and cheese is one of the favorite comfort foods that are liked by both kids and adults. This pasta laced with cheese, bacon and breadcrumbs has ingredients like whole milk, butter and cheese that are rich in saturated fats and cholesterol.
You can make your Mac and cheese healthy by adding vegetables, using high fiber noodles or pasta and by using low-fat milk and low fat cheese.Â
8. Hamburgers
Hamburger is another favorite food of Americans. The patty within the burger is made from beef that is fried in high calorie butter or oil and topped with bacon, cheese and onion.
Most people prefer eating some fast food when they are hungry and lookout for the nearest fast food joint. But, what they don’t know is that these burgers are loaded with cholesterol that is extremely harmful for their health.
These processed meats are high in fats and to top it all, it is made in a very unhealthy way.
9. Fried Chicken
Chicken is a healthy meat if you trim down the fat. But, the same food becomes very unhealthy when it is fried to enhance the appearance and flavor.
One such fried chicken is very famous worldwide and people love eating these. These golden fried chickens are popular, but they are also laced with cholesterol.
The amount of cholesterol in fried chicken is more than a hamburger.Â
10. French Fries
French fries are another favorite fast food of Americans. French fries are very unhealthy and not suitable for anyone with high cholesterol levels because they are fried in hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Fried foods have large amounts of transfats according to a survey. Even though French fries can be tempting and tasty, they have to be consumed in moderation or else your cholesterol levels in the blood will shoot up.Â
11. Cream Cheese
If you are diagnosed with cholesterol recently, then you must be wondering whether your favorite cheese is safe to eat or not. Cheese is usually associated with cholesterol.
Cheese is a good source of calcium and if consumed in moderation, it is considered safe.
Cream cheese is tasty and most people love to add it on their bagel or even use it to make rich cakes. An ounce of cream cheese contains 27 mg of cholesterol, which is quite high and unhealthy.Â
12. Ice Cream
Who doesn’t like ice-cream? It is one food that is loved by everyone equally from kids to adults. A scoop of ice-cream is not good for anyone who has been detected with high cholesterol.
Most manufacturers use high fat milk to make ice-creams and some even use hydrogenated vegetable oils, which is all the more harmful and raise your cholesterol levels.
A scoop of ice-cream has more fat than a hamburger and more cholesterol than glazed doughnuts.Â
13. Egg Yolks
Eggs are the favorite breakfast foods around the world. Bread toast and eggs go hand in hand at many homes as a breakfast food, but even the humble looking egg can be harmful to your health if you are detected with cholesterol.
Eating four egg yolks or even less in a week is considered safe for heart health according to Mayo clinic. Everything in moderation is good for your health. Watch your diet for the day and control your food intake accordingly.
14. Butter
Butter is consumed in many different ways. Butter is found in food ranging from toast, snacks, popcorn, mashed potatoes and the list is never ending.
Processed butter is harmful and high in trans-fat. Salted butter is also high in sodium that can raise your blood pressure and also the cholesterol levels. Switch to healthy oils like olive oil if you have high cholesterol for a healthy body.Â
15. Red Meat
Red meats are high in saturated animal fat that are famous to increase the cholesterol levels in the body. If you love your meat, then switch to skinless, lean meat like chicken or turkey breast instead of pork, lamb and beef.
Try fish instead. If you are choosing frozen meat, then go for fat free ones. Processed meats like bacon, sausages and cold cuts are high in salts, which can in turn increase your cholesterol levels.Â
16. Coconut Oil and Cream
Coconut oil is considered healthy, but they contain saturated fats in the form of lauric acid. These saturated fats can add to your total cholesterol levels in the body. It is best to limit the consumption of coconut oil in your diet daily.
It is safe to consume 24gms of saturated fat daily. You may even avoid using processed oils in your diet like canola and corn oil as they contain high transfats.Â
17. Potato Chips
Potato chips are tempting for not only kids, but even adults too. The crunchy texture and the salty flavor always make you reach out to your favorite pack at the nearby store.
If you are watching your cholesterol levels, then you have to control this urge for snacking on chips. Potato chips don’t contain cholesterol, but have high saturated fats that can increase your cholesterol levels. Moreover, these chips are high in salts, which is again harmful for your body.Â
18. Doughnut
Doughnuts are tasty and we all love eating them. Moreover, doughnuts come in different colorful varieties that it is difficult to ignore them. But, these tempting doughnuts are made from refined flour and refined sugar.
All of these increase the cholesterol levels leading to obesity and also the risk of developing heart disease.Â
19. Shortening
Shortening is a semi-solid fat that is used extensively in making bakery foods. It is 100% fat as compared to 80% in butter. One most important point to note is that, it is made from hydrogenated oils that are loaded with transfats.
To avoid the harmful effect of shortening, it would be better to avoid eating fried foods and pie crusts. Of late, shortening has fallen out of favor because of its high transfats.Â
20. Fried Foods
If you eat fried foods in your regular diet, then you are at great risk for developing high cholesterol and heart disease. Fried foods are tasty, but are high in fat. Such foods are high in saturated fats that raise the levels of cholesterol in your body. Fried foods are cooked in fats and they add more fat into your body.
If you don’t know your cholesterol levels, then get them checked immediately. High cholesterol foods should be avoided at any cost if you want to remain healthy and disease free.
Above is the list of some foods to avoid with high cholesterol and should to kept away from your diet list. Know the most common cholesterol foods and make sure you stay away from them.
Identify foods that are healthy and opt for cooking methods that are healthy with very little oil and fat going into it.
Limit your cholesterol levels to 200mg per day. Eat healthy to stay healthy.
| Reference Can I Eat Cheese If I Have High Cholesterol?, Healtline 5 worst foods to eat if you have high cholesterol, The Street 5 Foods to Avoid If You Have High Cholesterol, Food NDTV |