Do you have high cholesterol and can't stop asking yourself what you should not eat? Having high cholesterol significantly increases your chances of developing heart problems, so good for you for looking for alternative foods to eat. There are many foods that you should cut out of your diet and others which you can have, but only from time to time. And by this we mean foods that are particularly high in saturated fats that increase the levels of bad cholesterol or LDL.
That is why we must follow certain recommendations and choose foods that will not worsen your condition, not forgetting picking those that can benefit you and raise your good cholesterol. For this reason, keep reading this OneHowTo article to discover what you shouldn't eat with high cholesterol.
Viscera
Viscera, guts or any internal organ that comes from animals are foods that will increase your cholesterol levels. Thus, you should avoid eating liver, brains, kidneys, heart, tongue, etc.
It's not only people with cholesterol problems that should avoid reducing consumption of these foods, but this goes out to everyone in general due to the high intake of saturated fat and cholesterol that they have. You should eat these foods on certain occasions and never on a daily basis.
Red meat
Likewise, you must limit how much red meat and processed meats you eat, if you suffer from high cholesterol, since these foods will increase your blood cholesterol level greatly.
Examples of red meat include: veal or beef, pork, wild boar, lamb, goat, ox and bull, horse, duck. Processed meats are products like hamburgers, hot-dogs, sausages, meatballs, etc..
Recent studies have shown that people with regular consumption of red meat and processed meat are more than twice more likely to develop coronary heart disease. It is much better to replace these with lean meats which contain much less fat and cholesterol.
Shellfish
To answer your question as to what can't you eat if you have high cholesterol, you should also remember not to have shellfish on a daily or regular basis. Specifically, the types of shellfish with the most cholesterol include: crustaceans (shrimps, prawns, etc.), cephalopods (squid, cuttlefish, octopus...) and molluscs (winkles or snails, mussels, baby clams, clams, etc.).
This not only means you should avoid seafood when dining out, but it also applies to canned shellfish, as well as ditching certain habits like sucking the heads of prawns or shrimp, since they are part with the most cholesterol.
Eggs
Eggs have a high cholesterol content, and should be enjoyed in moderation by those sufferers of high cholesterol. Moreover, the egg yolk is where you'll find the majority of their cholesterol and fat, which is worse when you fry them in a lot of oil. Because of this, it is recommended to boil or poach your eggs, and limit yourself to 4 egg yolks a week, whereas you can be less strict with egg whites.
Cold cuts
Sausage, ham, salami, mortadella, salami, black pudding... Cold cuts are another type of food that you should eat in moderation to avoid raising your cholesterol. Whatever the meat, you must choose the leanest one with the lowest fat content, such as turkey breast or ham. The high salt content in these foods are also an enemy to those prone to cardiovascular disease.
Saturated fat
Other foods that you shouldn't eat with high cholesterol due to their high levels of saturated fat and that will increase your levels of cholesterol even more, include:
- Full-fat dairy products milk, yogurt, cream, fatty cheeses, ice cream...
- Oils and fats: butter, margarine, lard, fat, coconut oil, palm oil, etc.
- Patê, mainly liver-based ones.
- Fish roe
- Trans-fats: breads and baked goods, sauces, fast food, ready meals, etc.
Other cholesterol considerations
These are just some of the foods that are bad for people with high blood cholesterol levels, the truth is that you must always follow the advice of your doctor or nutritionist to reduce your bad cholesterol.
Likewise, there are also certain good foods to lower cholesterol which together with a healthy lifestyle will help to improve this condition. To find out more, read these other useful OneHowTo articles:
- Foods that increase good cholesterol
- What are normal cholesterol levels
- How to lower your blood pressure
This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.
If you want to read similar articles to What You Shouldn't Eat With High Cholesterol, we recommend you visit our Family health category.