It is most important to realize that high levels of blood cholesterol are mainly caused by eating foods which are not part of heart-healthy eating habits. When you develop a heart-healthy eating habit, you eat in a way that is naturally high in healthy fats and low in unhealthy fats. To maintain heart healthy diet you should know what are high cholesterol food to avoid from your diet plan. Before moving further you need to understand what is the fat and how it is different or related to cholesterol.
High Cholesterol avoid foods
What is the Fat
Actually, The fats are compounds that help your body to use certain vitamins that keep your skin healthy. Your body absorbs energy with the help of fats. Fats are known as lipids or fatty acids also. Most of the fats that your body needs is made by your body but there are some types of fats that your body can not make. These fats are known as “essential” fats and your body needs to consume them from food.
Omega-3 (found in flax seeds and fish) and Omega-6 (found in seeds, nuts, and maize oil) are important fats.
Fat helps your body to absorb certain vitamins like A, D, and E. These vitamins can be processed in the body by fats only. Any fat which is not converted to energy by the body cells becomes body fat. Carbohydrates and proteins which are not used also converted into body fat.
Food avoid for high cholesterol
There are three main types of fats in your food
Instead of following a low-fat diet you should focus on eating healthy “good” fats and avoiding unhealthy “bad” fats. Fats are an important part of your healthy diet plan. Your healthy diet plan should have “good” unsaturated fats, it should limit foods high in saturated fat, and it should avoid “bad” trans-fat.
Saturated fats
Saturated fats are always solid at room temperature so sometimes called solid fats. These are not as harmful as trans fats, in comparison with unsaturated fats. But they negatively impact your health and should be consumed in moderation. These mostly occur in dairy products and meat. Some foods like red meat, butter, cheese, and ice cream contain large amounts of saturated fats. Some fats which are plant-based like coconut oil and palm oil are rich in saturated fat. Saturated fats instruct your liver to produce more LDL “bad” cholesterol.
Unsaturated fats
These are good fats that lower your disease risk. Certain unsaturated fats help liver to increase the rate at which it reabsorbs and breaks down bad cholesterol (LDL). Foods that are high in good fats include vegetable oils (canola, sunflower, olive, soy and corn), nuts, seeds, beans, and fish.
Trans fat
These are known as “Bad” fats because they increase level of bad cholesterol and decrease levels of good cholesterol. For this reason, a high trans fat intake is a risk factor and creates health complications. Sometimes even when you eat in small quantities. Foods containing trans fats are made using partially hydrogenated oils (solid vegetable oils.). Packaged foods, fried foods and baked foods mostly contain trans fats.
To understand what are high cholesterol food to avoid from your diet, you need to understand what is Cholesterol
What is Cholesterol?
It is a liver-generated waxy chemical compound, which travels throughout the body using proteins in the blood vessels. Your body needs cholesterol for formation of cells and its membrane. Your body already generates all the cholesterol you need. It is also present in cheese, eggs, butter and red fatty meat but cholesterol is not a kind of fat. Cholesterol is not the primary nutrient to be derived from the diet.
Excess cholesterol becomes the cause of unhealthy heart and increases chances of cardio vascular diseases. Cholesterol has some important functions like it helps in the formation of sex hormones, and it also helps in digesting foods by producing bile salts.
Types of Cholesterol
There are two types of cholesterol found in your body – first is “High-density lipoprotein” and second is “Low-density lipoprotein”. Lipoproteins are made up of proteins and fats.
High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL)
It is called “good cholesterol”. It brings bad cholesterol from your body to your liver so that liver can flush it out of the body. So it’s very less likely for bad cholesterol to end up in your arteries.
Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL)
It is called “bad cholesterol”. Rise in the amount of bad cholesterol will lead to formation of a plaque in your arteries. It increases chances of blood clots in your arteries. You may have a heart attack or stroke if blood clot blocks an artery in your heart or brain. Oxygen and the blood supply in the body organs can also be reduced because of plaque formation. In addition to stroke or a heart attack, lack of oxygen in your organs or arteries may lead to peripheral arterial disease or kidney disease.
You should check your cholesterol regularly to keep your cholesterol health under control.
Food with high cholesterol to avoid
Difference Between Fat and Cholesterol
Here are some major differences between Blood Cholesterol and Fats.
High cholesterol food to avoid from your diet
The AHA (American Heart Association) recommended that you should aim for such diet pattern that achieves 5 percent to 6 percent of calories from the saturated fat.
It means, if you need 2,000 calories per day, not more than 120 calories should come from the saturated fats.
That’s about 13 grams per day of saturated fats.
Food with high saturated fats (high cholesterol foods chart)
Other then these some baked fried foods also contain large amount of saturated fats
Which food contains Trans fats
(Food with high cholesterol to avoid)
- Cakes, donuts, packaged cookies, and pastries.
- Potato chips and crackers.
- Commercially fried foods.
- Bakery goods containing shortening.
- Buttered popcorn and,
- Food containing hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Foods that are good for high cholesterol
What diet for high cholesterol
You should know that following a completely fat-free diet plan can have harmful effects on your overall health. Excluding fats completely from diet can harm childhood development and also brain function.
Keeping healthy fats in your diet plan can help a you lower your LDL (bad cholesterol) levels while maintaining your HDL (good cholesterol) levels. To achieve this you should add “Fiber rich food” in your diet plan.
Which are fiber rich foods
For a healthy heart having fiber in your diet is very important. It is found in two main forms in your food.
1. Soluble fiber – Soluble fibers dissolve in water. It includes plant pectin and gums.
2. Insoluble fiber – Insoluble fibers does not dissolve in water and It includes plant cellulose and hemicellulose.
Insoluble fiber are essential for your digestive health. Soluble fiber binds to blood cholesterol and helps in removing it through stool. This type of fiber also help in controlling blood sugar levels.
Best cholesterol lowering food list
To avoid high cholesterol food you should to include these food items in your diet plan.
- nuts, seeds, and legumes
- oats and oat bran
- chia and ground flaxseeds
- beans
- barley
- psyllium
- oranges
- blueberries
- Brussels sprouts
Also, nontropical natural vegetable oils are good and cholesterol friendly because they have unsaturated fatty acid content. These oils include canola oil, olive oil, , safflower oil and avocado oil. You can also find it beneficial to choose low fat or fat-free milk and yogurts.
Halenesspro Opinion : General guide lines for high cholesterol diet plans
High cholesterol food to avoid
Always look at the big picture which is your overall diet pattern. You need to avoid high cholesterol food. Regardless, where your food has been prepared or consumed, apply these general guidelines:
For achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, balance calorie needs with calorie intake.
Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables, lean and plant-based protein and whole grains.
Limit processed food, sugar, salt, animal fat, and alcohol.
Achieving or maintaining healthy cholesterol levels may also involve lifestyle changes. If these are not enough then your doctor will suggest medication.
