Foods That Raise Cholesterol

Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites

Benefits of Controlling Cholesterol

Keeping cholesterol at certain levels helps protect the body from heart disease and can greatly reduce certain health risks such as stroke and some forms of cancer.

When the total cholesterol level exceeds 200 mg/dl, the individual is at a much increased risk for coronary heart disease. Up to 239 mg/dl is considered as 'borderline high' with 240 mg/dl and above considered as high blood cholesterol. At this reading, the individual is about two times more likely to develop heart ailments than the individual whose reading is below 200 mg/dl.

The LDL (bad) cholesterol levels should be less than 130 mg/dl with the optimal reading at 100.  Up to 130 mg/dl is considered as borderline with 160 to 189 mg/dl as high and over that, very high.

HDL (good) cholesterol should exceed 45 mg/dl with readings above 60 mg/dl optimal. For men, a reading of less than 40 mg/dl is considered as a major risk for heart disease; for women - less than 50 mg/dl.

Triglyceride levels are considered normal at less than 150 mg/dl.  Up to 199 mg/dl is considered as borderline high with 200 mg/dl to 499 mg/dl as high. Very high is a reading of 500 mg/dl and over.

Foods in the Daily Diet Which Can Increase Bad Cholesterol

The following foods work to raise unhealthy cholesterol levels in the body and should be avoided or minimized at best:

1. Cheese; just take a look at the fat lodged with Cheddar Cheese. For a healthier choice opt for the reduced fat variety.  One ounce of reduced fat Cheddar contains less than 2 grams of total fat in comparison to 9.40 grams in the full-blown version. You'll also trim off more than one-half of the caloric content.

Nutrition Facts, Calories in Cheddar Cheese

2. Cream: it's so fat that the USDA won't include it in the official American Food Pyramid. The same applies to butter and cream cheese, both of which contribute to build-up of dangerous, heart-threatening plaque in the arteries.

3. Pastries; I could eat my weight in pastries and one would assume that they are so light and fluffy that they would also be light in caloric and dietary fat values - especially when compared to a heavy head of cabbage or cauliflower. But alas, they are mined with cholesterol, as well as lipids (fats) which contribute to heart disease. This is one donation that we should pass on.

4. Cookies, Cakes, Pies, Donuts; perhaps we should just say 'anything with yeast that is prepared with sugar and oil'. In the area of fried pies and fried donuts - the impact on our health can be quite alarming.

5. Marbled Meat, Chicken Giblets, Liver, Duck, Goose, Lamb Chops, Ribs, Pork Chops, Bacon, Franks, Sausage, Salami: At the tip-top of the foods which contain the most cholesterol, chicken giblets are the star with 641 mgs per simmered cup. The turkey giblets are sitting just beneath at 419 mg per cup with beef liver next at 324 mgs per 3 pan-fried ounces.

6. Fast Food Biscuits: These babies know exactly how to clog a perfectly good artery. One containing egg and sausage is mined with 300 mg of cholesterol; let's add a couple of strips of bacon and go whole hog, shall we?

7. Eggs; they contain a good dose of protein grams and can keep us feeling satisfied for quite some time but it does come at the cost of 187 cholesterol mgs for one boiled egg. The egg is on the Top Ten list of foods containing the most mgs.

8. Lard oh Lard; it's not that Tablespoon that is so deadly - it's the fact that when food is fried in lard (or any oil) it absorbs the fat as it cooks. The next time that you fry anything, measure out a certain amount of cooking oil. Prepare the food. Allow the pan to fully cool, then pour the remaining oil into a measuring cup. It's shocking to see how much cooking oil it requires for frying.

Think it can't get worse? It can. Tropical oils are the pits when it comes to health matters. One cup of Palm Oil contains 1,909 calories with 216.00 grams of total fat - about 107 of those in the form of saturated fat. Coconut oil isn't much better - nor is vegetable shortenings. If you must use oil, those with the healthiest fat distribution include: extra virgin olive oil, peanut oil and canola.

Nutrition Facts, Calories in Lard

9. Shellfish is mined with cholesterol - 214 mgs for three ounces of shrimp.

10. Other foods that make our list include: potato salad, eggnog, chili con carne, eclairs, fast food hamburgers and cheeseburgers, Mayo, pecan pie, condensed milk, all breaded and fried foods - including healthy breaded foods such as mushrooms and onions, malts, milkshakes, ice cream and pizza.

In Summary

This is simply a short-list. If the food or drink is high in fat, dieter beware.

Related Articles

Calorie Burn Charts | Body Fat Index

Diet Bites | Disclaimers

Diet Bites is a Trademark