Cholesterol is made in the intestines or the liver. It can either be good or bad. Good cholesterol is high density lipoprotein (HDL), while bad cholesterol is low density lipoprotein (LDL). Cholesterol’s main functions are for the maintenance of membranes and for the production of the needed hormones in your body. Cholesterol is a very indispensable companion in your body’s functioning but even too much of a good thing can be bad, especially if you’re having an increase in LDL.
To find out if you have high cholesterol, you have to undergo a cholesterol screening or lipid panel test. This test would help you and your doctor know if you are at high risk of stroke and cardiovascular diseases. Symptoms of high cholesterol level are strange pain in the upper body, dizziness that persists, shortness of breath, changes in levels of consciousness, discomfort/pain in the chest, nausea with vomiting and pain in the chest, and clammy skin/sweating that is unexplained. If you are experiencing changes in levels of consciousness, loss of coordination, walking difficulty, having a hard time in comprehension and communication, loss/changes in vision, being dizzy or confused all of a sudden, being weak, numb on one side of your body, having the worst headache all of a sudden. To decrease you risk at having a serious cardiovascular disease, here are the bad cholesterol foods to avoid:
1. Cheeseburger
The cheeseburger is one of the bad cholesterol foods to avoid. These days, because of the fast-paced environment that we all live in, fast-food restaurants are the immediate hunger solution. The usual image of a fast, complete meal is the cheeseburger. These morsels range from 85 mg to 175 mg of cholesterol, depending on the restaurant that makes them. This cholesterol content does not include the side dishes like fries or onion rings and the drinks like soda and shakes. Maybe you could just get the plain burger without any of the trimmings or mind-blowing add-ons.
2. Eggs
Almost every morning, eggs are your constant companion. This is one of the bad cholesterol foods to avoid because a single egg has 213 mg of cholesterol already. If you are diagnosed with high cholesterol then you should make sure that you maintain an intake below 200 milligrams of cholesterol. You should just stick with fruits and whole grain cereal instead.
3. Macaroni and cheese
This famous comfort food is one of the bad cholesterol foods to avoid. The main ingredients of a proper mac and cheese are cheese, whole milk, and butter. These have high cholesterol and saturated fat—not very good. If you cannot live without mac and cheese, then you should just substitute with healthier alternatives—evaporated milk or one percent milk instead of whole milk and butter.
4. Steak
When you speak about the bad cholesterol foods to avoid, steak could just easily fit in. Beef as steak is considered a must-have food item on very indulgent tables. Eating a serving of steak without side dishes already costs you twenty percent of the allowed saturated fat allowance for the entire day and twenty two percent of the total cholesterol. So if you want to be rid of your high cholesterol, forget having beef in your diet. But if you don’t want to give up beef just yet and take the slow route to change, then just choose the leaner portions such as tip steak, round steak, tenderloin, rump steak, or rump steak.
5. Ice cream
Ice cream, no matter how irresistible it can be, is one of the bad cholesterol foods to avoid. Yes, it can be pretty heart-breaking but this favorite dessert option has more cholesterol than donuts or hamburgers. Just choose fruits that are known for their fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
6. Chicken
It is true that technically, chicken is one of the healthy meat options that you can have. But if you fry it or leave the skin on, it becomes more cholesterol-rich than a hamburger. The dark meat of the chicken as opposed to white is richer in fat. So just choose to steam or bake a skinless chicken breast if you want your cholesterol to be tamed.
7. Muffins
Even with the wide varieties of no fat and no cholesterol muffins these days, majority of the muffin population still have, at most, 8 grams of fat in a serving. A bran muffin (low-fat) has a bit of fiber, lower amount of cholesterol, and less fat content.
8. Liver
Liver is one of the bad cholesterol foods to avoid that can be quite good for you because of the iron in it. However, if you are aiming to decrease the amount of cholesterol in your blood, you must eliminate it from your diet because liver produces and stores cholesterol as well. Only three ounces of this organ meat (from beef) has 331 milligrams of cholesterol already.
9. Seafood
Seafood always makes your mouth water especially when you include lobster and shrimp. These are two most cholesterol-rich seafood items available. Frying them increases the cholesterol content more. Just choose the broiled seafood without the butter.
10. Vegetable oil
Vegetable oils are rich in bad fat (trans fat) and high bad cholesterol. This is commonly used in frying foods and baking pastries.
Be vigilant with your cholesterol levels and work with your doctor to control it or lower it. Temptation is all around you when it comes to delicious food. You can still give in but make sure that you know what healthier, cholesterol-friendly ingredients to include in them.