10 Types of Foods Your Should Limit To Improve Your Cholesterol

We ALL love to eat! That’s not the problem. The problem is that we all love to eat too much of the foods that don’t really love us back.

Insert cholesterol.

High cholesterol and heart disease are serious concerns for many people, and as much as we’d love to continue eating anything and everything in sight, if we want to get focused on improving our health & wellness, monitoring what we eat should become a top priority.

A diet high in cholesterol, saturated fats, and trans fats can raise blood cholesterol levels and put you at risk for heart disease, according to the American Heart Association.

Cholesterol is “a waxy, fat-like substance that’s found in all cells of the body. The body needs cholesterol to produce hormones, Vitamin D, and substances that help you digest food. Your body will make enough of the cholesterol it needs to perform these functions, but some of the foods you eat can add to your cholesterol levels, and too much can lead to health issues.

Here is a list of 10 high-cholesterol foods you should limit:

1. Foods with a lot of sodium (salt)

2. Sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages

3. Red meats and fatty meats that aren’t trimmed

4. Meats that have been processed with a lot of sodium

5. Full-fat dairy products such as whole milk, cream, ice cream, butter, and cheese

6. Baked goods made with saturated and trans fats like donuts, cakes, cookies, etc

7. Foods that list the words “hydrogenated oils” in the ingredients panel

8. Saturated oils like coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil

9. Solid fats like shortening, stick margarine and lard

10. Fried foods

Instead, focus on creating a nutritional balance, eating foods that are low in saturated and trans fats such as:

• A variety of fruits and vegetables.

• A variety of whole grain foods like whole grain bread, cereal, pasta and brown rice.

• Fat-free, 1 percent, low-fat milk or nut milk, or soy products.

• Poultry without skin and lean meats. When you choose to eat red meat and pork, select options labeled “loin” and “round.” These cuts usually have the least amount of fat.

• Fatty fish such as salmon, trout, albacore tuna and sardines.

• Unsalted nuts, seeds, and legumes (dried beans or peas).

• Nontropical vegetable oils like canola, corn, olive, or safflower oils.