Finding out you have raised cholesterol levels can be a shock, particularly since it can put you at higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack or stroke. Controlling your cholesterol levels can be done through medication.


However, one of the first suggestions often given by doctors, involves making changes to your diet to see whether this has any effect. Therefore, it's important to understand which foods are known to raise cholesterol levels in the body and actively start restricting them from your diet.


What is cholesterol and where does it come from?

Cholesterol is an essential body fat which is made up from LDL (low-density lipoprotein) or 'bad cholesterol', and HDL (high-density lipoprotein) or 'good  cholesterol'. Up to 80 percent of the cholesterol found in our body is manufactured by the liver, while the rest is obtained from our diet through eating unhealthy fats.

Types of fat to avoid

Just as there is good and bad cholesterol, so too are there good and bad fats. Those which contribute towards raising cholesterol levels are saturated fats and trans fats. Highest levels of saturated fats are to be found in animal derived products such as meat, fish, poultry and dairy, while small amounts of trans fats occur naturally in meat and dairy products.

However, trans fats can also be artificially manufactured by a process called hydrogenation. This turns healthy vegetable oils into a semi-solid fat and it is used to help prolong the shelf life of foods. The effect of trans fats on cholesterols levels is considered to be worse for health since they can raise bad cholesterol levels while lowering levels of good cholesterol.

Foods containing trans fats

Although many manufacturers have stopped using trans fats in their processing, they are still found in many products. Typical foods are pastries, meat pies, cakes, donuts, cookies, crackers, icing, potato chips, popcorn and fast foods. Any of these products which are pre-packaged should have nutritional information showing the amount of cholesterol they contain, or whether there are any trans fats in the ingredients. If in doubt, don't buy it.
 
Foods containing saturated fats

Saturated fats are predominantly found in meat and dairy foods. Red meat, poultry including egg yolks, and processed meats such as sausages, burgers, corned beef, luncheon meat, pepperoni and salami are usually very high in saturated fats. Dairy products such as hard cheeses, butter, whole milk, cream or ice cream all have high levels of saturated fat, as does ghee (clarified butter which is used in Indian cooking). Among vegetable oils, palm oil and coconut oil have exceptionally high levels of saturated fat so should be avoided.

Tips to reduce saturated fat

While it’s best to completely avoid buying processed food containing trans fats, in many cases it's possible to continue eating dairy and meat by making sensible food swaps. For example, when buying dairy, switch to low fat or fat-free milk, yogurts and butter. Be careful if you're switching to margarine though, since some can still contain high levels of trans fats, despite having no cholesterol.

When preparing meat, cut off all visible signs of white fat and remove the skin from poultry. And when it comes to cooking, you'll find that dry frying or grilling your food releases surprisingly large amounts of excess fat.

Making changes to your diet by cutting down on unhealthy saturated and trans fats can, in many cases, help with controlling cholesterol levels. Just making a few small dietary changes each week can make considerable improvements to your overall health. And before long, you'll hardly miss those artery clogging unhealthy fats, while hopefully looking forward to an extended life span.

Sources:
University of Maryland
NHS