High cholesterol (also known as hypercholesterolemia) is a condition that can limit blood flow increasing the risk of a heart attack or stroke. This condition is detected through a blood test. Although this condition is asymptomatic, it is common for people to experience heart attacks, peripheral artery disease, stroke, and aortic aneurysm due to high cholesterol.
If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, here is a list of foods to avoid and why:

1. Fatty meats
Fatty cuts of meat (i.e., Beef, Lamb and Pork): These meats have high amounts of saturated fat which can make cholesterol levels worse. If you or a loved one is diagnosed with high cholesterol like eating beef, lamb, or pork, it’s OK. These types of meat should be avoided most of the time but can be eaten sometimes or once in a while.

2. Whole or reduced fat dairy products
Dairy products are known to have health benefits because they’re high in vitamin D, potassium, and calcium which help strengthen bones. However, consuming these products while having high cholesterol can result in unwanted health effects. Consuming whole or reduced fat dairy products continuously can increase LDL cholesterol levels which can be harmful.

3. Shortening
Shortening is a type of fat used in cooking and baking. This type of fat is solid at room temperature and contains butter, lard, and margarine. Shortening is a highly processed product and is better to avoid if one has high cholesterol.

4. Deep fried and processed foods
These foods contain trans fats and are artificially processed using a method called hydrogenation. Fried foods, packaged foods, and most baked goods contain trans fat which is severely dangerous for patients with high cholesterol and can increase LDL levels.

It may seem like there is a lot of food to avoid when having a high cholesterol. But that is definitely not the case! There are definitely foods to eat that can help cholesterol levels. Foods such as salmon, tuna, nuts, seeds, legumes, fresh fruit, natural oils (such as olive oil and avocado oil), oats, chia seeds, flax seeds, beans, barley, and Brussel sprouts are all good alternatives to processed foods. Along with a healthy diet, it is important to get a good night sleep and daily exercise.

Cholesterol is an organic molecule in the body that needs to build cells. Cholesterol itself isn’t bad but is a concern once there’s too much of it. There are two types of cholesterol: HDL and LDL. HDL is known as the good type of cholesterol. Research shows that HDL plays a role to prevent bad cholesterol from the arteries and to the liver which protects people from getting a heart attack or stroke. There’s only 1/3 to 1/4 of blood cholesterol carried by HDL. Healthy levels of HDL Cholesterol in the blood can protect against a stroke or heart attack, however lower levels of HDL can increase the risk of heart disease. LDL Cholesterol on the other hand is known as the bad type of cholesterol. LDL contributes to fatty buildups in arteries which narrows the arteries and increases risk of heart attacks, stroke, and peripheral artery disease (also known as PAD).