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If you have high cholesterol, you don’t have to give up eggs and cheese, claims expert
High cholesterol doesn’t necessarily mean you should avoid all cholesterol-rich foods. Recent research has shown that cholesterol-rich skimmed milk, yoghurt and aged cheese can actually improve blood lipid (fat) profiles, says The Telegraph.
Consultant interventional cardiologist Ali Hawandi believes we need to understand why cholesterol levels are rising in the first place.
“If you have a genetic predisposition to high blood cholesterol, diet has very little effect, so you usually need medication, such as statins. Even for the average person with elevated cholesterol who is generally healthy, eating low-cholesterol foods is likely to have a limited effect,” he says.
If, however, a person is overweight, insulin resistant or has other related health conditions, it is perfectly possible to affect their cholesterol levels through diet. Diet, he says, boils down to “a healthy eating pattern rather than avoiding certain foods high in cholesterol.”
He explained which high cholesterol foods should be introduced into your diet and which are best avoided.
5 foods high in cholesterol that should be left out of your diet
1. Cheese
“I often hear people say ‘I have high cholesterol, so I shouldn’t eat cheese’, but there is solid evidence that long-fermented cheeses [такие как выдержанный чеддер] are beneficial,” Havandi noted.
Despite its high cholesterol content, cheese is high in vitamins A, K, B12, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and gut-healthy probiotics. The expert cited a study that showed that participants with metabolic syndrome who followed a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet that included 200g of cheese a day improved their blood lipid profile after four weeks.
2. Eggs
A Harvard Medical School study shows that rates of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular diseases were not higher in people who ate up to one egg a day.
The effects of any cholesterol in eggs are mitigated by other heart-healthy nutrients such as selenium and omega-3 fatty acids, which are also found in eggs.
“I think that if you eat a lot of eggs, your total cholesterol is likely to go up, but whether that leads to any prognostic problems remains controversial. If you are healthy, it is unlikely to be a problem,” the consultant cardiologist noted.
3. Red meat
The issue with red meat is somewhat controversial, because it contains a lot of saturated fat, which research shows increases LDL-cholesterol (aka bad) in the blood. However, Havandi believes that this viewpoint is too simplistic.
“The conventional wisdom is that LDL-cholesterol is evil, that there is a direct link to cardiovascular disease, and the best thing you can do is reduce it by removing saturated fat from your diet. But this model is already outdated,” the expert explained.
If you have high cholesterol because you belong to the so-called “metabolic” group, then, he says, you need a change of food model – from sugar- and carbohydrate-rich to minimally processed nourishing foods.
“Consuming a good quality protein-rich steak improves appetite regulation, which will help control metabolic disturbances. It’s very similar to how GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic work – they simply switch off the feeling of hunger,” Havandi said.
4. Shellfish
Clams are different from most other cholesterol-rich foods in that they are low in fat. The fat in them is the heart-healthy omega-3 variety, which is known to protect against the risk of heart disease.
The American Heart Association says they should be part of a heart-healthy diet, most of which is made up of plant foods, particularly whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables.
5. Liver
Liver is a cheap, nutrient-rich source of protein, important micronutrients such as iron and copper, vitamins A, B12, D, E, K. As in the situation with shellfish, despite its high cholesterol content, it is low in fat.
Doctors say you don’t have to give up liver if it is part of a healthy and balanced diet.
3 foods to avoid if you have high cholesterol
1. Sugar
Excessive consumption of sugar, especially as part of ultra-processed foods, is a major factor in metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes.
Unfortunately, hidden sugars are everywhere, which is why you need to read food labels carefully.
“Many of my patients, even the best motivated, are able to be fooled by the food industry. They may eat low-fat fruit yoghurt as a snack, thinking it’s a healthy food, but it contains four teaspoons of sugar,” Havandi told us.
2. Ultra-processed foods
Havandi does not advise people with high cholesterol to switch to ultra-processed, low-fat foods.
“Anything that says ‘light’ or ‘low fat’ on it in the supermarket is often a health disaster. For example, low-fat mayonnaise will contain a range of harmful ingredients, such as emulsifiers, starch, sugar, but very little oil or eggs,” the expert explained.
3. Alcohol
Even moderate alcohol consumption can disrupt the body’s normal metabolic processes, leading to increased production and storage of fat and disrupting the body’s processing of sugar and fat, says an expert. This contributes not only to higher cholesterol levels, but also to obesity and high blood pressure, as well as risk factors for heart disease.
To lower cholesterol, Havandi also advises quitting smoking, exercising and controlling stress.
