How to Tell If Foods Are Low or High Cholesterol

Many foods you buy are labeled with nutrition facts - making it easy to detect and limit high cholesterol foods. But what about foods you purchase that don't have a label, like deli meat or other prepared foods? Understanding general principles about high cholesterol foods can help you determine which non-labeled foods might be high in cholesterol.

Understanding Cholesterol

When cholesterol comes up in dietary conversations, the context is usually negative - but its important to understand that not all cholesterols are dangerous. In fact, the body produces certain amounts of cholesterol each day to support overall functioning. Dietary cholesterol is also consumed through animal products, such as dairy products, meat, fish and egg yolks. Foods derived entirely from plants, such as vegetables, fruits, and grains, contribute insignificant, if any, amounts of cholesterol.

Blood cholesterol and dietary cholesterol are not the same thing. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that dietary cholesterol consumption be as low as possible without compromising the nutritional adequacy of the diet.

Reading Food Labels

Physicians may recommend cholesterol-restricted diets for patients with significantly elevated cholesterol levels and known heart disease and sometimes for those with a high risk of cardiovascular disease. To follow such a diet, it's important to read the nutrition labels on foods before consuming.

Each food label should include milligrams of cholesterol per serving. Don't forget to look at the serving size as well. Sometimes products can seem low in cholesterol, but if you eat more than the recommended servings at one sitting, then you can end up consuming a lot more cholesterol than you intended.

You may be confused by the percentages included on the label, marked as "% of daily value." The daily value—or daily reference value—is the USDA's term for daily nutritional requirements, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. For cholesterol, the percentage is based on a daily cap of 300 mg.

Foods Without Labels

Some food in the grocery store doesn't have labels, such as fruits and vegetables, but these don't have cholesterol. For other products, the USDA maintains a searchable nutrient database. This database provides cholesterol contents for many different foods. All you have to do is use a keyword, like "turkey," and scroll down until you find the turkey bacon that you ordered. Then, you can find all the nutrient information, including cholesterol, for the food you're looking up.

What About Fats?

In addition to watching the cholesterol content of your foods, you'll probably want to keep tabs on saturated fat and trans fats.

According to the USDA, saturated fats can raise "bad cholesterol" or the low-density lipoproteins (LDL); this is the artery-clogging stuff that can lead to heart attacks or strokes. Trans fats have also been linked to increased LDL levels and lowered HDL levels. The USDA recommends limiting saturated and trans fats as much as possible.

Unsaturated fats, however, can be good for the body. According to the USDA, most of the fat in your diet should come from unsaturated fats. Seeds, nuts, and fish are all good sources of these healthy, unsaturated fats.