Living with high cholesterol means you have too much of a fatty substance known as cholesterol in your blood. Over time this can build up in the blood vessels causing blockages.
For this reason having high cholesterol is a major risk factor for potentially fatal medical emergencies, such as strokes and heart attacks.
There are several factors that can raise your cholesterol, with diet being one of them.
Specifically, eating too much saturated fat can raise your cholesterol levels.
For this reason, the Government advises that men should only eat 30 grams of saturated fat, while women should eat 20g and children even less.
However, the NHS warns that “most people in the UK eat too much saturated fats”.
Perhaps it is unsurprising then that many Brits have high cholesterol, with data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) stating that six in 10 people in England are affected by the condition.
A key way to tackle your cholesterol levels is to therefore cut back on the amount of saturated fat you consume.
“To reduce your cholesterol, try to cut down on fatty food, especially food that contains a type of fat called saturated fat,” the NHS says.
“You can still have foods that contain a healthier type of fat called unsaturated fat. Check labels on food to see what type of fat it has in it.”
But what exactly should we be avoiding?
The NHS warned of three popular foods, high in saturated fat, that we should cut back on to keep our cholesterol low and protect our hearts.
These are meat pies, sausages and fatty meats.
This is backed by advice from the British Heart Foundation (BHF), which explains that the biggest proportion of saturated fats we eat comes from this type of food.
The charity says: “Red and processed meats (including beef, lamb, pork, bacon and ham, and dishes made from them) are one of the biggest sources of saturated fat in the average UK diet.
“These meats are usually higher in saturated fat than skinless chicken or turkey, and if they’re in a pie, pasty or quiche, the pastry will add even more saturated fat.”
To limit your saturated fat intake, the BHF says: “You can reduce the saturated fat in your diet by choosing leaner cuts of meat, lean or extra lean minced meat, and swapping from red meat to chicken, fish or plant protein (like beans, lentils or tofu) instead.”
Other sources of saturated fat to avoid include:
- Butter, lard and ghee
- Cream and hard cheese, like cheddar
- Cakes and biscuits
- Food that contains coconut oil or palm oil.
If you are concerned about your cholesterol levels you should speak to your doctor.