Cholesterol and Your Diet
Saturated fatty acids are the chief culprit in raising blood cholesterol, which increases your risk of heart disease. But dietary cholesterol also plays a part. The average American man consumes about 360 milligrams of cholesterol a day; the average woman, between 220 and 260 milligrams. Some of the excess dietary cholesterol is removed from the body through the liver.
Still, the American Heart Association recommends that you limit your average daily cholesterol intake to less than 300 milligrams.
People with severe hypercholesterolemia may need an even greater reduction. Since cholesterol is present in all foods from animal sources, care must be taken to eat no more than six ounces of lean meat, fish and poultry per day and to use fat-free and low-fat dairy products. High-quality proteins from vegetable sources are good substitutes for animal sources of protein.
