Whether you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol or wanting to prevent being diagnosed, you should know the bad cholesterol foods and how to avoid them. Most foods that boost your LDL levels come from animal sources. Animal products should usually be avoided and include whole milk, cheese, butter, and ice cream, cream, egg yolks, duck, goose and red meat. Meat fats can raise your LDL or bad cholesterol levels very quickly. Shellfish may seem innocent, but have the same effects as fatty red meats. Shrimp is one such culprit.

The type of foods you eat is not as important as the fact that you may be eating too much of a specific type of fat. Trans fats or saturated fats can raise your LDL levels more than most of the products mentioned above. Doctors recommend that the daily intake of saturated fats should not exceed ten percent. Those with LDL should limit it to lower than seven percent.

Some plant-based products may also be high in saturated fats and may include palm kernel oil, palm oil, coconut and coconut oil. Trans fatty acids result from heating vegetable oils near hydrogen, also known as hydrogenation. Hydrogenation results in an oil being harder at room temperature. Oil that is hard at room temperature will contain more trans fatty acids than oil, which is liquid at room temperature. These fatty acids are found in fried foods, processed foods, snack foods and margarines.

It is important to learn to read the labels on the foods you buy. The words partially hydrogenated and hydrogenated imply that the foods are packed with saturated fats and trans fatty acids. Low fat foods are preferable to full cream and full fat versions.

Changing your eating habits will help to lower your LDL levels. Polyunsaturated spreads are more suitable for spreading on bread and in baking. Use olive oil for cooking. If you have to fry something, use olive oil. However, it is preferable that you steam, grill or microwave your meats and vegetables. Trimmed chicken and turkey are the poultry of choice. Meat should also be trimmed of fat. Soya products are preferable to mince, but vegetarian dishes are best. Alternatively, eat oily fish such as fresh tuna, sardines, pilchards, salmon or kipper.

The Mediterranean diet is quite popular and the Heart Association of America recommends that this be followed, with restricted calorie consumption. This diet includes just the right amounts of all the good and bad cholesterol foods to keep your diet varied and healthy.