Eggs

Sources of cholesterol

There are two different sources of cholesterol – some comes from the food you eat, but most of it is made within your body.

Cholesterol that comes from the food you eat is called dietary cholesterol. Not many foods actually contain cholesterol. Examples of some that do are:

• eggs
• liver
• kidney
• prawns

Eating foods that are high in cholesterol won’t usually raise your blood cholesterol level much. Most cholesterol is made within your body, in your liver. Your liver can produce all of the cholesterol your body needs so dietary cholesterol isn’t an essential part of your diet. Your cholesterol levels are mainly influenced by the other fats that you eat.

Saturated fats

The saturated fats you eat have the biggest impact on cholesterol levels in your body. Saturated fats (or saturates) cause levels of LDL cholesterol to rise in your blood, in proportion to HDL cholesterol. This raises your risk of heart disease and stroke. It’s important to limit the amount of saturated fats you eat. Saturated fats are found in foods such as meat, cheese, butter, cream and pastries.

Unsaturated fats

Unsaturated fats (or unsaturates) actually reduce levels of LDL cholesterol in your blood. For this reason they can be a healthy choice, and it's a good idea to replace saturated fats in your diet with unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats are found in vegetable oils, sunflower spreads, nuts and avocados.

Trans fats

Trans fats are artificially solidified vegetable oils. Similar to saturated fats, trans fats raise levels of LDL cholesterol, so try to save foods containing these fats for an occasional treat. Trans fats are found in many types of processed foods, including, biscuits, cakes and pastries.

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