The USDA recommends consuming no more than 300 mg of cholesterol per day. But, this may not be a number to strive for. Many high cholesterol foods may be sneaking into your diet, too.
It’s no secret that eating fatty foods raises your bad cholesterol level, also known as LDL. An elevated LDL clogs up your arteries and makes it difficult for your heart to do its job. Potentially, it could lead to heart disease.
Warning: you may need to revise your grocery list—and your eating habits!
Saturated and trans fats are not part of a balanced diet. You should limit them as much as possible. Check out what that number looks like in terms of everyday food items.
It is recommended to replace saturated and trans fats with healthy fats, such as those found in mono- and polyunsaturated fat food sources. For example, cooking with olive oil instead of butter, drinking fat-free milk instead of whole, or eating more fish and less red meat.
The amount of food in each photo represents your entire daily recommended value of cholesterol. The plates shown are 10.25 in (26 cm).
Fried chicken: 4 pieces
![](http://i0.wp.com/images-prod.healthline.com/hlcmsresource/images/healthline_cholesterol/images/hlc-image.jpg?w=315&h=363)
Croissants: 6 2/3 rolls
![](http://i0.wp.com/images-prod.healthline.com/hlcmsresource/images/healthline_cholesterol/images/hlc-image2.jpg?w=315&h=363)
Cheddar cheese: 12 3/4 slices
![](http://i0.wp.com/images-prod.healthline.com/hlcmsresource/images/healthline_cholesterol/images/hlc-image3.jpg?w=315&h=363)
Butter: 1 1/5 sticks
![](http://i0.wp.com/images-prod.healthline.com/hlcmsresource/images/healthline_cholesterol/images/hlc-image6.jpg?w=315&h=359)
Ice cream: 14 small scoops
![](http://i0.wp.com/images-prod.healthline.com/hlcmsresource/images/healthline_cholesterol/images/hlc-image7.jpg?w=315&h=354)
Egg yolk: 1 1/4 yolks
![](http://i0.wp.com/images-prod.healthline.com/hlcmsresource/images/healthline_cholesterol/images/hlc-image8.jpg?w=315&h=346)
Cream cheese: 1 1/5 bricks
![](http://i0.wp.com/images-prod.healthline.com/hlcmsresource/images/healthline_cholesterol/images/hlc-image12.jpg?w=315&h=344)
Bacon: 22 pcs
![](http://i0.wp.com/images-prod.healthline.com/hlcmsresource/images/healthline_cholesterol/images/hlc-image13.jpg?w=315&h=342)
Steak: 4 1/2 4 oz steaks
![](http://i0.wp.com/images-prod.healthline.com/hlcmsresource/images/healthline_cholesterol/images/hlc-image14.jpg?w=315&h=331)
Salami: 14 1/4 slices
![](http://i0.wp.com/images-prod.healthline.com/hlcmsresource/images/healthline_cholesterol/images/hlc-image19.jpg?w=315&h=340)