High cholesterol affects tens of millions of Americans and the latest federal dietary guidance has reignited debate over which foods do the most damage. Cardiologists and dietitians point to six everyday high cholesterol foods that drive LDL up fast, and red meat is only one of them.
The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans were released earlier this year, and the American Heart Association issued a statement generally supporting the guidelines while raising concerns about emphasis on certain animal-based foods and the interpretation of saturated fat recommendations.
“Protein is an essential component of a healthy diet, and we urge more scientific research on both the appropriate amount of protein consumption and the best protein sources for optimal health,” the organization said. “Pending that research, we encourage consumers to prioritize plant-based proteins, seafood and lean meats and to limit high-fat animal products including red meat, butter, lard and tallow, which are linked to increased cardiovascular risk.”
What Foods Should You Avoid if You Have High Cholesterol?
The six high cholesterol foods experts most often flag are red meat, processed meat, fried foods, baked goods, fast food and refined carbs.
The Connection Between Red Meat and High Cholesterol
Red meat sits near the top of almost every cardiologist’s avoid list because of its saturated fat load and direct effect on LDL.
“Eating red and processed meats regularly may raise LDL and apoB cholesterol, the types that form plaque, impacting overall heart health,” Michelle Routhenstein, M.S., RD, CDCES, told EatingWell. Steak, ribs and ground beef rank high in saturated fat, along with beef roast and pork chops. Better swaps include 90 percent lean ground beef and leaner cuts like sirloin, tenderloin or flank steak. Pork loin, pork tenderloin and skinless poultry are lower-fat animal protein options.
Are Processed Meats Bad Foods for High Cholesterol?
Processed meats such as bacon, salami and sausage may pose extra risk because they combine saturated fat with sodium and nitrite preservatives that strain blood vessels.
“The most important risk factor is the saturated fat found in red and processed meat, which increases LDL cholesterol in our blood. Elevated LDL cholesterol results in the buildup of plaque in arteries around the body, classified as heart disease when this occurs in the arteries supplying blood to the heart,” according to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. The group also notes that salt used as a preservative drives blood pressure higher, a separate risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Why Are Fried Foods Bad for High Cholesterol?
Fried foods rank among the worst for cholesterol because frying oils are often rich in saturated fat, and reused oil can develop trans fats that further raise LDL.
“Foods that have taken a dip in the deep fryer, like chicken wings, mozzarella sticks and onion rings are among the worst when it comes to cholesterol. Frying increases the energy density, or calorie count of foods,” Harvard Health says. “If you love the crunch of fried food, use an air fryer and toss your food in a little bit of olive oil. Or bake foods like potato wedges and chicken at a high temperature until they’re golden brown.”
What Baked Goods Raise High Cholesterol?
Baked goods are big offenders that compound heart risk, according to experts.
“Pastries, pies, biscuits and cakes contain a lot of saturated fat from added butter or palm oil. Meaty or cheesy pie fillings can add even more. Choosing pies with only a top crust, whether sweet or savory, can cut saturated fat by 40 percent,” the British Heart Foundation says.
Dietitian Julia Zumpano, RD, LD, told Cleveland Clinic that most store-bought desserts are loaded with processed sugars like high fructose corn syrup, saturated fat or trans fats like vegetable shortening.
Does Fast Food Cause High Cholesterol?
Foods like bacon cheeseburgers, fried chicken sandwiches and sausage, egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches stack saturated fat with sodium and simple carbs, a triple hit for cholesterol and blood pressure.
“If people are regularly eating fast food or food from places like gas stations or having a lot of soda or pop in their diet, that’s where I usually start because those foods are closely related to heart disease,” Jeremy Van’t Hof, MD, a preventive cardiologist with M Health Fairview and an assistant professor with the University of Minnesota Medical School, said. He recommends keeping daily sodium under 2,000 mg. “Sodium can raise blood pressure, which is one of the most impactful risk factors for heart disease,” Van’t Hof said.
Do Refined Carbs Like Pizza Raise Cholesterol?
Eating too many refined carbohydrates can raise your blood triglyceride levels.
“Simple sugars like white bread can actually prompt our livers to make additional LDL particles while also lowering the amounts of HDL cholesterol in our blood,” Gabrielle Gambino, MS, RD, CDN, CNSC, Senior Clinical Dietitian on the Advanced Heart Failure Service at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, told The Healthy.
NKH Health advises limiting highly processed and refined carbs like white bread, sugary cereals and crackers, and eating them in small to moderate portions.
What Foods Help Lower High Cholesterol Naturally?
Plants are the simplest fix because they make virtually no cholesterol.
“Plants basically don’t make cholesterol,” Romit Bhattacharya, MD, a Mass General Brigham cardiologist, said. “So, if you’re worried about cholesterol, eating plants is going to help. And among plants, high fiber content is important. It cleans out your gut, it allows you to detoxify, it feeds your gut microbiome in a healthy way and it can help prevent cholesterol from absorbing into your bloodstream.” Heart attack and stroke remain the most common problems caused by very high cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease is the number-one cause of death in the world, Bhattacharya said.
