“Avoid foods containing high levels of saturated fat, as they increase levels of LDL cholesterol in your blood,” warns the NHS.
Which foods contain saturated fat?
According to the NHS, foods high in saturated fat include:
- Pies
- Fried foods
- Sausages and fatty cuts of meat
- Butter
- Ghee (a type of butter often used in Indian cooking)
- Lard
- Cream
- Hard cheese
- Cakes and biscuits
- Foods that contain coconut or palm oil
Instead, you should follow a Mediterranean-style diet to protect the heart, says the health body.
This means eating more bread, fruit, vegetables and fish, and less meat, and replacing butter and cheese with products based on vegetable and plant oil, such as olive oil, notes the health site.
