Is Ham High in Cholesterol?

All dietary cholesterol comes from meat and animal by-products. Ham does contain cholesterol but it contains other nutrients as well.

Identification

Ham is cured or smoked meat (of a reddish-pink color) that comes from the hind legs of a pig. Examples of ham products are a roasted ham, ham steaks and ham deli meat.

Comparison

Four slices of Oscar Meyer's deli smoked ham contain about 100mg cholesterol; 6 oz. of spiral sliced ham by Farmland Foods harbor about 90mg cholesterol.

Types

Dietary cholesterol is found in meat and animal by-products. Ham has a high concentration of cholesterol, and there are large amounts of cholesterol in cheese (30mg in 1 oz. of cheddar), butter (11mg in 1 tsp.), whole milk (33mg in 1 c.) and eggs (212mg for one).

Considerations

Compared to red meat, ham is lower in fat and in saturated fat: 1g and 0g, respectively, for the lunch meat, as opposed to 9g and 3.2g for beef lunch meat. Ham, however, is a great source of protein, niacin, phosphorous, riboflavin and vitamin B6.

Effects

High levels of blood cholesterol in your body have been associated with a greater risk of coronary heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. If you are at risk for heart disease, you should not consume more than 200mg cholesterol a day.