There are two factors that can affect the amount of cholesterol in your blood. They are: (1) type of fats you eat and (2) the actual amount of cholesterol in the food consumed.
There are two types of fats, and you can tell the difference simply by looking at it. They are (1)saturated fat and (2) unsaturated fat.
Saturated fat is the one to be cautious of because it can raise blood cholesterol and should be limited in your diet. It is found in all foods from animals and also certain vegetables. It usually solidifies at room temperature and becomes mushy. Examples are the fats from cooked meats, whole milk dairy foods (both whole and 2% milk/cheeses), butter, lard, shortenings, and margarine, coconut, palm and hydrogen oils. It contains the bad type of cholesterol that may lead to heart disease.
Unsaturated Fat can actually help you lower blood cholesterol and it remains liquid at room temperature. Examples are vegetable oils such as olive, canola, safflower, sunflower, corn and soybean oil. this good cholesterol in foods (or dietary cholesterol) also raises blood cholesterol.
Dietary cholesterol is found only in animal foods. Egg yolks, meats and whole milk diary products are the main source.
If you are trying to lower your blood cholesterol, it is important to remember that both saturated and dietary cholesterol are risky for you. Some foods labeled "no" cholesterol, can still be high in saturated fat. Prime examples of this are: (1) solid vegetable shortening, (2) non-dairy creamer and (3) crackers made with coconut and palm oils. It is very important to READ THE LABELS and know exactly what is in the foods you plan on eating.
Increased blood cholesterol is only one hazard from eating fat. The other big hazard is that ALL FATS, REGARDLESS OF THE TYPE, ARE FATTENING if eaten in large amounts. Eating too much fat is directly linked to other diseases too. This is why it is important to EAT LESS OF ALL TYPES OF FAT! Just because a food label states 99% FAT-FREE, it does not mean that it is only 1% fat. Some manufacturer's logic is that just before some meats are processed, 99% of the surface fat was removed, thus allowing them to advertise it as 99% fat-free. Needless to say if DID cause the price of pork to rise due the supply-and-demand.