The Heart-Smart Diet: 8 Steps to a Healthier You

While it's true that dietary cholesterol doesn't affect your blood cholesterol to the extent that saturated and trans fats can, the dietary cholesterol in egg yolks can add up (a typical yolk contains 71 percent of the daily limit of 300 milligrams), and may contribute to high levels of LDL in your body. That's why many nutritionists are conservative when it comes to recommending a daily limit for egg consumption.

"Don't have more than one egg yolk a day," advises Melissa Ohlson, MS, RD, nutrition project coordinator for preventive cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. (If you already have high cholesterol, however, Ohlson recommends limiting eggs to no more than three per week.) There's no need to buy eggs enriched with DHA and EPA, which can cost as much as $1.50 more per dozen than regular eggs. They contain relatively little heart-healthy DHA and EPA, and they're only slightly lower in cholesterol, says Ohlson.

Food Fix: If you're an egg lover or bake or cook with eggs, keep dietary cholesterol intake low by using just the egg whites or opting for commercially prepared egg substitutes whenever possible.