Marketing gimmicks for low-cholesterol products literally clog the supermarket shelves almost as much as the typical Western diet clogs arteries. Cans of peanuts and orange juice cartons splash "no cholesterol" across their labels in an effort to distinguish their products from their competitors. Knowing that all plant-based products have no cholesterol and that fats also play a role in blood cholesterol levels can help you wade through the marketing hype.
Fruits and Vegetables
The lowest cholesterol-containing foods are foods containing no dietary cholesterol at all. All plant-derived foods products are cholesterol-free. This includes all fruits and vegetables. Natural peanut butter, avocados, corn, apples, orange, spinach, and green beans, for example, do not contain cholesterol. Since they are also low in saturated fat and total fat, fruits and vegetables help keep total cholesterol levels low, says eMedTV.
Breads and Pastas
Like fruits and vegetables, wholes grains and legumes come from plants and are, therefore, cholesterol-free. Bread, if made without any animal product such as lard, eggs or milk, is also cholesterol-free. Completely plant-based cereals, rice, pasta, dry beans and peas are not only cholesterol-free, they are also high in starch and fiber and low in saturated fat and calories, making them natural low-cholesterol food choices.
Eggs
All animal-based products will have some cholesterol, although some have more than others. Eggs, for example, are high in dietary cholesterol, but only because of their yolk. Each egg yolk contains about 213 mg of cholesterol, which is almost as much as the maximum recommended daily amount of 300 mg per day for the average adult.
However, egg whites do not contain any cholesterol and can be substituted for whole eggs in any recipe using the formula two egg whites is equal to one egg yolk. Cholesterol-free egg substitutes can also be used in place of whole eggs for many baked goods as well.
Dairy Foods
Since dairy products are derived from animals, they contain cholesterol. Low-cholesterol options in this category include fat-free or one-percent milk, fat-free or non-fat yogurt, low-fat or nonfat sour cream and cream cheese blends and fat-free, part-skin, low-fat or reduced-fat hard cheese, cottage cheese, farmer cheese or ricotta cheese. Low-fat and nonfat dairy products in general are low in cholesterol, reports the Harvard School of Public Health.
Snacks and Sweets
Low-fat, low-cholesterol snack foods include bread sticks, bagels and dried fruit. Crackers can also be low-cholesterol and low-fat and do not contain any trans fats or saturated fat products. Examples of low-fat low-cholesterol crackers include rice cakes, melba toast, graham crackers and soda crackers. Frozen fruits such as bananas and grapes also make for low-cholesterol, low-fat snack choices, as do pretzels and even popcorn, as long as you leave the butter off. Angel food cake, which is made from egg whites, makes an adequate low-cholesterol sweet dessert choice, especially when topped with fresh fruit, as does gelatin, fruit bars, frozen sherbet, sorbet, and low-fat or fat-free puddings.
Healthy Fats
Dietary fat intake has a greater influence on the amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream than the cholesterol content of food, says the Harvard School of Public Health. Fats that lead to low blood cholesterol levels include unsaturated fats or fats that are liquids at room temperature. These include mono-unsaturated fats and poly-unsaturated fats. High levels of monounsaturated fats are found in canola, peanut and olive oils, avocados, nuts and seeds. High levels of polyunsaturated fats are found in sunflower, corn, soybean and flaxseed oils, walnuts, flax seeds and fish.
Omega-3 fats are a type of polyunsaturated fat and can be found in chia seeds, flaxseeds, walnuts, canola and soybean oils. Replacing saturated and trans fats with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats help lowers total cholesterol.
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