Cholesterol plays a necessary function in good health, and your body makes just enough for its needs. But when you consume excess cholesterol through your diet, you put yourself at risk for high cholesterol and its related conditions, including heart disease. While shrimp and meat both contain cholesterol, amounts vary, and factors such as how often you eat them and how the food is prepared affect your risk for high cholesterol.
About Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a waxy substance present throughout your body, playing an important role in hormone production, nerve protection and normal cell function. When you consume animal products, such as seafood, beef, pork and poultry, you consume the cholesterol in these foods. There's also a connection between a diet high in saturated fat, also found in animal products, and high cholesterol. FamilyDoctor.org recommends limiting total cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg per day, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends eating 5 oz. or less of meat, seafood or poultry per day in a low-cholesterol diet.
Shrimp
Shrimp is moderately high in cholesterol and contains more cholesterol than other varieties of seafood. In a 3 oz. serving of shrimp, you'll consume 214 mg of cholesterol, while half a fillet of cooked salmon contains 135 mg. Seafood is often recommended as a healthier protein option, but if you're on a strict lower-cholesterol diet, shrimp should be limited and only eaten on occasion. The American Heart Association recommends eating two servings of seafood a week, however, for good heart health, and recommends even shrimp over other other animal products because of its lower fat content.
Red Meat
Red meat tends to have more cholesterol and saturated fat than other protein choices. Organ parts, such as liver, brain and kidney, are particularly high in cholesterol. A 3 oz. serving of beef liver contains 324 mg of cholesterol. The cut of the meat and how it's prepared makes a difference. Choosing leaner cuts of meat will reduce saturated fat content, so lean ground beef, sirloin, round steak, rump roast, chuck or loin are recommended. For pork, lower-fat cuts include center cut ham, pork tenderloin and pork chops. Preparing meats by trimming all visible fat and broiling instead of frying is recommended for lower cholesterol.
Poultry
Poultry skins are high in saturated fat and should be removed preferably before cooking, but they can be removed before eating if cooking requires the skin on. Chicken and turkey are better poultry choices than goose or duck, which tend to be higher in fat and cholesterol. While meat from half of a duck contains 197 mg of cholesterol, 1 cup of turkey meat only contains 106 mg.
