Cholesterol is found only in foods that come from animals--dairy products, meat, poultry and fish. The cholesterol content of the following foods is zero: beans, breads, cereals, fruits, pasta, rice and vegetables.
The American Heart Association recommends that you don't eat more than 300 mg of cholesterol per day because the cholesterol content of food increases the level of cholesterol in the blood and high blood cholesterol levels increase the risk of heart disease.
Don't Eat This
Foods with excessive cholesterol content should be eaten sparingly at most. The No. 1 culprit on the "Nutrient Analysis of Common Foods" chart in "Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease" is kidney beef. One ounce has 1,126 mg of cholesterol, nearly four times what should be eaten in one day. One serving of coconut custard pie has 837 mg of cholesterol. Other foods with high cholesterol content per serving are heavy whipped cream (326), chicken gizzards (283), cream cheese cake (163), chicken liver (158), chocolate eclair with custard (145) and sweetbreads (132).
Eggs
Eggs have high cholesterol content, but "all of the cholesterol is in the yolk," reports Ornish. One egg has 274 mg of cholesterol, which is close to the recommended daily maximum amount of cholesterol, but you have numerous alternatives. Egg whites, which contain most of an egg's protein, are one option. Substitute eggs such as Egg Beaters, which have zero cholesterol, are another. You should also use egg whites instead of egg yolks in recipes and avoid eggnog, which has 149 mg of cholesterol per serving.
Fish
Deep cold-water fish usually have less cholesterol than other fish because they have omega-3 fatty acids, a polyunsaturated fat that is beneficial to your health, reports "The New Pritikin Program." Mackerel has 33 mg of cholesterol per serving, herring 24, halibut 14 and salmon 10. Shellfish are often loaded with cholesterol: 192 mg per serving for shrimp, 170 for oysters, 162 for crab, 123 for lobster and 101 for clams. In its "Cholesterol Content of Foods" chart, "The Well Adult" reports that 1/4 pound of lobster and oysters each have 225 mg of cholesterol.
Recommendations
In its "Guide to Reducing Dietary Fat and Cholesterol" chart, "The Well Adult" reports that meat, poultry and fish have far more cholesterol content when fried than boiled, baked or steamed. The book also recommends eating yogurt, sherbet or ice milk instead of ice cream. Ornish's book reports that rich ice cream has 88 mg of cholesterol per serving while ice milk has as little as 13, sherbet 14 and plain yogurt 14.
Warning
Foods with low cholesterol content are unhealthy if they have high levels of saturated fat, which becomes cholesterol in the body. Every oil has zero cholesterol, but is 100 percent fat. Coconut and palm kernel oils are mostly saturated fat while cod liver, corn, cottonseed, olive, peanut, safflower, soybean and sunflower oils are mostly unsaturated fat.
Foods with little cholesterol and lots of saturated fat include apple pie, avocados, cashews, cherry pie, chocolate, coconuts, corn chips, donuts, granola, peanut butter, shortening and sweet rolls.
References
- Dr. Dean Ornish's Program For Reversing Heart Disease; Dr. Dean Ornish; 1996
- The New Pritikin Program; Robert Pritikin; 1990
- The Well Adult; Dr. Mike Samuels and Nancy Samuels; 1988
