Cholesterol is required by the body to synthesize hormones, vitamin D, and substances that help digest foods. Our body makes all the cholesterol it needs. However, cholesterol is also found in some of the foods we eat.
Although many studies suggest that there is no direct relationship between dietary cholesterol intake and blood cholesterol levels, it is important to be aware of foods that contain the same.
Please note that none of plant sources of foods naturally contain cholesterol, it is present only in animal foods. However, processing of certain plant based foods may result in the synthesis of cholesterol in it.
| FOOD GROUP | Zero/ low cholesterol | High Cholesterol |
| Cereals & breads | Whole-grain bread, bagels, baked corn or flour tortilla Crackers-low-fat
Cereals-Oat, Wheat, Corn, multigrain, Pasta, Rice, dried beans and peas |
Bread in which eggs, fat, and/or butter are a major ingredient; croissants, High-fat crackers, Commercial baked pastries, muffins, biscuits |
| Meat, poultry & fish | Processed meat prepared from lean Meat e.g. lean ham, lean frankfurters, lean meat with soy protein
Fishes like Mackerel, Salmon, Sardines, Swordfish, Tuna, Bluefish, Haddock, Herring, Cod |
Poultry with skin, fried chicken, Organ meat, Lard, Duck, Pork, Turkey, Veal, Lamb.
Meat drippings and gravy Fried fish, Fried Shellfish Fishes like Clam, Oyster, Shrimp, Caviar, Squid, Lobster, crabs, Regular luncheon meat e.g. Bologna, Salami, sausage, frankfurters |
| Eggs | Egg whites | Egg yolks |
| Fats & oils | Unsaturated oils-safflower, sunflower, corn, soybean, cotton seed, Canola, Olive, peanut | Coconut oil, Palm kernel oil, palm oil, cheese, sour cream, whole milk, Coconut, milk chocolate |
| Sweets & desserts | Sweets-sugar, syrup, honey, jam, candy made without fat, fruit-flavoured gelatin | Ice cream and frozen treats made with ice cream. Commercial baked pies, cakes, doughnuts, high-fat cookies, cream pies |
Excess of cholesterol may have detrimental effects on heart. It can lead to hypertension, cardiovascular diseases etc. which might even lead to heart attack/ stroke which can be fatal.
You can keep track of your health indicators using the eKincare platform. It enables you to upload your medical records and health indicators on a secure, cloud based platform and help you track it anywhere, anytime!
Grt article. Thnks for sharing this
Thank you Vishal.