Foods that contain cholesterol: a lot, little or not all

Through a blood test called "lipid profile", the doctor can evaluate the proportion of each type of cholesterol and determine the risk of cardiovascular problems.

The ideal blood cholesterol values are:

· Total Cholesterol: Less than 200 mg/dl. 

· High-density lipoprotein (HDL): more than 35 mg/dl. 

· Low-density lipoprotein (LDL): less than 100 mg/dl.

So, we must take good care of our daily diet and avoid excessive consumption of certain foods. The animal food products are the main source of cholesterol, so their intake should be controlled and/or avoided. Here is a list of foods that contain lots of cholesterol, little or no cholesterol.

Foods very high in cholesterol

Brains, egg yolks, beef liver, kidney, pork cheese, cream cheese, shrimp butter, and mayonnaise are some examples of foods loaded with cholesterol.

Those that are high in cholesterol

In this group, we have turkey, ham, skinless dark meat, steak, calamari, beef, bacon, crappie, goat cheese, blue cheese, Gruyere, herring, chicken with skin, lobster, octopus, shrimp and crab.

Foods that moderately contain it

Skim milk, ice cream, cod, tuna, white meat skinless chicken, salmon, trout, sausage, oysters and whitefish are part of the moderate group.

Cholesterol-free foods

In this group, there are all plant foods and their derivatives.

Recommendations

1. Decrease the consumption of animal fats and saturated fats. Consume eggs and red meat only twice a week.
2. Prepare egg whites with vegetables and choose lean cuts of meat. Avoid eating rib chop, often or ground beef. If the cut has visible fat, remove it before cooking.
3. Avoid or limit the consumption of pork, lamb and organ meats.
4. Eat skinless chicken or turkey. Before cooking chicken, remove the skin.
5. Limit your consumption of egg yolks to three per week.
6. Decrease consumption of sausages and meats: sausage, bacon, ham and cheese pork.
7. Avoid some seafood like clams, abalone, crabs, eels, squid, lobster, crab, shrimp, and oysters. Opt for the octopus or scallops.
8. Limit consumption of cream cheese, Camembert, Cheddar, Roquefort, and Gruyere.
9. Opt for skim or low-fat milk. Do not drink whole milk.
10. Avoid solid fats at room temperature, such as margarine and mayonnaise, shortening and those derived from coconut oil.
11. Increase intake of soluble fiber or pectin to clean cholesterol from the arteries. Pectin is found mainly in citrus fruits, tomatoes, apples, apple cider vinegar, spinach, prickly pear, carrot and also in legumes such as beans and lentils. Fiber helps lower the concentrations of bad blood cholesterol by blocking its absorption in the intestine and increases the production of bile acids.
12. Consume polyunsaturated fats like canola oil, extra virgin olive oil, corn oil, soy, safflower and sunflower oil because these fats help increase HDL levels, the good type of cholesterol.