If we have high cholesterol or for whatever reason we want to eat a low-cholesterol diet, then we have to take into account that we are going to deprive ourselves of many foods, and that we are going to have to replace them with others that we may not like too much, but eating without cholesterol is going to benefit us a lot.
Cholesterol is something innate that we have in our body, but we have always been told that it is bad. No, not all cholesterol is bad. Let's remember that we have 2 types of cholesterol, HDL, which is the good one, and serves to eliminate the bad one, which is the LDL.
Cholesterol at normal, controlled levels is essential for our bodies, as it is a molecule found in our liver, brain, nerves, blood, and bile. It is present in our cell membranes and aids in hormone formation and vitamin D metabolism. This same cholesterol molecule is also essential for our bodies to absorb calcium and bile acids.
As we see cholesterol is essential in our day to day, but what is not essential is having excess cholesterol. The dangerous thing is having high cholesterol levels. A healthy adult should have cholesterol levels around 125 to 200. More than 200 mg is considered high cholesterol and our health is at risk.
Cholesterol free foods
Yes, there are foods without cholesterol, which is why when we have high cholesterol they send us a diet, moderate exercise and other changes in our lifestyles. We don't really like the word diet, we prefer to always choose healthy eating, since diets have to be short-term, otherwise the body gets used to it and the result is counterproductive.
Fruits and vegetables
These food groups are free of cholesterol, as long as we eat them raw, roasted, steamed, etc. If we fry any vegetables, bread them, soak them in sauces, etc. then they are not healthy and we are adding extra fat and calories that are going to make us feel bad.
Our diet should be based primarily on these types of fresh, natural foods . We can combine fruits and vegetables with other foods that we'll see in this list of cholesterol-free foods.
tubers and legumes
All the tubers and legumes that come to mind are free of cholesterol, yes, as long as we eat them in a healthy way. For example, steamed potatoes, baked beans, chickpeas with vegetables, lentils without sausage, etc.
We're dealing with two very important food groups for our diet, and the key is knowing how to cook them properly and healthily; otherwise, we'll have cholesterol on our plates. So, we need to be very careful here.
Cereals, seeds and nuts
Whole grains, whether whole or refined, are cholesterol-free. Cholesterol is only found in ultra-processed breads, such as the sliced ​​bread sold in supermarkets. The same applies to rice; brown rice is preferable, but plain white rice poses no risk. The only factors are how and where it's cooked.
Somewhat of the same goes for nuts and seeds. If we add seeds or nuts to a natural unsweetened Greek yogurt, that will not have bad cholesterol, but if we add it to a Mercadona cake, for example, that food will have unnecessary sugars and fats.
Meats
Great care. If we want cholesterol-free foods, we will have to see which meats we can eat and which ones we cannot. To begin with, we will have to say goodbye to red meat, not only because of cholesterol, but also because of its relationship with some types of cancer.
The meats we can eat are rabbit, turkey, and chicken (without skin) . This doesn't mean they don't contain cholesterol; they do, but in smaller quantities than other meats like veal, pork, beef, lamb, black pudding, liver, etc.
Fish and seafood
We've reached an interesting point: all fish are welcome, whether white or oily. The latter is known for its high fat content, but these are very healthy fats . It's also important to control the amount and how we cook them. Just like with meat, it's always best served with vegetables and steamed.
Regarding shellfish, those with the least cholesterol are prawns (headless), prawns, cuttlefish meat and squid. We return to the same thing, how we cook them is essential to further reduce cholesterol.
eggs and dairy
We should eat the whole egg because it's an essential food in our diet, but we should know that the egg white is cholesterol-free , while the yolk contains cholesterol. Even so, it's important to eat the whole egg because of its high nutritional value.
As for dairy, we already know that they are a very broad food group and very rich in essential nutrients. This is why we recommend reducing your consumption if we have high cholesterol, but if we have normal levels, we can choose to only consume skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, semi-cured or low-calorie cheeses, and skimmed yogurts.
Foods to avoid
We have to avoid all industrial sweets and pastries, as well as refined or low-quality oils; trans fats; the ultra-processed; sugary foods; pre-cooked dishes; sausages; low-quality chocolate; the precooked pizzas; deep-frozen foods that are already ultra-processed; those fried and overflowed; poor quality cheeses; spicy foods and meals; ultra-processed sauces; sugary drinks etc.
We can make slight changes and considerably reduce our meat consumption ; replace some dairy products with plant-based alternatives; drink pure cocoa instead of sweetened instant cocoa; always choose fruit instead of bottled juices made from concentrate; reduce our consumption of pastries and sugary cereals; replace cheap white bread with quality bread with a darker crumb; drink 2 liters of water a day; do some kind of physical activity, etc.