Many people avoid high-cholesterol food items believing that they are not good for the body and that they can cause cardiovascular diseases.
However, according to Authority Nutrition, a couple of studies have proven that eating high cholesterol food items can not cause heart disease. In fact, since most of the cholesterol in our body is produced by our liver, eating high cholesterol food items would even prompt our liver to produce less cholesterol.
Moreover, cholesterol in the diet only has minor effects on cholesterol in the blood.
Interestingly, food items that are high in cholesterol are actually very nutritious, avoiding them could mean missing some essential nutrients that our body needs.
Here are 7 high-cholesterol food items that are packed with good nutrition.
1. Cheese
Cheese is one of the most commonly avoided high-cholesterol food items as it is relatively high in cholesterol with about 27 mg for each ounce.
However, although cheese is a high-cholesterol food, it is also high in nutrients. In fact, an ounce of cheese has 7 grams of protein and it can even fulfill 20% of the Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI) for calcium.
Moreover, cheese also has many health benefits as high-protein, low-carb dairy food may help one reduce tooth decay, decrease body fat and increase muscle mass.
2. Eggs
Eggs have an extremely high cholesterol content. Two eggs can already provide 422 mg of cholesterol.
Despite its high cholesterol content, eggs, however, are packed with good nutrition and even contain antioxidants. They also contain other important nutrients like selenium, riboflavin, Vitamin B12 and choline.
Furthermore, studies have also revealed eggs may lower blood sugar levels and may even help you manage your weight as it can make you feel full.
Studies revealed eggs may lower blood sugar levels and may even help you manage your weight as it can make you feel full.
Please read: 5 Reasons Why You Should Include Century Eggs in Your Diet
3. Liver
Liver is a tasty ingredient in many recipes. However, it also has an extremely high cholesterol content regardless of the animal source. Take for example beef liver, which has 396 mg of cholesterol for every 100 grams.
Liver may be packed with cholesterol, but it is also packed with many essential nutrients. A 100-gram serving of beef liver has 28 grams of protein, and it can fulfill 600% of the RDI for Vitaim A and over 1000% RDI for Vitamin B12.
It also is a good source of iron (in a form that is easily absorbed by the body) and it even contains choline which is good for the brain, heart, liver and muscles.
4. Shellfish
Shellfish may be low in fat but it is definitely high in cholesterol. As a matter of fact, 100 grams of shrimp contains about 195 mg of cholesterol.
However, shellfish, like the other food items on this list, is also a good source of protein. Furthermore, it is also high in niacin, Vitamin B12, iron and iodine.
Shellfish can also provide 50% of the RDI for selenium, a mineral that reduces inflammation and has been linked to decrease the risk of prostate cancer.
5. Sardines
Sardines has one of the highest amounts of cholesterol which contains 142 mg of cholesterol for every 100-gram serving. Many people avoid consuming this food because of this fact.
Nonetheless, sardines is a good source of protein (25 grams per 100-grams). Sardines is also high in Vitamin D, Calcium and Selenium.
Furthermore, sardines is high in Omega-3 fatty acids which has many health benefits including reducing the risk of heart disease, and protecting brain health.
While it is always best to mind what we eat, we should also consider the nutrients in the food items we intend to remove from our diet specially when we are generally healthy. Are they worth missing? Do I really need to forbid myself from eating these food items?Bottomline is, these food items that are high in cholesterol should not be avoided as they are high in essential nutrients. Totally eliminating them from our diet may make us miss out on several important nutrients.
On a final note, we should always keep in mind that anything that we take in too much can be bad for our health.
Source: Authority Nutrition