Foods High in Cholesterol – good or bad for you?

Most of the foods high in cholesterol are really good for you.

Foods like prawns and shrimp, offal like kidneys and liver, and eggs all contain high levels of cholesterol, but researchers now agree that these do not have a serious impact on the cholesterol levels in our blood. These foods often contain valuable protein and are good sources of iron and other essential minerals and vitamins. So they are beneficial to us and not a health problem.

Saturated fats, on the other hand, do influence the cholesterol in our blood. These saturated fats stimulate our liver to produce more of the bad types of cholesterol, Low Density Lipids and Tryglycerides.

There are foods that lower cholesterol and eating these will always be beneficial. Almonds and Pistachio nuts have been proven to actually reduce blood cholesterol. There is also a chemical in tomatoes that has been proved to bring down cholesterol levels.

Some producers of margarines, spreads, yogurts and soft cheeses now include plant stanols and sterols and these help to prevent the cholesterol in our food from being absorbed into our blood stream. This tricks our liver into removing the bad LDL cholesterol from our blood whilst preserving levels of good High Density Lipoproteins.