Whole grains, fruits and vegetables are low cholesterol foods. On the other hand, most fishes and poultry also have little amount of cholesterol, this is why one should limit the intake of poultry and fish foods to 5 ounce or less per day. When you bump across any grocery store, you can see that there are many products labeled as “low cholesterol”, “no cholesterol” or “free cholesterol”.
However, sometimes it can be a marketing propaganda. Products derived from plants do not contain any cholesterol, only products derived from animals contain cholesterol, sometimes high cholesterol.
You should remember that eating low cholesterol foods is not the only goal, but saturated fat and trans fatty acid also make the damage by increasing the blood cholesterol level. So when you are considering low cholesterol foods, you also need to consider foods that are low in trans fat and saturated fat.
Foods that have absolutely no cholesterol are – vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains. So they need to be the exclusive part of your low cholesterol diet. If you would like to have cholesterol lowering diet, you must have a minimum of 3-5 servings of vegetables and fruits on a daily basis. In addition, you need to have 6-11 servings of legumes and whole grains daily. These diets help to keep the cholesterol level low. Cereals, breads, pasta, rice, peas and dry beans contain high amount of starch and low saturated fat and low calories. These foods do not contain any dietary cholesterol.
Now when we come to low cholesterol foods, we can consider a few animal products like turkey and chicken, once we remove the skin. In fact, most fishes can be considered as low cholesterol foods. Fish also contains a low amount of saturated fat. There are some types of shellfish that can be considered as low cholesterol foods, but not all. Shrimp can also be considered as low cholesterol foods, but you must limit your intake up to 5 ounce or less per day. This amount is applicable for poultry, fish, lean meat, and chicken.
Tofu, beans and dry peas can substitute meat products as they contain low cholesterol. These foods have plenty amount of fiber that helps in lowering cholesterol.