Do You Need to Limit Dietary Cholesterol?

For most people, the answer might not be what you expect.

We dive into the science to explain why.

Cholesterolis arguably one of the most misunderstood nutrients.

Remember the days when eating egg yolks was taboo?

Or when there was a low-fat version of everything?

This is largely due to many misconceptions about dietary cholesterol and how it influences your health.

So, you don’t need to strictly limit your dietary cholesterol in the name of healthy cholesterol levels.

Here we dive into the science to explain why.

Contrary to popular belief, not all cholesterol is bad.

In fact, our bodies need cholesterol to carry out functions that help keep us healthy.

It helps our bodies make hormones, synthesizevitamin Dand even aids in digestion.

Dietary cholesterol is only found in animal foods, such as meat, egg yolks and dairy products.

It’s important to note thatfoods with dietary cholesterol do not directly increase our blood cholesterol levels.

It should also be noted that genetics can also be a reason for high cholesterol levels.

This can help balance out LDL levels and improve total cholesterol levels.

How Much Cholesterol Should You Eat In a Day?

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans removed therecommendation to limit dietary cholesterol to 300mgor less per day.

The2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americansfollowed suit.

Does that mean you should eat as much dietary cholesterol as you want with no limitation?

For example, foods like red meat, cheese and shelf stable crackers are alsohigh in saturated fats.

Processed meats are high in saturated fats and sodium.

That is not to say you should cut out dietary cholesterol completely, either.

In fact, we need some cholesterol in our bodies to function at our best.

Focus on including foods that boost your “good” cholesterol levels while limiting foods high in saturated fat.