Types of seafood that contain high cholesterol

If you have high cholesterol, it means you have to pay more attention to every food you eat. This is because the wrong choice of food can increase cholesterol levels in the blood. Some types of food, such as red meat, milk and processed products, and oils, you may have to limit and avoid. Then, what about seafood? To keep cholesterol safe, which seafood is high in cholesterol and should be avoided? Check out the full explanation below.

Seafood with high cholesterol content

Seafood or seafood does have many important nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids which are good for brain and heart health. However, certain seafood also contains high cholesterol. Well, for those of you who have high cholesterol, maybe you should limit some of the seafood below.

1. Shrimp

Who doesn't like this one seafood? Yes, for seafood lovers, prawns are among the most popular.

However, this type of seafood is not good for those of you who have high cholesterol. The reason is, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, in every 100 grams of shrimp, there are 189 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol.

This cholesterol content can increase if you eat shrimp fried in flour. In fact, flour fried shrimp has a very delicious taste. Even so, when you eat it, you may not imagine the harm this delicious food can cause.

For that, if you want to eat this seafood, cook it by roasting it or steaming it. That way, you don't need to add the cholesterol content in cooking oil to the shrimp that already has high cholesterol levels.

2. Lobster

Apart from shrimp, there is also seafood that needs limited consumption for people with high cholesterol, namely lobster. Even so, the cholesterol content in this seafood is not considered higher than shrimp.

In fact, it can be said that the cholesterol content in lobster is classified as the least when compared to other seafood. One example, 84 grams of shellfish contain 90 milligrams of cholesterol. Meanwhile, at the same amount, the cholesterol content for this seafood is much less, which is 60 mg.

Well, just like shrimp, this cholesterol content can increase if you cook it using oil or butter. For that, you should reduce the use of oil or butter when cooking lobsters or you can use other cooking methods besides frying.

3. Crab

Apart from shrimp and lobster, apparently crab is also a type of seafood that is not good for people with high cholesterol. The reason is, for this one seafood, the cholesterol content is quite high.

In fact, in 84 grams of crab there are 95 mg of cholesterol. This amount may not be as large as the cholesterol content in shrimp. However, the cholesterol levels contained in crab are certainly greater when compared to their content in lobsters.

As with other seafood that has been mentioned, to avoid increasing cholesterol levels in this food, you should avoid cooking crab with oil or butter.

4. Oysters and clams

Oysters and shellfish also include seafood which contains cholesterol. This seafood group also contains high enough cholesterol. A total of 12 medium oysters or 12 small shells have cholesterol content of up to 80 mg.

This might be a good choice for you when you want to enjoy seafood dishes. Why? You can enjoy oysters or shellfish in large quantities compared to other seafood for the amount of cholesterol that is probably about the same.

Compared to red meat and chicken, oysters and shellfish also have less cholesterol. Apart from that, oysters and shellfish also contain omega-3 fatty acids which are good for your heart health. So, you can still enjoy it in moderation (not too much).

Should people with high cholesterol avoid seafood?

When experiencing high cholesterol, the safest thing to do is eat foods that are good for cholesterol and avoid foods that are high in cholesterol. However, that does not mean you are prohibited from consuming it at all.

Seafood can indeed have an effect on cholesterol levels, especially for people with high cholesterol. This is because cholesterol levels in food, especially foods rich in saturated and trans fats, can increase levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the body.

The American Heart Association also recommends that you consume saturated fat less than 7% of daily calories and trans fat which is also not much, which is 1% of daily calories.

Some seafood like the ones mentioned above do contain high cholesterol, but you don't have to completely avoid them. Even though it contains cholesterol, seafood also contains omega-3 fatty acids which help to protect your heart health.

For people with high cholesterol, what you should do is limit (not avoiding) the consumption of seafood. In addition, there is one more thing that is important for you to do, which is to pay attention to the method of cooking seafood.

To cook seafood that is safe for cholesterol sufferers, it is better to avoid ingredients or cooking methods that can affect the cholesterol content in the seafood that is being prepared.

Avoid cooking seafood by frying it. Why? This is because frying seafood will only add saturated fat and trans fat to the seafood you eat.

Of course, when seafood is fried, the cholesterol content that is naturally present in seafood increases. The best way to process seafood is by grilling, grilling, or steaming.

If you are a seafood fan, balance it with a healthy lifestyle so that cholesterol levels do not increase easily. The reason is, the cause of high cholesterol is usually an unhealthy lifestyle. In addition, consume cholesterol-lowering fruits and other healthy foods.