Do plant sources like vegetables and fruits contain cholesterol?

Read and find out the difference between animal cholesterol and plant cholesterol.

Cholesterol is an absolute essential to life. You may have generally heard that cholesterol is found in meat, dairy and fried foods. But if you are wondering if vegetables and fruits also contain cholesterol, the answer is no. However, it is possible that a plant could contain polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat that can affect your cholesterol levels. If you are still confused, hear it out from nutritionist Akansha Jhalani.

We hear so much about foods that are high in cholesterol and food items to include in your diet because they are cholesterol free. But the truth is that cholesterol is also produced in the body by our liver due to all the food that we consume. A vegan irrespective of eating a cholesterol free diet will produce cholesterol in the body. Plant sources such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and nuts contain monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, saturated fats that could lead to the production of cholesterol in the body. Soybeans contain the most polyunsaturated fat but you can also find this fat in cauliflower, jalapeno peppers, kidney beans, spinach, radish and banana. You will find larger quantities of monounsaturated fat in avocados and olives. Certain oils such as sunflower oil, canola oil and olive oil also contain monounsaturated fat. These natural remedies will help lower cholesterol levels.

Though these fats are considered healthy for consumption, you still need to pay attention to the quantity of consumption. They should ideally make up around 25 to 30 percent of your calorie intake, and higher amounts could actually affect your cholesterol levels increasing the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.

While plants are cholesterol free it would be more accurate to say that they do not contain any animal cholesterol. Plants provide their own particular form of cholesterol called phytosterol that is toxic and so the intestine wisely refuses to absorb them. Follow this diet to lower your cholesterol and control your BP.

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