The American Heart Association says that the previous association between high-cholesterol foods and blood cholesterol might have been due to high-cholesterol foods also being high in saturated fat. Saturated fat is the culprit that leads to high cholesterol, which can cause plaque to build up in your artery walls. Foods like eggs and shellfish are high-cholesterol foods that are low in saturated fat. Besides, think about what you typically might pair with eggs. Sausage? Bacon? Toast with gobs of butter?
Rather than limit your cholesterol intake like you might limit your calories, a 2019 advisory from the American Heart Association says to focus on foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and lean proteins to boost the ratio of unsaturated fats to saturated fats. It also said healthy people can have an egg a day. Vegetarians and older adults who don’t have high cholesterol can eat more eggs in moderation. However, people with certain conditions should be careful about high-cholesterol foods.
Tamar Samuels says you can cook eggs a little differently to make them healthy. “If you have heart disease, a higher risk for heart disease and/or diabetes, or metabolic syndrome, then boiling, poaching, or sauteing eggs in olive oil or avocado oil is best to minimize additional saturated fat intake from butter,” she explains.
