What foods are low in fat and cholesterol but high in protein? | Exercise.com Learn: Your Fitness Business Resource

What foods are low in fat and cholesterol but high in protein?

Tyler Spraul is the director of UX and the head trainer for Exercise.com. He has his Bachelor of Science degree in pre-medicine and is an NSCA-certified strength and conditioning specialist. He is a former All-American soccer player and still coaches soccer today. In his free time, he enjoys reading, learning, and living the dad life. He has been featured in Shape, Healthline, HuffPost, Women's...

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UPDATED: Aug 25, 2020

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  • Egg whites, poultry, fish, and soy are just a few low-fat, low-cholesterol, high-protein foods that can enable you to have a heart-healthy diet.
  • You should avoid red meat when on a diet like this, as red meat has too much fat and cholesterol.
  • Maintaining a low-fat, low-cholesterol, high-protein diet will help you avoid obesity, heart disease, and stroke.
Consuming foods that are packed with protein, but also are low in fat and cholesterol can have several positive benefits.

Enabling weight loss, lessening your risk of heart disease, and also warding off several other diseases and sicknesses are just a few of the bonuses to eating a diet like this.

Plant-based foods that are high in protein will be most advantageous because they usually have lower quantities of fat and cholesterol than those foods derived from animals. By comparison, most red meats contain about 70 mg of cholesterol per 3 oz serving (according to the American Heart Association).

With any diet, it’s important to first ask your doctor before you begin, and to track your progress through the diet and to also start a healthy exercise regimen that fits your lifestyle and goals! Go PRO today for access to workout plans, personal trainers, nutrition trackers, and more.

What Are the Benefits of Eating Foods Low in Fat and Cholesterol but High in Protein?

While your body needs cholesterol and fat in order to function at its best, too much of either can be harmful.

When you consume more than the recommended amount of cholesterol on a daily basis, that cholesterol builds up in the walls of the blood vessels. This buildup is termed plaque.

Plaque can build up so much in the blood vessels that it cuts off circulation. This, in turn, can cause major health issues such as a stroke or heart attack.

Eating foods with a high amount of protein is favorable for several reasons. High protein foods make you feel more satisfied and full longer than those foods with lots of carbohydrates. This is because proteins are digested slower in your body giving you a longer feeling of being full.

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What Are Some of the Better Foods That Are Low in Fat and Cholesterol but High in Protein?

Egg whites, which are just an egg without the yolk, are great low-fat, low-cholesterol, high-protein foods. Eggs are high in protein, but the yolk is what carries the extra fat and cholesterol.

Fish is another great source of protein but has much lower fat and cholesterol content as some of its other meat counterparts.

Poultry is also a great source of protein. While lean red meat is fine once in awhile, regular red meat has a large quantity of protein, but it has more than 75% of your daily recommended fat and cholesterol. If you’re looking to get your protein from regular meat, choose poultry!

Tofu packs quite a punch in protein content while keeping fat and cholesterol to a minimum. Tofu is a plant-based protein made from soybeans. Because it is a plant-based protein, the fat is nearly nonexistent. The small traces of fat which are contained in tofu are healthy unsaturated fats.

Another great plant-based protein is lentils. Again, because lentils are plant protein, fat and cholesterol are not prominent. One cup of lentils packs in over a third of your daily recommended intake of protein.

Why Should You Eat Foods Low in Fat and Cholesterol but High in Protein?

Taking care of your body isn’t about changing one thing and hoping it sticks. Good health and fitness stem from making small and consistent changes that end up staying with you throughout your life.

Making sure your cholesterol levels are in good standing is important to do every five years starting at the age of 20 or younger, depending on your physician’s recommendations. Watch this video for some ideas on foods to eat to help you lower your cholesterol:

If your cholesterol levels do test high then making lifestyle changes in order to stay healthy might be necessary. Some of the treatments include eating a healthy diet that is packed with protein, but low in fat and cholesterol.

You should also lose weight if you are overweight, and you should adopt an exercise routine. For some people, medication will be needed on top of the above methods to lower their cholesterol.

Even if you regularly test your cholesterol and the counts are normal, it’s important to keep a healthy lifestyle and diet.

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