Many people are wary of eating shrimp. It is well known that shrimps are high in cholestrol and it is said that the average American eats about 1kg or 2 ½ pounds of shrimp a year! Many Americans have heard that shrimps are high in cholestrol and are worrying that they need to give up one of their favourite foods. They are typing in “How much cholestrol in shrimp” on search engines!

The amount of cholestrol in shrimp is a bit of a worry when we know that our body only needs 20% of its cholestrol requirement from the food that we eat.

So, how much cholestrol in shrimp?

According to dietitian Joanne Larsen there is 150mg of cholestrol per 3 ½ ounces of shrimp. This is only 70% of the cholestrol that is found in one egg yolk. Eggs are also high in cholestrol but medical advice is that we can enjoy an egg about 4 times a week, so I guess that we can enjoy shrimps about 4 times a week too or substitute a serving of shrimps for an egg.

The good news about shrimps

Shrimps are very low in fat and do not contain any saturated fat. Shrimps are also a good source of Omega 3 fatty acids and are a low calorie food. Omega 3 fatty acids increase good cholestrol level in the blood and are good at lowering bad cholestrol level. These benefits may outweigh or cancel out the amount of cholestrol found in the shrimps.

Further good news is that the American Heart Association has given the thumbs up to shrimps. Although shrimp contain more cholestrol than the equivalent weight of chicken or beef they have about a tenth of the saturated fat of beef and, as we said earlier, are a brilliant source of Omega 3 fatty acids.

So, there really is no need to ask how much cholestrol in shrimp.

Cooking shrimp

Of course if you are going to batter your shrimp and deep fry it then it is not going to be very healthy. However, there are plenty of healthy ways to cook shrimp.

• Barbecue or grill them. You can marinade them or just grill them as they are. They will take about 7-10 minutes.
• Boil them and make a shrimp cocktail. Use low fat mayo and tomato ketchup seasoned with salt and pepper to make the sauce. Stir in the shrimps, serve on a bed of shredded lettuce, sprinkle with paprika and serve with wholegrain bread and a slice of lemon. Easy, tasty and healthy.
• Stir fry in a wok on a high heat. Use olive oil which is a monounsaturated oil or just put a little water in the wok. Stir fry with vegetables like peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. Serve with wholemeal noodles or rice. If you want you can season with Chinese spices or a Chinese sauce.

Enjoy shrimp and stop asking how much cholestrol in shrimp. It is not a real concern.