What it is
Cholesterol in food is the same molecule your body makes on purpose — the raw material of hormones, vitamin D, and cell membranes. Your liver produces most of what circulates in your blood, and for most people it compensates: eat more, produce less.
How much
The thinking has genuinely shifted. The old blanket cap (300 mg was the classic reference) has been dropped from several major guidelines, because for most people dietary cholesterol moves blood cholesterol far less than saturated fat does. Two honest caveats: some people are strong responders, and anyone given a limit by their clinician — for cardiovascular history, diabetes, or familial cholesterol conditions — should follow that number, not the internet's.
How well it's tracked
Reasonably: cholesterol is a standard line on many labels and well covered for common animal foods. Expect solid numbers on egg-and-meat days.
Food sources
Eggs (the famous one — and rehabilitated for most people), organ meats, shellfish, fatty meats, and full-fat dairy. Plants have essentially none.
In the app
Cholesterol has its Insights card with contributors and history, and if you're working to a prescribed cap, set it as a custom ceiling so the chart judges your days against your number.