The American Heart Association recommends changing your shopping, cooking and eating habits to lower your cholesterol. In general, you should emphasize cutting trans fat and saturated fat from your diet. Choose fresh, whole foods over prepared and packaged foods, which often contain ingredients that increase harmful blood cholesterol levels. Several simple recipes featuring healthful ingredients can boost your overall health and lower cholesterol. If you have health concerns, ask your doctor about a diet for controlling cholesterol.
Breakfast Recipes
Start your day with fresh, whole foods. Oatmeal or steel-cut oats are great options. Skip the sugar or butter, and prepare your oats with water instead of milk. Use unsweetened, unflavored oatmeal, but make it flavorful by adding different toppings every day. Consider fresh berries, peach slices, cinnamon, vanilla or a savory flavor like curry. If you want protein in your breakfast, make a vegetable scramble with egg substitute. Season your food with low-sodium salsa to keep it healthful.
Lunch
The Mayo Clinic recommends following a Mediterranean diet to lower your cholesterol. Center your lunch around fresh fruits or vegetables by having a salad. Choose dark, leafy greens like spinach and kale for added fiber. Two days a week, top your salad with skinless baked poultry or grilled salmon to provide healthy sources of animal-based fat. On the other days, mix things up with a wild rice salad, a berry salad topped with nonfat yogurt, a spinach salad garnished with pecans, tomatoes dressed with hummus or whole wheat pasta salad with grilled broccoli or asparagus.
Dinner Recipes
Shift the focus of your dinner from fatty meats and cheeses or refined carbohydrates to fresh, whole foods. The AHA recommends healthful dishes such as fish grilled with olive oil and topped with lemon juice; lettuce wraps filled with black beans and fresh salsa; broth-based vegetable and lentil soup; seafood stew; gazpacho; grilled or baked chicken breasts; and roasted vegetables seasoned with garlic and topped with olive oil.
Snacks
Choose plant-based foods without added sugar or fat for your snacks. Blend a fresh smoothie with frozen banana chunks and a dash of unsweetened almond milk. Mix together nonfat cottage cheese and garlic powder as a dip for carrots or celery. Raw nuts and seeds, though high in calories, are healthy sources of fat that can help you maintain healthy levels of blood cholesterol when eaten in moderation.
