Cholesterol Friendly Diet Food

Last Updated on September 30, 2022 by Amanda P. Brown

Whenever we heard the word cholesterol, the first thing that first comes to our mind is that it’s obviously bad for our body. But it does not work like that. Cholesterol is a waxy organic molecule. There are two kinds of cholesterol: HDL cholesterol, which is good cholesterol, and another one is LDL cholesterol, which is bad for the body if they present in a high amount of body.

 A cholesterol friendly diet could be the savior for you in that case. So if you are concerned about your health, you have to choose between good and bad cholesterol for a healthy body. You can’t cut out the cholesterol completely from your diet. Your body requires some cholesterol to generate hormones, vitamin D, and substances that help you digest foods.

List of Some Cholesterol Friendly Diet Foods

Here is a list of some food which would be great if you include them in your cholesterol friendly diet: 

Cholesterol Friendly Whole Grains

• Oats
• Barley
• Quinoa
• Buckwheat
• Bulgur

Cholesterol Friendly Veggies

• Beans
• Eggplants
• Okra
• Avocado
• Kale
• Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Sweet potatoes
• Squash
• Dark green leafy veggies
• Spinach
• Pumpkin
• Carrot
• Mushrooms

Cholesterol Friendly Fruits

• Apples
• Grapes
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Blueberries
• Cherries
• Citrus fruits
• Bananas
• Olive

Cholesterol Friendly Protein

• Fatty fish
• Tuna
• Salmon
• Sardines
• Legumes

Cholesterol Friendly Nuts

• Almonds
• Walnuts
• Pecans
• Peanuts
• Pistachios

Cholesterol Friendly Seeds

• Flaxseeds
• Chia seeds

Cholesterol Friendly Herbs and Spices

• Mint
• Parsley
• Rosemary
• Garlic
• Turmeric powder

Cholesterol Friendly Oils

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Sesame oil
• Vegetable oils

Cholesterol Friendly Liquids

• Unsweetened soy milk
• Low-fat dairy
• Green tea
• Black tea

Cholesterol Friendly Sweets

• Dark chocolate
• Cocoa

List of High Cholesterol Foods

There are some foods which are having bad cholesterol in high quantity, and you should avoid: 

• Fast or junk foods
• Deep fries
• Liver
• Kidney
• Egg yolk
• Sausage
• Fatty meats such as lamb, pork, bacon
• Shellfish
• Sugary desserts
• Butter
• Whipped cream
• Soft drinks
• Full fat milk
• Bakery items
• Palm oil

Cholesterol Friendly Food Recipes

Here is a list of some foods which would be great if you add them to your cholesterol friendly diet: 

• Chilled avocado soup
• Cinnamon oats porridge with fruits
• Open sandwich
• Creamy salmon and spinach
• Strawberry smoothie
• Sugar-free apple pie
• Dark chocolate orange fondue
• Salmon and brown rice salad
• Tofu kebabs
• Indian winter soup
• Nuts and seeded oatcake
• Penne with chicken and veggies
• Cucumber and mango salsa
• Summer vegetable sauté
• Salmon and soybean salad

Here are 5- quick sneak peeks of cholesterol friendly food recipes that you can easily make in your kitchen 

1. Chilled Avocado Soup

Ingredients

• Ripe avocados – 4 peeled and chopped
• Low-fat Greek yogurt – 3 cups
• Chicken stock – 3 cups
• Lemon juice – 6 tablespoons 
• Chopped basil leaves – 8 
• Freshly ground black pepper – as per taste
• Rock salt – as per taste

Recipe for a Home Cook

• Take a small bowl. Keep half of an avocado with half basil aside for garnish later. 
• Take another large bowl and put all the remaining ingredients together and stir well.
• In a grinder jar, pour the mixture and coarsely ground them. Make a fairly paste. Please do not overdo it. 
• Transfer the mixture to a bowl and refrigerate them for 2 to 3 hours. 
• Serve in a soup cup and garnish with them with the rest of the chopped avocados and basil leaves. 

Notes!

You can choose your favorite veggies for garnish by chopped them nicely. Ripe avocados are a super-food to get rid of the bad cholesterol in your body.

Nutrition Value

• Calories: 233kcal
• Carbohydrates: 13g
• Cholesterol: 5mg
• Fat: 17g
• Fiber: 7g
• Calcium: 117mg
• Iron: 1mg
• Potassium: 574mg
• Protein: 11g
• Saturated Fat: 3g
• Sodium: 365mg
• Sugar: 4g
• Vitamin A: 217IU
• Vitamin C: 21mg

2. Cinnamon Oats Porridge with Fruits

Ingredients

• Porridge oats: 1 cup.
• Cinnamon powder: half teaspoon. 
• Organic honey: 3 to 4 teaspoons. 
• Low-fat milk: 2 cups. 
• Low-fat Greek yogurt – half cup.
• Banana sliced: 2 medium sizes.
• Any berries of your choice: half cup chopped. 

Recipe for a Home Cook

• Take a medium size pan. Mix the oats, milk and cinnamon to it, along with ix half of the bananas. Turn the flame on. Bring it to a boil and keep stirring. After a good boil, slow down the heat and cook it for 5 minutes and keep stirring. 
• Turn the flame off. Pour the mixture into a serving bowl. Pour the honey on top of it. Garnish them with the rest of the bananas and chopped berries. A sprinkle of cinnamon powder also goes great with it. 

Notes!

Oats are a good source of fiber. And fiber plays a huge role in lowering the bad cholesterol level. You can minimize the portion of honey. 

Nutrition Value

• Calories: 266 kcal
• Fat: 2g
• Saturates fat: 1g
• Carbs: 53g
• Sugars: 34g
• Fiber: 5g
• Protein: 12g
• Salt: 0.24g

3. Open Sandwich

Ingredients

• Baguette – one thick slice. 
• Ripe tomato paste – 1. 
• Garlic minced – 1 cloves. 
• Can sardines – 1 small pcs. 
• Chopped parsley – 1 teaspoon. 

Recipe for a Home Cook

• In a frying pan, toast both sides of the baguette. 
• On a serving plate, take the baguette. Pour the tomato paste on it. Sprinkle the garlic minced. Top with the sardines. 
• Sprinkle the chopped parsley for garnish. You can add chopped onions too. 

Notes!

Baguette is a source of good fiber. Ripe tomatoes and garlic have anti-inflammatory properties. Along with sardine are a good source of proteins. So when all together came in one plate. It’s become the healthiest form of cholesterol friendly recipe. 

Nutrition Value

• Calories: 143 kcal
• Fat: 1.4g
• Saturates fat: 0.2g
• Carbs: 21g
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugars: 1g
• Protein: 3g
• Salt: 0.24g

4. Creamy Salmon and Spinach

Ingredients

• Skinless salmon fillets – 2pcs 
• Chopped spinach – 2 cups
• Extra virgin olive oil – 1 teaspoon
• Fresh lemon juice – 1 tablespoon
• Low fat cream – 2 tablespoons
• Drained caper – 1 teaspoon
• Chopped parsley – 2 tablespoons
• Freshly ground black pepper – as per taste
• Salt – as per taste

Recipe for a Home Cook

• In a frying pan, pour the oil into and heat it. Season the salmon with some black pepper and salt on both sides. Fry them until they turn brown. It will take a maximum of 4 minutes on each side. When it’s done, keep it aside on another plate. 
• In that hot pan, tip the spinach into. Season them with salt and pepper. Cover the lid and cook for minutes, but in between, stir for once. Spoon the spinach top with the salmon. Heat the cream in the same container and squeeze the lemon juice and give a mix. In that time, add the capers and chopped parsley. Add pepper and salt as per your taste. Give a good mix but don’t boil it. Just heat them all together. 
• In that salmon spinach, the serving plate pours the cream and serve with some lemon on the side. 

Notes!

Spinach is one of the best notorious veggies. Salmon is a good source of protein. Black pepper and lemon are good for the digestive system. 

Nutrition Value

• Calories: 321 kcal
• Fat: 20g
• Saturates: 5g
• Carbs: 3g
• Sugars: 3g
• Fiber: 3g
• Protein: 32g
• Salt: 0.77g

5. Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients

• Chopped strawberries – 7 to 8pcs
• Low-fat milk – half cup
• Low-fat yogurt – half cup.
• Honey – 2 tablespoon or as per your taste. 
• Vanilla extract – 2 teaspoons 
• Ice cube – 6 to 7 cube. 

Recipe for a Home Cook

• Bring all the ingredients together in a blender jar. Mix until a smooth and creamy smoothie comes through. 
• In a serving, glass pours the mixture and put some ice cube and strawberry slice to garnish. 

Notes!

In a cholesterol-friendly lifestyle, strawberry would be your good buddy if you are a sweet tooth. 

Nutrition Value

• Calories: 160kcal 
• Protein: 5.6g
• Carbohydrates: 30.3g
• Fat: 1.1g 
• Cholesterol: 4.9mg
• Sodium: 71.4mg

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What are the worst foods for high cholesterol?

If you are already suffering from high cholesterol, then you must avoid some food. Either it will make your cholesterol level more worst. To avoid these things, you should avoid all the fatty cuts of red meat. Full-fat dairy such as yogurt, cheese, milk cream, and full-fat milk is must be avoided. 

All the oily food, mainly all the deep-fried fast foods, are worst to be an option. In that case, coconut oil, plum oil and butter are the worst to have. You should avoid all the bakery items such as biscuits, pastries, cookies and beverages. Moreover, you have to avoid all the processed, takeaway, and rich food to fight cholesterol. Always try to focus on having homemade and nutritious food. 

What foods cause high cholesterol?

Things do not work like we are born with high cholesterol. It’s always our lifestyle and food habits that make our body produce more cholesterol in our body. Our body needs all the nutrition but in a limited amount. But when you intake more than our daily requirement, our body starts to store that time. 

Eating too much saturated and Tran’s fat, which comes from all the red meats, bakery items, junk food and deep-fried food, is the main cause of high cholesterol. Full-fat dairy and all your favorite cheesy pizza and hamburgers are also on this list. 

What is the best drink to lower cholesterol?

For lowering your cholesterol level, you need to have that food that is high in anti-oxidant. Pomegranate juice should be your first option for that. Pomegranate is rich in anti-oxidant rather than other fruits. Research says that it contains three times more anti-oxidant than green tea or red wine. Having these natural drinks with your breakfast can help reduce cholesterol levels. 

Having apple cider vinegar with warm water in the empty stomach also reduces the body’s extra cholesterol. Eating more veggies, fruits, and plant sources of protein will also help you achieve your goal. Be physically active in your life. Do workout. For lowering the cholesterol level, a faster workout is also important, along with food. 

Final Verdict

Moreover, for a balanced life, you need a balanced diet. Always remember only a healthy make your life happy and prosperous. To get a healthy body, you have to pick the right food in the right portion. Along with you have to care about every nutrition you are putting into your body. To get rid of bad cholesterol, you need to consume good cholesterol in your diet. By choosing a cholesterol friendly diet plan, you’ll walk in a healthy and happy life.

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