Low-Cholesterol Diet: 10 Foods to Try
Low-Cholesterol Diet: 10 Foods to Try
Almond butter is sweeter and has more monounsaturated fat, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Look for a brand that lists one simple ingredient: almonds.
Serve it up: Make your toast tastier, spoon some into your oatmeal, or add to smoothies.
Black lentils, sometimes called beluga lentils because of the beluga caviar they resemble, are less earthy-tasting than most other lentils. You'll get about 12 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber in a half-cup cooked. They also have anthocyanins, antioxidants that are also in dark berries.
Serve it up: Black lentils hold their shape and texture once cooked. Try them in soups or in salads mixed with chopped veggies and vinaigrette.
Hemp seeds (also called hemp hearts) are blessed with a toothsome, nutty flavor like that of pine nuts. They have more protein than many other seeds: about 10 grams in 3 tablespoons.
“They’re also rich in vitamin E, iron, potassium, fiber, and magnesium,” Scritchfield says.
A Harvard School of Medicine study found that people who have more magnesium in their diets may lower their odds of getting heart disease by up to 30%. Scritchfield praises hemp seeds for their healthy ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, both of which your body needs.
Serve it up: Sprinkle hemp seeds on cereal, yogurt, fruit salads, stir-fries, soups, salads, and cooked whole grains.
Green tea is a great source of antioxidants called catechins, which improve blood pressure and cholesterol numbers. Matcha includes the whole tea leaf, ground into very fine powder, which you drink. It can have 137 times the amount of an antioxidant called EGCG in a traditional green tea, University of Colorado researchers found.
Serve it up: Whisk matcha powder with steamed water for a warm drink. Or add it to a smoothie, salad dressing, or homemade ice cream or baked goods.
Popular in Latin American and Asian cuisine, the plantain is a big brother to the banana. It’s rich in vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and potassium. “Our heart muscles require potassium to keep it beating strongly,” Scritchfield says.
Serve it up: Green plantains are best for thickening stews. If they're yellow with a few black dots, you can saute them, simmer in curries and stews, roast, or grill them. Once their skin is almost completely black, they’re sweet enough for you to blend them into smoothies, pancake batters, and oatmeal.
10 Foods to Break Your Low-Cholesterol Diet Rut
4. Old Fave: Peanut Butter. New Fave: Almond Butter
Almond butter is sweeter and has more monounsaturated fat, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Look for a brand that lists one simple ingredient: almonds.
Serve it up: Make your toast tastier, spoon some into your oatmeal, or add to smoothies.
5. Old Fave: Green Lentils. New Fave: Black Lentils
Black lentils, sometimes called beluga lentils because of the beluga caviar they resemble, are less earthy-tasting than most other lentils. You'll get about 12 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber in a half-cup cooked. They also have anthocyanins, antioxidants that are also in dark berries.
Serve it up: Black lentils hold their shape and texture once cooked. Try them in soups or in salads mixed with chopped veggies and vinaigrette.
6. Old Fave: Flaxseed. New Fave: Hemp Seeds
Hemp seeds (also called hemp hearts) are blessed with a toothsome, nutty flavor like that of pine nuts. They have more protein than many other seeds: about 10 grams in 3 tablespoons.
“They’re also rich in vitamin E, iron, potassium, fiber, and magnesium,” Scritchfield says.
A Harvard School of Medicine study found that people who have more magnesium in their diets may lower their odds of getting heart disease by up to 30%. Scritchfield praises hemp seeds for their healthy ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, both of which your body needs.
Serve it up: Sprinkle hemp seeds on cereal, yogurt, fruit salads, stir-fries, soups, salads, and cooked whole grains.
7. Old Fave: Green Tea. New Fave: Matcha Tea
Green tea is a great source of antioxidants called catechins, which improve blood pressure and cholesterol numbers. Matcha includes the whole tea leaf, ground into very fine powder, which you drink. It can have 137 times the amount of an antioxidant called EGCG in a traditional green tea, University of Colorado researchers found.
Serve it up: Whisk matcha powder with steamed water for a warm drink. Or add it to a smoothie, salad dressing, or homemade ice cream or baked goods.
8. Old Fave: Banana. New Fave: Plantain
Popular in Latin American and Asian cuisine, the plantain is a big brother to the banana. It’s rich in vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and potassium. “Our heart muscles require potassium to keep it beating strongly,” Scritchfield says.
Serve it up: Green plantains are best for thickening stews. If they're yellow with a few black dots, you can saute them, simmer in curries and stews, roast, or grill them. Once their skin is almost completely black, they’re sweet enough for you to blend them into smoothies, pancake batters, and oatmeal.
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