There is no better way to lower cholesterol than maintaining a proper diet. High cholesterol foods can higher the chance of having heart diseases and other complex medical conditions. These items raise the production of LDL or bad cholesterol and decrease the number of good cholesterol.
You can get dependent on medicines for controlling cholesterol levels, or just go for a low cholesterol diet. It is true that you have to cut off several food items from your meals. But with the low cholesterol diet recipes, you can easily cook delicious dishes.
If you are looking for yummy low cholesterol meal plans, then do read this article to the end.
Best Low Cholesterol Diet Plan
You will find many low cholesterol meal plans on the internet. But not all of them are effective. If you try lowering the overall cholesterol with the wrong diet, you will not get any result. Here I am adding the top most popular and effective low cholesterol diets:
1. TLC or Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes
The TLC diet plan includes 3 different things, such as diet, exercise, and weight management. The experts claim that this program can lower your high cholesterol level by 20 to 30 percent.
Some people think the diet plan of TLC is hard to follow. But that is not true at all. You just have to cut off the trans and saturated fat items from your meals. You can still enjoy ice creams, butter, and other lean meaty items.
2. A vegan or vegetarian diet
We mainly get LDL from red meat, trans fats, or saturated fats. What if you stop eating the source of LDL? It will lower your overall cholesterol level, right?
A vegan or vegetarian diet can be a good option when you are trying to control your cholesterol level. The vegans and vegetarians avoid meat, animal products like eggs, and other dairy goods. They completely depend on the plants for all kinds of nutrients.
The nutritionists suggest that consuming meat raises bad cholesterol levels and leads to heart diseases. On the other hand, vegetables help a person to control not only his cholesterol but also his overall health.
3. Biggest loser diet
With this diet, you can lose weight, lower the blood pressure, cholesterol level, and sugar level. Besides following this diet, you have simple exercises. Otherwise, the meal plan will do no good.
Low Cholesterol Diet Recipes
When people hear about the low cholesterol diet, they become disappointed. They think the items will be less tasty and yummy. But do you know with the correct combination of ingredients and proper recipe, you can actually make a delicious dish?
Here are some of the most popular low cholesterol diet recipes:
1. Broccoli almond
Broccoli and almonds both are low in cholesterol. Broccoli is a great source of soluble fiber, iron, calcium, protein, vitamin A, B, C, and K. Again, the walnuts or almonds are rich in monosaturated fats. This special type of fat lowers the bad cholesterol level and produces more HDL.
If you are looking for a simple but tasty vegetarian lunch or dinner item, then you must consider the Broccoli almond. You will just need fresh broccoli and almonds. You can use chicken broths, garlic, and butter for a better taste.
2. Pan chili lime salmon with potatoes and peppers
It is always great to have salmon as a dinner or heavy lunch. When it is cooked with potatoes, bell peppers, and spicy chili coating, the dish becomes more delicious. The salmon contains omega-3 fatty acid, which is unsaturated fat. This kind of fat is good to increase good cholesterol.
Cooking this dish is much easier as it is a pan dish. Also, you can add other spices to make the recipe tastier.
3. Sugar-free apple pie
When you are on a low cholesterol diet, you have to cut off dairy products, sugar, or bakery goods from your meals. But no meal is completed without desserts, right? Won’t it be amazing if you can prepare a dessert without any sugar?
The sugar-free apple pie is quite popular among people who have diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol level. You can make a sugar free pie with any fruits like berries, or grapes. These fibrous fruits can help you lower your overall cholesterol level.
4. Charred shrimp and pesto buddha bowls
Shrimps and pesto create an amazing combination of tastes. This dish is healthy, low in cholesterol, and takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. We use quinoa, cherry tomatoes, avocados in preparing this dish. All these items destroy bad cholesterol and help your body to control the cholesterol level.
Low cholesterol recipes with chicken
Chicken is an all-time favorite dish. Experts suggest that chicken does not have harmful fats. Eating chicken can help you maintain a healthy cholesterol level. So, here are 3 of the tastiest low cholesterol chicken recipes for you:
5. Grilled chicken breast Masada
Some people consider this dish as a pasta salad. You will need shredded chicken, olive oil, sausage, black olive, pasta, and tomatoes to prepare this recipe. This dish is not only delicious but also good for the heart.
6. Spinach stuffed with chicken
Spinach is really good for lowering your cholesterol level. This vegetable is rich in cholesterol-lowering fibers and eating it every day can reflect a good result. The combination of chicken and spinach can be really mouth-watering. If you are not a big fan of vegetables, you can try this dish.
7. Balsamic chicken with asparagus and tomatoes
This dish is filled with protein and fibers. So, you can try this recipe as a low cholesterol diet or as a low-fat meal. All the ingredients tomatoes, asparagus, and carrots with other spices will make a perfectly healthy dinner item for you.
If you are looking for easy low cholesterol recipes for dinner, then you must try these 7 dishes.
Final words
Low cholesterol diet recipes will definitely help you lower the overall cholesterol level. Besides maintaining the meals, you have to do regular exercises and quit smoking.
