Low Cholesterol Meals & Foods That Help Lower Cholesterol
By: Carrie Walco-Bowman
When we talk about high cholesterol levels, we mean “bad” LDL cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein). This type of cholesterol is bad at high levels because it can damage arteries, lead to heart disease, and increase your risk for a stroke. So why do we have it at all? Our bodies produce all of the LDL cholesterol we need to create hormones, vitamin D, and digestive fluids, and it helps organs function properly. So, we do need it, but we don’t need to increase it. We can avoid high LDL levels by lowering our consumption of foods that contain high levels of saturated fats and trans fats. These fats cause our bodies to create more LDL cholesterol.
Try these tips to avoid or lower high levels of LDL cholesterol.
- Consume meals with low LDL cholesterol levels.
- Eat foods that help lower cholesterol.
- Eat foods that contain “good” HDL cholesterol.
HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol actually absorbs the bad LDL cholesterol and then carries it to the liver, where it is flushed from our bodies. This is the cholesterol level we want to be a little higher. Foods containing high HDL cholesterol levels include olive oil, beans, legumes, whole grains, high-fiber fruit, fatty fish, flaxseeds, chia seeds, and nuts.
Plant-Based Food & Meals
” When people adopt a plant-based diet, their blood pressure comes down, their cholesterol levels plummet, and arterial plaque starts to go away.” 1
Plant-based meals can do wonders for your health and lowering cholesterol. We are all about making it easier for people to live healthier lives and eat more plant-based meals, so we developed a vegetarian filter for our MightyMeals plan-based menu. If you want more information about plant-based meal plans, you can find the 5 Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet on our blog.
Skinless Lean Poultry
Not all poultry parts are the same when it comes to saturated and trans fats. Most of the fat found in poultry is stored under the skin, so go ahead and toss the skin out. Dark poultry meat is higher in saturated fat and cholesterol than white poultry meat–49 mg higher in cholesterol and 1.2 g higher in saturated fat when comparing a chicken leg with a chicken breast.
You can find all of our meals made with healthy chicken breast here.
Fatty Fish
Omega-3 fatty acids are another important healthy component that can help lower LDL cholesterol. They are found in fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, albacore tuna, sardines, and rainbow trout.
We are always expanding and updating our menu, including our salmon meals and tuna meals. One of our newest meals that is already a fan favorite is our Salmon alla Vodka.
Lean Beef
“According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), lean protein sources have less than 10 g of total fat and 4.5 g or less of saturated fat per 100 g, or 3.5 ounces (oz).” 2
It’s no wonder our Beef Bulgogi is such a popular and healthy lean beef meal. Like many of our meals, it fits the USDA guidelines with 9 total grams of fat and 2.5g saturated fat. It also includes asparagus with potassium, which has been shown to help lower blood pressure.
We are a local company founded by two fitness professionals and a classically trained chef. Our mission is to empower you to live healthier lives by being the leading provider of healthy, high-quality, locally sourced, chef-prepared meals that are delivered fresh to your door. We love to hear feedback on how we are doing from our #MightyFam! If you have any suggestions or something you would like us to write about on our blog, email us at info@eatmightymeals.com. You can also follow us on Instagram and Facebook to join the healthy lifestyle conversation!
Sources
1 https://www.animalsaustralia.org/features/what-the-health.php
2 https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/best-food-sources-of-lean-protein/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20U.S.%20Department,or%203.5%20ounces%20(oz).