Lowering your cholesterol requires some serious life changes, especially when it comes to your diet. For many people, the “bad for you” list looks a lot like a list of favorite foods, such as bacon, burgers, fries, and sweets, which can be hard to give up.
But smart food choices are essential for lowering cholesterol naturally, which in turn lowers your risk of heart attack. A study published in April 2021 in the journal BMC Medicine showed that the risk for cardiovascular disease was higher for people who ate a diet that was high in processed sugar, butter, and low-fiber bread, and low in fruits and vegetables.
“Your genetics play a big role in your cholesterol level, but so do other factors, including diet, and the foods you eat can help to lower it,” says Harvey Kramer, MD, a cardiologist at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut.
If your new diet rules seem daunting, here are some simple food swaps for an easier transition.
Go Fish
Swapping out red meat for fish — especially fattier varieties, like salmon, tuna, mackerel, and trout — may contribute to lower cholesterol numbers overall, says Sue Gebo, RD, of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. Fatty fish have the advantage of containing omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to lower your risk of heart disease or stroke.
Scallops are a particularly healthy substitute because they're among the lowest in fat of all seafood choices, so you'll save on calories, too. Plus, Gebo adds, “They have a rich texture and a very satisfying flavor, especially when they’re grilled.”
Top Your Salad With Nuts
High-fiber vegetables are great for lowering cholesterol, so salads are a go — that is, until you top them off with croutons, which are often high in unhealthy fats and highly processed carbohydrates. Instead, try adding heart-healthy nuts to your salad.
A review of 29 studies, published in June 2020 in the journal Nutrition and Metabolic Insights, showed that regular consumption of tree nuts helped lower blood cholesterol levels. These effects were consistent even when the amount, type, and duration of nut consumption varied. The reductions affected total cholesterol, along with changes in HDL ("good") and LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels.
When it comes to nuts, walnuts are a particularly heart-healthy food for low cholesterol because they're rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, a healthier type of fat. Walnuts also contain fiber, which has been shown to lower your risk of heart disease.
9 Tips for Limiting Saturated Fat
Next up video playing in 10 seconds
Eat a Whole-Grain English Muffin for Breakfast
Those flaky, perfectly shaped croissants look delicious at the bakery, but the layers of flour and butter equal a big mistake if you’re watching your cholesterol. Butter is high in saturated fat, which can raise cholesterol levels. On the other hand, a whole-grain English muffin not only has less saturated fat but also adds around 4 grams of heart-healthy fiber. Making this swap will put you well on your way to the American Heart Association’s recommendation of incorporating more whole grains, which contain dietary fiber and other nutrients, into your diet. Doing this will help lower your cholesterol.
For a healthy topping, you can add a nut butter of your choice; these spreads contain dietary fiber and heart-healthy fats. Or try fruit preserves — just be sure to keep an eye on the amount of added sugar.
Eat Dark Chocolate Instead of Milk Chocolate
If you’re a chocoholic trying to stick to a heart-healthy diet, opt for the dark stuff. While milk chocolate contains saturated fat that can raise LDL, dark chocolate skips most of the fat. Studies have shown that dark chocolate can reduce your total cholesterol level, as well as your LDL. Although dark chocolate does contain a moderate amount of saturated fats, it also contains high levels of flavanols, which are thought to help protect the heart.
Cocoa butter contains oleic acid, a healthier monounsaturated fat like that in olive oil. In a study of postmenopausal women with high cholesterol levels published in June 2019 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, participants saw a decrease in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels after five weeks of eating a diet high in oleic acid.
Just make sure the dark chocolate you choose has 70 to 80 percent cacao, suggests Chauncey Crandall, MD, a cardiologist at the Good Samaritan Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Dip Your Vegetables in Hummus
You probably already know to skip potato chips in favor of vegetables such as celery and carrot sticks, but what’s the best choice for dipping? Hummus, made from mashed chickpeas and heart-healthy olive oil, is just as tasty and has both fiber and protein, unlike cream-based dips rich in saturated fat.
Chickpeas also contain a substance called sitosterol, which can help lower blood cholesterol levels by interfering with the body’s absorption of cholesterol. When it comes to choosing hummus, avoid brands with a lot of additives, including excess sodium or saturated fats.
You can also pair it with whole-grain pita chips, which aren’t fried like potato chips.
Make Chili With Ground Turkey
If you’re a purist, you may not favor ground turkey itself, even in burgers. But lean ground turkey — which usually contains 7 percent fat, compared with the 20 percent fat content of 80 percent lean ground beef — is a cinch to disguise. The lower the saturated fat, the less detrimental it is to your cholesterol level. Even better, "No one can tell the difference," says Gebo, who uses ground turkey all the time to make chili.
Ground turkey also makes a great substitute for ground beef in dishes like meatballs or meatloaf. You can also use ground chicken, which is similar in terms of nutrition but with a slightly different taste.
Roast, Instead of Fry, Your Potatoes
French fries are doused in fat, so they're a good food to skip when you're watching your cholesterol. Avoid ordering fries at restaurants whenever possible, opting for roasted potatoes instead. You can also make them at home, where you can control the preparation, which includes adding in moderate amounts of heart-healthy fats such as olive oil.
If you are deciding between white potatoes and sweet potatoes, you should know that both are nutritional powerhouses, offering nutrients such as fiber, potassium, and vitamin C. Regular potatoes have more potassium, while sweet potatoes have a bit more fiber. Whether you choose one or the other, both are a good option.
Additional reporting by Rachel Fairbank.
Samuel Mackenzie, MD, PhD
Medical Reviewer
Samuel Mackenzie, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Child Neurology, Neuromuscular Disease, and Neuroscience at University of Rochester Medical Center. He completed his undergraduate studies at Cornell University before earning a master's degree in exercise science at the University of Delaware and his MD and PhD degrees at SUNY Upstate Medical University. He completed residency in child neurology at the University of Michigan and fellowship in neuromuscular medicine at The Ohio State University and Nationwide Children's Hospital.
Dr. Mackenzie's research interests broadly involve developing new ways to restore motor function in patients with neurological disease and developing gene-based treatments for patients with neuromuscular conditions. He also has an interest in health policy and advocacy, specifically as these relate to how scientific discoveries can best be leveraged for societal good in an equitable and cost-effective manner.
Charlotte Libov
Author
Charlotte Libov is an award-winning health book author and journalist whose work has appeared in many newspapers and magazines throughout the country. Her books include Cancer Survival Guide, The Liver Cure, Fight Back: How to Beat the Coronavirus, A Woman's Guide to Heart Attack Recovery, and Beat Your Risk Factors.
She was working as a freelance contributor to The New York Times when she was diagnosed with a hole in her heart in 1990. Following successful open-heart surgery, she co-authored The Woman’s Heart Book, which was one of the first to focus on heart disease in women. The book became the basis for the award-winning PBS documentary Women’s Hearts at Risk, which Libov helped produced.
Libov became a popular speaker on women’s health issues and traveled across the country to deliver keynote talks on women’s health for hospitals, schools, and businesses, including the American Heart Association, Duke University Medical School, Bio International, Toyota, and the U.S. Army. Libov has a bachelor’s degree with honors from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in mental health counseling from the University of Oregon. She is passionate about photography and recently debuted in her own cabaret show.