Food Guidelines to Lower Your LDL (Bad) Cholesterol

LDL (bad) cholesterol can build up in the also healthy fats and are often called
arteries. This build up increases the chance “polyunsaturated fats.” These are better at
that you will have heart disease. LDL lowering LDL cholesterol. To increase
cholesterol goals vary and are based on healthy fats, try:
individual risk factors. Discuss your • To use avocados or nut butters for
individual goal with your provider. spreads or toppings.
• In cooking, use canola, olive,
Limit saturated fat, dietary cholesterol avocado, peanut, soybean, corn, or
and avoid trans-fat. Saturated fat is found safflower oils.
in fatty meats such as beef and pork, whole • Have fatty fish such as salmon,
milk, cheese, heavy cream, coconut oil, mackerel, herring, lake trout,
butter, fried foods, egg yolks and baked sardines and albacore tuna 2 times
goods. Trans fat is found in shortening, stick per week.
margarine, frozen pizzas and donuts. Many • Add a handful of nuts and seeds such
of the foods rich in saturated and trans fats as walnuts, almonds, peanuts,
are also high in dietary cholesterol. Some sunflower seeds, flax seeds, or chia
helpful tips to lower saturated fats, trans fat, seeds.
and cholesterol are: • Include tofu, soybeans, soy nuts,
• Eat no more than 6 ounces of lean tempeh, and edamame more often.
meats or poultry or fish each day.
• Choose skim or low-fat dairy Eat foods high in fiber. Eating foods that
products (milk, cheese, yogurt, ice are high in fiber helps in many ways besides
cream). lowering LDL cholesterol. Foods that are
• Use liquid oils (canola, olive, high in soluble fiber are better at lowering
avocado) instead of solid fats (butter, LDL cholesterol. It’s best to slowly increase
lard, shortening, coconut and palm the amount of fiber in your diet. This
oils). prevents stomach aches, bloating, gas,
• Add beans, soy products and nuts to constipation, and diarrhea. A few helpful
your diet. tips to increase the fiber in your diet are:
• Limit foods which contain partially • Eat 2-4 servings of fruit and 2-4
hydrogenated oils. servings of vegetables per day.
• Limit egg yolks to 4 per week. • Make most of your grains. (Whole
• Avoid liver and other organ meats. grains such as wheat, barley, brown
• Limit shrimp to 3-5 ounces per rice, wild rice, quinoa, oatmeal, or
week. oat bran).
• Try to limit saturated fats to about 13 • Have beans or nuts as a topping on
grams per day or less and trans fats salads or as the protein in a veggie
to 2 grams a day or less. wrap.
• Include oat bran, oatmeal, barley,
Add in healthy fats. These are liquid fats legumes, and ground flax seed more
also called “unsaturated fats” which can help often as they are high in soluble
lower LDL cholesterol. Omega-3 fats are fiber.
Add plant stanols or sterols. Include 2 See how much soy protein you get from
grams of plant stanols or sterols per day. some soy-based foods below:
This may help lower your LDL cholesterol. • ½ cup cooked soybeans = 14 g
Stanols and sterols are found in fortified • ½ cup edamame = 11 g
foods or supplements. To add these in your • ¼ cup soy nuts = 15 g
diet you can: • ½ cup tofu = 10 g
• Add foods fortified with stanols and • ½ cup tempeh = 15 g
sterols. Ask your dietitian for more • ¼ cup textured soy protein, dry =
information. 11 g
• Include daily supplements such as • 1 cup soy milk = 7 g
CardioSterols or Cholestoff capsules • 1 cup soy yogurt = 5 g
and Benecol chews.

Achieve healthy weight. If you are

Sample Meal Ideas to Lower LDL
overweight, losing 10 pounds may help you Cholesterol
to lower your LDL cholesterol. To help you
lose weight, you can: Breakfast
• Increase fruits and vegetables. • Oatmeal, 100% rolled oats or steel-
• Decrease added sugars from sugar cut, 1 cup cooked with 1% milk (4
sweetened drinks. oz.) with 2 Tbsp. walnuts, 1 tsp
• Eat smaller portions by using smaller brown sugar and 1 medium banana
plates. • 1 hard-boiled egg, 1 slice whole
• Eat out less often. wheat toast with 1 tsp jam and 1
orange
Get at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of • 1 cup whole grain cereal with 4 oz.
exercise every week. Exercise can help 1% milk and ½ cup fresh or frozen
increase your levels of HDL (good) berries
cholesterol which helps to remove LDL • 1 slice of whole wheat toast with 1
cholesterol from the blood. If you add Tbsp. natural peanut butter and ½
exercise it may also help you to lose weight. cup sliced strawberries
• 2 egg whites scrambled with 1 cup
Aim for 30 minutes of physical activity 5 fresh spinach, seasoned with black
days per week. Choose activities that you pepper or salt-free seasoning, and a
will enjoy such as a brisk walk, biking, medium apple
swimming, or running.
Lunch and Dinner
Include a vegetarian style meal once per • 3 oz. chicken salad made with low-
week. Eating plant proteins from beans, fat greek yogurt, lettuce and ½ of
peas, lentils, soy, and nuts may help lower 100% whole wheat pita pocket, ½
your LDL cholesterol. Including soy protein cup fruit salad and 1% milk
(25 grams) from soybeans, edamame, soy • 1 whole grain tortilla roll-up with 3
nuts, tofu, tempeh, soy milk, soy yogurt, or oz. low sodium turkey, 1 oz. swiss
textured soy protein may help lower your cheese, and 1 Tbsp. mustard, 1 cup
LDL cholesterol. raw snow peas and 1 cup frozen or
fresh grapes
• 3 oz. tuna salad in a 100% whole Snacks
wheat pita pocket with 3-4 slices bell • 1 medium apple + 1 string cheese
peppers and 2 tomato slices, and a • 2 Tbsp nuts + 2 Tbsp dried fruit
medium apple • 1 cup pea pods + ½ cup low-fat
• 3 oz. roasted turkey with ½ cup Greek yogurt
sautéed carrots and onions, 1 cup • 1 oz. peanuts in a shell + 1 medium
lettuce salad with 1 Tbsp. olive oil orange
and balsamic vinegar dressing • 1 cup bell pepper strips +1/3 cup
• ¾ cup marinara sauce with ground guacamole
turkey or lean ground beef over 1 • 1 oz. low-fat cheese + 1 cup baby
cup spaghetti squash, 1 cup romaine carrots
salad with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and • 1 medium nectarine +1 oz. almonds
balsamic vinegar dressing, and 1 cup • 4 oz light yogurt + 1 oz. walnuts
fresh fruit salad • 1 Light Laughing Cow® cheese + 1
• 4 oz baked cod, ½ cup brown rice cup grape tomatoes
with scallions, and 1 cup roasted • 4 oz Greek yogurt +1 oz. almonds
beets • 1 small plum + low-fat cheese
• 4 oz baked salmon, ½ cup wild rice, • 1 medium apple, sliced +1 Tbsp
and 1 cup roasted brussels sprouts natural peanut butter
with balsamic vinegar and 1 oz pine
nuts
• 3 oz tuna salad sandwich on 2 slices
whole grain bread, 1 cup raw carrots,
and 1 cup fresh fruit
• 2 cups spring mix or spinach with
cherry tomatoes, sliced carrots,
sliced radishes, cucumber slices, 1 oz
almonds, 3 oz grilled chicken, and 2
Tbsp oil/vinegar salad dressing with
1 cup fresh fruit
• 1 cup garbanzo bean and potato
curry, 1 cup side salad with 1 Tbsp
oil/vinegar dressing
Teach Back
What is the most important thing you learned from this handout?

What changes will you make in your diet/lifestyle, based on what you learned today?

If you are a UW Health patient and have more questions, please call UW Health at one of the
phone numbers below. You can also visit our website at www.uwhealth.org/nutrition.

Nutrition clinics for UW Hospital and Clinics (UWHC) and American Family Children’s
Hospital (AFCH) can be reached at (608) 890-5500.

Nutrition clinics for UW Medical Foundation (UWMF) can be reached at (608) 287-2770.

If you are a patient receiving care at UnityPoint – Meriter, Swedish American or a health system
outside of UW Health, please use the phone numbers provided in your discharge instructions for
any questions or concerns.
Your health care team may have given you this information as part of your care. If so, please use it and call if you
have any questions. If this information was not given to you as part of your care, please check with your doctor. This
is not medical advice. This is not to be used for diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. Because each
person’s health needs are different, you should talk with your doctor or others on your health care team when using
this information. If you have an emergency, please call 911. Copyright 1/2019. University of Wisconsin Hospital and
Clinics Authority. All rights reserved. Produced by the Department of Nursing HF#519.