Foods That Lower Cholesterol - Best Veggies, Meats, Fruits, and More

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High Cholesterol and the Heart-Healthy Kitchen

Heart-healthy foods are essential to a heart-healthy diet. If you want to eat a better diet but are not sure what foods you should buy, check out this kitchen essentials guide. From fruits and vegetables to whole grain goodness, learn what foods to keep on hand.

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Fill your fridge with seasonal fruits such as berries, oranges, apples, pears, and grapes, and vegetables such as bell peppers, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, tomatoes, dark leafy greens, celery, eggplant, zucchini, and squash.

Dairy and Dairy Alternatives

Skim or 1% milk
Soymilk (plain, unsweetened, vanilla, or chocolate)
Low-fat or nonfat buttermilk
Nonfat half-and-half or nonfat creamers
Nonfat or reduced-fat cheese (bricks, slices, or shredded)
Soy-based cheeses (bricks, slices, or shredded)
Nonfat or light cream cheese
Nonfat or 1% fat cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
Nonfat or 1% fat yogurt (includes fruited, vanilla, or plain)
Soy-based yogurts
Nonfat sour cream
Egg substitutes, egg whites

Meat, Poultry, Fish, and Meat Substitutes

Skinless, boneless chicken or turkey breasts and tenders
Skinless, white breast meat ground chicken or turkey
Pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat
Lean ground beef such as ground round or ground sirloin (Note: When buying beef, look for words like "round" or "loin" and choose lean cuts -- the less marbling, the lower the fat content.)
Assorted fish: salmon, mackerel, tilapia, trout, herring, tuna
Tofu silken, soft, firm, or extra firm
Tempeh
Seitan

Frozen Foods

Frozen vegetables and vegetable blends without added sauces, gravies, and added sodium
Frozen fruits without added sugar (for example, frozen blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries)
Frozen soybeans (edamame)
Frozen vegetarian burgers, sausage patties, or links
Reduced-fat and sodium vegetarian chili, burritos, and entrees

Fats, Cooking Oils

Cooking oils (such as olive, canola)
Non-fat cooking sprays
Baking fat replacements
Non-hydrogenated shortening
Trans-free liquid or tub margarine
Reduced-fat or nonfat salad dressings

Seasonings vs. Salt

Here are some delicious seasonings to take the place of salt.

Allspice	Basil	Bay Leaves	Black pepper
Caraway seeds	Cayenne	Chili powder	Chinese five-spice
Cinnamon	Cloves	Coriander	Cumin
Curry powder	Dill	Garlic powder	Ginger, ground
Italian seasoning	Marjoram	Mint	Nutmeg
Onion powder	Oregano	Paprika	Parsley
Red pepper flakes	Rosemary
Assorted sodium-free Mrs. Dash seasonings

Sweeteners

Sugar substitutes
Sugar free or "light" maple syrups
Honey
Brown rice syrup for a sweetening alternative to use when baking

Pantry Essentials

Snacks

Assorted raw nuts and seeds (almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds)
Dried fruits
Whole-grain breads, tortillas, pitas
Whole-grain, trans-fat free crackers
Baked, trans-fat-free tortilla chips
Brown rice cakes, popcorn cakes
Whole-grain pretzels
Plain popcorn or light microwave popcorn

Condiments

Assorted vinegars: rice, red wine, balsamic, apple cider, raspberry. These make delicious salad dressings.
Reduced-sodium ketchup
Assorted mustards: whole grain, honey, Dijon, yellow
Reduced-sodium soy sauce
Reduced-fat or nonfat mayonnaise
Barbecue sauce

Beans, Grains, Sauces

Assorted canned beans such as lentils, kidney, garbanzo, pinto, and black beans (Note: Choose low or reduced sodium)
Dried beans (lentils, split peas, garbanzo beans, black beans)
Reduced-sodium soups with beans
Vegetarian chili beans
Vegetarian or nonfat refried beans
Rolled, steel cut, or Irish oats
Oat bran
Whole or ground flaxseeds
Whole-grain cold cereals (Note: Choose cereals that contain 5 or more grams of dietary fiber and fewer than 8 grams of sugar per serving.)
Barley
Brown rice, wild rice, and brown basmati rice
Grains such as wheat berries, couscous, polenta, millet, bulgur, or quinoa (pronounced keen-wa)
Whole-wheat, spelt, or kamut pastas (Note: These whole-grain pastas come in bowtie, fettuccini, lasagna, spaghetti, fusili, spiral, elbow macaroni, and ravioli varieties.)
Wheat germ
Whole-wheat flour and whole-wheat pastry flour
Soy flour
Cornmeal
Reduced-sodium canned diced tomatoes, whole tomatoes, and tomato sauce
Tomato paste
Low-fat or fat-free pasta sauce
Reduced-sodium chicken, beef, and vegetable broths
98% fat-free cream of mushroom or chicken soups