Heart Health: Food Guidelines to Reduce LDL Cholesterol and Triglycerides HF#519

 To reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol in your blood:

• Limit saturated fat (fatty meats, whole milk, cheese, cream), trans fat (shortening, stick margarine, donuts, foods fried in restaurants), and cholesterol (eggs, liver, other organ meats) in the foods you eat.
• Eat foods high in fiber (whole grains, vegetables, beans, fruits, nuts).
• Lose weight if you are overweight.
• Get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week.

 

To reduce triglycerides in your blood:

• Lose weight if you are overweight.
• Get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week.
• Avoid sweet drinks like soda, fruit juice, fruit drinks, Kool-Aid, and energy drinks.
• Limit the amount of starchy food (bread, pasta, rice, potato, corn,   crackers)  and sweets (cake, cookies, pie, candy) that you eat. 
• Limit alcohol to no more than 1-2 drinks per day.

 

Protein foods should be limited to 1/4 of the space on your plate, so use small portions.  Your serving of protein should be about the size of a deck of cards. Prepare meats by baking, broiling, grilling or roasting.

	Recommended Foods	Not Recommended Foods
Proteins-Meat Poultry, Fish Dried Beans	Fish, all types- fresh, frozen, canned Shellfish- limit shrimp to once per week Chicken, turkey- skinless Lean beef and pork- sirloin, tenderloin, round, extra lean ground beef, ham Dried beans (navy, black, pinto) and split peas lentils	Fish, breaded and deep fried Poultry- with skin or deep fried Fatty beef and pork- T-bone, prime rib, rib eye, regular ground beef, ribs, liver Sausage, bacon, bratwurst, hot dogs, bologna Refried beans, unless fat-free Baked beans with fatty meat added
Eggs	Egg whites, egg substitutes	Egg yolks- limit to 2 per week
Dairy Products	Skim or 1% milk Low fat or fat-free yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, cream cheese Part-skim cheese- 5 gm fat/ounce or less (mozzarella, farmers, string cheese)	2% or whole milk Full-fat yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese Full-fat cheese (most cheddar, colby, muenster, brick)

 

 
Fats and Oils  Fats and oils add flavor, but they are high in calorie.
Use moderate amounts of any type of fat to keep calories low.  

 

	Recommended Foods	Not Recommended Foods
Fats and Oils	Soft Tub margarine Liquid vegetable oil (olive, canola, corn, soybean) Salad dressings without cheese or cream Mayonnaise Gravy made from broth with fat skimmed off	Stick margarine, shortening(trans fats) Butter, lard Coconut or palm oil Regular gravy
Nuts or Seeds	Any type, but limit to a handful per day Peanut Butter, almond butter

 

 

Starchy foods should be limited to ¼ of the space on your plate, so use small servings.
Some vegetables are included in this group because they are high in starch and calories.

	Recommended Foods	Not Recommended Foods
Starchy Foods	Whole grain bread, rolls, English muffins Whole grain crackers, low in fat Whole grain pasta or noodles, brown rice Muffins made with vegetable oils Oatmeal, regular or unsweetened instant Whole grain unsweetened cereals Potato, sweet potato, corn, peas	Any starchy food made with butter, lard, cheese or shortening Ramen noodles, chow mein noodles Sweetened cereals Croissants, sweet rolls, donuts Noodles or rice mixes with cheese or butter French fries

 

Aim for 1-2 cups of fruit each day.  Fruit is a healthy food, but too much fruit could raise your triglycerides.  Use whole fruit instead of juice to get more fiber in your diet. 

 

	Recommended Foods	Not Recommended Foods
Fruit	Fresh or frozen fruit, no sugar added Fruit canned in light syrup or canned in fruit juice Dried fruit- limit serving size because sugar content is high.	More than 2 cups of fruit per day

 

 

Vegetables should fill 1/2 of the space on your plate at meals.  Vegetables also make good snacks.  "Eat the rainbow" by including a wide variety of different colored vegetables- green, yellow, red, purple- to provide the best variety of vitamins and minerals.

Prepare vegetables by steaming, roasting, grilling, or stir-frying (with olive or canola oil).  Remember that potato, corn, sweet potato and peas are starches and need to be limited.

 

	Recommended Foods	Not Recommended Foods
Vegetables	Fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables without added salt Avocados- they contain healthy fats Olives- limit use, high in salt	Frozen vegetables with cheese or butter sauces Canned vegetables with added salt

 

 

All desserts and snacks should be used in small portions because they are high in sugar and calories and can raise your triglycerides.  Eat no more than 1 small dessert per day.

 

	Recommended Foods	Not Recommended Foods
Desserts or Snacks	Reduced fat ice cream or frozen yogurt Cakes or cookies made with egg whites and oil Trans fat free chips, pretzels Popcorn made with oil, no butter	Ice cream or frozen custard Cakes, pies or cookies made with butter, lard, shortening and/or egg yolks. Chips made with trans fat

 

 

Sweet drinks contain large amounts of sugar.  Twelve ounces of regular soda and many unsweetened fruit juices contain 10 teaspoons of sugar.  The sugar in these drinks raises your triglyceride level and makes it harder to lose weight.

	Recommended Foods	Not Recommended Foods
Beverages	Water Coffee, tea, herbal tea without added cream or sugar Fruit juice- limit to 4 ounces per day Zero calorie soft drinks, drink mixes, flavored water	Coffee or tea drinks with cream or sugar added Soda, fruit drinks, Kool-Aid®, flavored water, and energy drinks that contain sugar

 

 

Alcohol increases the amount of triglycerides that your body produces.  Men should have no more than 2 drinks per day and women should have no more than 1 drink per day.  One drink equals one 12 oz. beer (light or regular), 4 oz. of wine, 1.5 oz. of 80-proof spirits, or 1 oz. of 100-proof spirits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The information provided should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

Last Updated: 08/14/2012

Copyright © 02/24/2012 University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority. All rights reserved. Produced by the Department of Nursing. HF#519

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