Food Guidelines to Lower Your LDL (Bad) Cholesterol
LDL (bad) cholesterol can build up in the
arteries. This build up increases the chance
that you will have heart disease. LDL
cholesterol goals vary and are based on
individual risk factors. Discuss your
individual goal with your provider.
Limit saturated fat, dietary cholesterol
and avoid trans-fat. Saturated fat is found
in fatty meats such as beef and pork, whole
milk, cheese, heavy cream, coconut oil,
butter, fried foods, egg yolks and baked
goods. Trans fat is found in shortening, stick
margarine, frozen pizzas and donuts. Many
of the foods rich in saturated and trans fats
are also high in dietary cholesterol. Some
helpful tips to lower saturated fats, trans fat,
and cholesterol are:
• Eat no more than 6 ounces of lean
meats or poultry or fish each day.
• Choose skim or low-fat dairy
products (milk, cheese, yogurt, ice
cream).
• Use liquid oils (canola, olive,
avocado) instead of solid fats (butter,
lard, shortening, coconut and palm
oils).
• Add beans, soy products and nuts to
your diet.
• Limit foods which contain partially
hydrogenated oils.
• Limit egg yolks to 4 per week.
• Avoid liver and other organ meats.
• Limit shrimp to 3-5 ounces per
week.
• Try to limit saturated fats to about 13
grams per day or less and trans fats
to 2 grams a day or less.
Add in healthy fats. These are liquid fats
also called “unsaturated fats” which can help
lower LDL cholesterol. Omega-3 fats are
also healthy fats and are often called
“polyunsaturated fats.” These are better at
lowering LDL cholesterol. To increase
healthy fats, try:
• To use avocados or nut butters for
spreads or toppings.
• In cooking, use canola, olive,
avocado, peanut, soybean, corn, or
safflower oils.
• Have fatty fish such as salmon,
mackerel, herring, lake trout,
sardines and albacore tuna 2 times
per week.
• Add a handful of nuts and seeds such
as walnuts, almonds, peanuts,
sunflower seeds, flax seeds, or chia
seeds.
• Include tofu, soybeans, soy nuts,
tempeh, and edamame more often.
Eat foods high in fiber. Eating foods that
are high in fiber helps in many ways besides
lowering LDL cholesterol. Foods that are
high in soluble fiber are better at lowering
LDL cholesterol. It’s best to slowly increase
the amount of fiber in your diet. This
prevents stomach aches, bloating, gas,
constipation, and diarrhea. A few helpful
tips to increase the fiber in your diet are:
• Eat 2-4 servings of fruit and 2-4
servings of vegetables per day.
• Make most of your grains. (Whole
grains such as wheat, barley, brown
rice, wild rice, quinoa, oatmeal, or
oat bran).
• Have beans or nuts as a topping on
salads or as the protein in a veggie
wrap.
• Include oat bran, oatmeal, barley,
legumes, and ground flax seed more
often as they are high in soluble
fiber.
Add plant stanols or sterols. Include 2
grams of plant stanols or sterols per day.
This may help lower your LDL cholesterol.
Stanols and sterols are found in fortified
foods or supplements. To add these in your
diet you can:
• Add foods fortified with stanols and
sterols. Ask your dietitian for more
information.
• Include daily supplements such as
CardioSterols or Cholestoff capsules
and Benecol chews.
Achieve healthy weight. If you are
overweight, losing 10 pounds may help you
to lower your LDL cholesterol. To help you
lose weight, you can:
• Increase fruits and vegetables.
• Decrease added sugars from sugar
sweetened drinks.
• Eat smaller portions by using smaller
plates.
• Eat out less often.
Get at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of
exercise every week. Exercise can help
increase your levels of HDL (good)
cholesterol which helps to remove LDL
cholesterol from the blood. If you add
exercise it may also help you to lose weight.
Aim for 30 minutes of physical activity 5
days per week. Choose activities that you
will enjoy such as a brisk walk, biking,
swimming, or running.
Include a vegetarian style meal once per
week. Eating plant proteins from beans,
peas, lentils, soy, and nuts may help lower
your LDL cholesterol. Including soy protein
(25 grams) from soybeans, edamame, soy
nuts, tofu, tempeh, soy milk, soy yogurt, or
textured soy protein may help lower your
LDL cholesterol.
See how much soy protein you get from
some soy-based foods below:
• ½ cup cooked soybeans = 14 g
• ½ cup edamame = 11 g
• ¼ cup soy nuts = 15 g
• ½ cup tofu = 10 g
• ½ cup tempeh = 15 g
• ¼ cup textured soy protein, dry =
11 g
• 1 cup soy milk = 7 g
• 1 cup soy yogurt = 5 g
Sample Meal Ideas to Lower LDL
Cholesterol
Breakfast
• Oatmeal, 100% rolled oats or steel-
cut, 1 cup cooked with 1% milk (4
oz.) with 2 Tbsp. walnuts, 1 tsp
brown sugar and 1 medium banana
• 1 hard-boiled egg, 1 slice whole
wheat toast with 1 tsp jam and 1
orange
• 1 cup whole grain cereal with 4 oz.
1% milk and ½ cup fresh or frozen
berries
• 1 slice of whole wheat toast with 1
Tbsp. natural peanut butter and ½
cup sliced strawberries
• 2 egg whites scrambled with 1 cup
fresh spinach, seasoned with black
pepper or salt-free seasoning, and a
medium apple
Lunch and Dinner
• 3 oz. chicken salad made with low-
fat greek yogurt, lettuce and ½ of
100% whole wheat pita pocket, ½
cup fruit salad and 1% milk
• 1 whole grain tortilla roll-up with 3
oz. low sodium turkey, 1 oz. swiss
cheese, and 1 Tbsp. mustard, 1 cup
raw snow peas and 1 cup frozen or
fresh grapes
• 3 oz. tuna salad in a 100% whole
wheat pita pocket with 3-4 slices bell
peppers and 2 tomato slices, and a
medium apple
• 3 oz. roasted turkey with ½ cup
sautéed carrots and onions, 1 cup
lettuce salad with 1 Tbsp. olive oil
and balsamic vinegar dressing
• ¾ cup marinara sauce with ground
turkey or lean ground beef over 1
cup spaghetti squash, 1 cup romaine
salad with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and
balsamic vinegar dressing, and 1 cup
fresh fruit salad
• 4 oz baked cod, ½ cup brown rice
with scallions, and 1 cup roasted
beets
• 4 oz baked salmon, ½ cup wild rice,
and 1 cup roasted brussels sprouts
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
Snacks
• 1 medium apple + 1 string cheese
• 2 Tbsp nuts + 2 Tbsp dried fruit
• 1 cup pea pods + ½ cup low-fat
Greek yogurt
• 1 oz. peanuts in a shell + 1 medium
orange
• 1 cup bell pepper strips +1/3 cup
guacamole
• 1 oz. low-fat cheese + 1 cup baby
carrots
• 1 medium nectarine +1 oz. almonds
• 4 oz light yogurt + 1 oz. walnuts
• 1 Light Laughing Cow® cheese + 1
cup grape tomatoes
• 4 oz Greek yogurt +1 oz. almonds
• 1 small plum + low-fat cheese
• 1 medium apple, sliced +1 Tbsp
natural peanut butter
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.