3 meals to help manage cholesterol

A fresh salad bowl with tuna, avocado slices, chopped lettuce, and strawberries, garnished with lemon, surrounded by red bell pepper halves and fresh cilantro on a wooden surface.

It’s easy—and delicious!—to eat your way to a healthier heart. Eye-catching and tasty foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and fish make up the base of a cholesterol-lowering diet. By focusing on these ingredients, you’ll keep saturated and trans fats down while getting a healthy dose of better-for-you fats. Here is a day’s worth of heart-smart meals to get you started:

Breakfast:

A fresh salad bowl with tuna, avocado slices, chopped lettuce, and strawberries, garnished with lemon, surrounded by red bell pepper halves and fresh cilantro on a wooden surface.
Savory barley breakfast bowl
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 1 serving

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Ingredients

Preparation

  1. Scoop cooked barley into a serving bowl and microwave warm. 
  2. While the barley is heating, spray a medium sauté pan with cooking spray and cook mushrooms over a medium flame. When mushrooms soften, add spinach and cook until wilted. 
  3. Put vegetables on top of barley and spray pan with more cooking spray; reduce heat to low. 
  4. Crack egg into pan and cook until whites are set, around 5 minutes. Flip egg and cook on the other side to desired doneness. 
  5. Slip egg on top of vegetables in serving bowl. Sprinkle with Parmesan, walnuts, and freshly cracked black pepper.

Nutrition

(per serving)
  • 303 Calories
  • 16 g Total Fat
  • 3 g Saturated Fat
  • 207 mg Sodium
  • 190 mg Cholesterol
  • 28 g Total Carbs
  • 6 g Fiber
  • 2 g Sugars
  • 15 g Protein
  • 654 mg Potassium

Lunch:

A fresh salad bowl with tuna, avocado slices, chopped lettuce, and strawberries, garnished with lemon, surrounded by red bell pepper halves and fresh cilantro on a wooden surface.
Avocado tuna salad
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Servings 1 serving

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Ingredients

Preparation

  1. Place tuna into a medium bowl and break up large pieces with fork. 
  2. Add avocado, onion, parsley, olive oil, and lemon juice, and mix well. 
  3. Pack tuna into both sides of red bell pepper. 
  4. Serve with whole grain crackers.

Nutrition

(per serving)
  • 483 Calories
  • 22 g Total Fat
  • 3 g Saturated Fat
  • 364 mg Sodium
  • 30 mg Cholesterol
  • 30 g Total Carbs
  • 10 g Fiber
  • 7 g Sugars
  • 20 g Protein
  • 901 mg Potassium

Dinner: 

A fresh salad bowl with tuna, avocado slices, chopped lettuce, and strawberries, garnished with lemon, surrounded by red bell pepper halves and fresh cilantro on a wooden surface.
Green noodle stir-fry
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 1 serving

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Ingredients

Preparation

  1. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and place over a medium flame. Add frozen edamame and cook for around 4 minutes, tossing gently until edamame are heated through. 
  2. Add zucchini to skillet, tossing every minute or so to ensure even cooking. 
  3. Whisk sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and honey together in a small bowl. 
  4. When zucchini is softened, turn off heat. Add cooked spaghetti and dressing to skillet; toss well to combine. 
  5. Pour stir-fry into bowl, top with peanuts before serving.

Nutrition

(per serving)
  • 430 Calories
  • 21 g Total Fat
  • 3 g Saturated Fat
  • 78 mg Sodium
  • 0 mg Cholesterol
  • 44 g Total Carbs
  • 9 g Fiber
  • 12 g Sugars
  • 20 g Protein
  • 490 mg Potassium

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This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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