3 meals to help manage cholesterol

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: savory barley breakfast bowl

Makes 1 serving | Prep: 5 min | Cook: 15 min

Ingredients

• ½ cup cooked hulled barley
• ½ cup sliced button mushrooms
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp chopped walnuts
• Freshly cracked black pepper

Preparation

• Scoop cooked barley into a serving bowl and microwave warm. 
• 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. 
• Put vegetables on top of barley and spray pan with more cooking spray; reduce heat to low. 
• Crack egg into pan and cook until whites are set, around 5 minutes. Flip egg and cook on the other side to desired doneness. 
• Slip egg on top of vegetables in serving bowl. Sprinkle with Parmesan, walnuts, and freshly cracked black pepper.

Nutrition 

Calories: 303 | total fat: 16 g | saturated fat: 3 g | sodium: 207 mg | cholesterol: 190 mg | total carbohydrates: 28 g | fiber: 6 g | sugars: 2 g | protein: 15 g | potassium: 654 mg

Lunch: avocado tuna salad

Makes 1 serving | Prep: 5 min | Cook: 0 min

Ingredients

• 3 oz can water-packed tuna, drained
• ½ medium avocado, chopped
• 2 Tbsp chopped onion
• 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 medium red bell pepper, halved, seeds and stems removed
• 1 serving of high-fiber crackers

Preparation

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

Nutrition

Calories: 483 | total fat: 22 g | saturated fat: 3 g | sodium: 364 mg | cholesterol: 30 mg | total carbohydrates: 30 g | fiber: 10 g | sugars: 7 g | protein: 20 g | potassium: 901 mg

Dinner: green noodle stir-fry

Makes 1 serving | Prep: 5 min | Cook: 15 min

Ingredients

• 1 medium zucchini, cut into thin long strips or “zoodles”
• ½ cup cooked whole wheat spaghetti
• ½ cup frozen shelled edamame
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 Tbsp unsalted peanuts

Preparation

• 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. 
• Add zucchini to skillet, tossing every minute or so to ensure even cooking. 
• Whisk sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and honey together in a small bowl. 
• When zucchini is softened, turn off heat. Add cooked spaghetti and dressing to skillet; toss well to combine. 
• Pour stir-fry into bowl, top with peanuts before serving.

Nutrition 

Calories: 430 | total fat: 21 g | saturated fat: 3 g | sodium: 78 mg | cholesterol: 0 mg | total carbohydrates: 44 g | fiber: 9 g | sugars: 12 g | protein: 20 g | potassium: 490 mg