Healthy food choices to lower cholesterol

Content provided by Healthwise

Here is a variety of healthy food choices and foods to avoid:

**Meat, poultry, and fish**
Choose	Avoid
Lean and well-trimmed cuts of: Beef Pork Lamb	Regular ground beef Fatty cuts Spare ribs Organ meat
Poultry without skin	Poultry with skin Fried chicken
Seafood Fish Shellfish	Fried fish Fried shellfish
Processed meat prepared from lean meats Turkey ham Turkey frankfurters	Regular luncheon meat Bologna Salami Sausage Frankfurters

**Eggs**
Choose	Avoid
Egg whites (two whites can be substituted for one whole egg in recipes) Cholesterol-free egg substitute	Egg yolks (includes eggs used in cooking and baking)

**Dairy products**
Choose	Avoid
Milk 1% fat or non-fat (fluid, powdered, evaporated) Buttermilk (1% or skim)	Whole milk (fluid, evaporated, condensed) 2% fat milk (low-fat)
Yogurt Nonfat or low-fat (1%) Nonfat or low-fat yogurt beverages	Whole-milk yogurt Whole-milk yogurt beverages
Cheese Low-fat or nonfat	Regular cheeses (American, bleu, Brie, cheddar, Colby, Edam, Monterey jack, whole-milk mozzarella, parmesan, Swiss) Cream cheese
Cottage cheese (0% to 2% fat) Low-fat Nonfat Dry curd	Cottage cheese (4% fat)
Frozen dairy dessert (low-fat or nonfat) Ice milk Frozen yogurt	Ice cream
Low-fat or nonfat coffee creamer	Cream Half and half Whipping cream Nondairy creamer Whipped topping
Low-fat or nonfat sour cream	Sour cream

**Fats and oils**
Choose	Avoid
Monounsaturated oils Olive Canola Peanut Polyunsaturated oils Safflower Sunflower Corn Soybean Sesame	Tropical oils Coconut oil Palm kernel oil Palm oil
Soft margarine (made from unsaturated oils listed above) Light or diet margarine (especially soft or liquid forms) Margarines made with plant sterols or plant stanols	Butter Lard Shortening Bacon fat Hard margarine
Salad dressings Made with unsaturated oils listed above Low-fat Fat-free	Dressings made with: Egg yolk Cheese Sour cream Whole milk
Seeds and nuts Natural peanut butter (no hydrogenated oil) Other natural nut butters	Peanut butter made with hydrogenated vegetable oil Coconut
Cocoa powder	Milk chocolate

**Breads and cereals**
Choose	Avoid
Breads Whole-grain English muffins Bagels Buns Corn or flour tortilla	Breads in which eggs, fat, and/or butter are a major ingredient Croissants
Cereals Oat Corn Wheat Multigrain	Most granola (unless fat-free)
Pasta, preferably whole wheat	White pasta
Brown rice	White rice
Crackers Low-fat animal crackers Graham Soda crackers Breadsticks Melba toast	High-fat crackers
Homemade baked goods (using unsaturated oil, nonfat or 1% milk, and egg substitute) Quick breads Biscuits Cornbread muffins Bran muffins Pancakes Waffles	Commercially baked goods (especially if they contain saturated fat or hydrogenated fats) Pastries Muffins Biscuits

**Soups**
Choose	Avoid
Reduced or low-fat and reduced-sodium varieties Chicken or beef noodle Minestrone Vegetable Potato Reduced-fat soups made with non-fat milk	Soups containing: Whole milk Cream Meat fat Poultry fat Poultry skin

**Vegetables**
Choose	Avoid
Fresh Frozen Canned (without added fat or sauce)	Fried Prepared with butter, cheese, or cream sauce

**Fruits**
Choose	Avoid
Fresh Frozen Canned	Coconut

These will be limited if triglycerides are high.

**Sweets and desserts**
Choose	Avoid
Beverages Water Skim milk Diet sodas Unsweetened iced tea	Pop or soda Sweetened drinks
Sweets Sugar Syrup Honey Jam Preserves Candy made without fat (candy corn, gumdrops, hard candy)	Candy made with: Milk chocolate Coconut oil Palm kernel oil Palm oil
Frozen desserts Low-fat and nonfat yogurt Ice milk Sherbet Sorbet Fruit ice Popsicles	Ice cream Frozen treats made with ice cream
Cookies, cake, pie, or pudding prepared with: Egg whites Egg substitute Nonfat or 1% milk Unsaturated oil or margarine Ginger snaps Fig and other fruit bar cookies Fat-free cookies Angel food cake	Commercially baked goods (especially if made with saturated fat and hydrogenated fat): Pies Cakes Doughnuts High-fat cookies Cream bars

Credits

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Author	Robin Parks, MS
Editor	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS
Associate Editor	Pat Truman, MATC
Primary Medical Reviewer	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	Robert A. Kloner, MD, PhD - Cardiology
Last Updated	July 11, 2008

Last updated:	July 11, 2008
Author:	Robin Parks, MS
Reviewed By:	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine, Robert A. Kloner, MD, PhD - Cardiology
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman, MATC

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