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Try these fantastic healthy recipes for a low-cholesterol diet

Tasty recipes to help your cardiovascular system

Christine VanDoren
By
low cholesterol cauliflower foods.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Looking for some new healthy recipes to support your low-cholesterol diet? In this article, we’re going to cover a few tasty low-cholesterol recipes that can boost your health in numerous ways. We’ll also address the reasons to follow a low-cholesterol diet in the first place!

What are the benefits of a low-cholesterol diet?

Reduces the risk of heart disease

Heart disease can occur when there is a buildup of plaque in your arteries. This plaque comes from LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol), so lowering these levels by following the low-cholesterol diet and eating well could help reduce your risk. Keep in mind that there is still good cholesterol, and that is HDL.

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You may also experience a lessened risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular ailments.

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Promotes weight loss

Because the low-cholesterol diet encourages you to eat healthy meals and cut out processed and high-fat foods, you will likely naturally consume fewer calories on a daily basis. This can lead to weight loss. Of course, factors like exercise, daily movement, age, weight, gender, and genetics, will also play a role in how your body could change.

Healthy low-cholesterol breakfasts to try

Essential green smoothie

Recipe from

Nutrition Facts:

  • Calories: 170
  • Fat: 6 g
  • Sodium: 110 mg
  • Carbohydrates: 29 g
  • Fiber: 7 g
  • Sugar: 19 g
  • Protein: 3 g

Ingredients:

The following makes 1 serving:

  • 1 cup packed baby spinach
  • 1/2 medium apple, cored
  • 1/4 medium avocado, peeled and pitted
  • 1 cup unsweetened raw coconut water
  • 3 ice cubes

Instructions:

  1. Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender. Blend on high for 30 seconds or until smooth.
  2. Pour into a large glass and drink immediately.

My Thoughts

This is one of my favorite green smoothie recipes because it’s simple and dense with nutrients! I personally reduced the coconut water to 1/3 cup, and I added one scoop of vanilla protein powder to turn it into a post-workout shake. 

Salmon shakshuka

Recipe from

Nutrition Facts:

  • Calories: 370
  • Fat: 15 g
  • Sodium: 1,310 mg
  • Carbohydrates: 32 g
  • Fiber: 4 g
  • Sugar: 8 g
  • Protein: 27 g

Ingredients:

The following makes 4 servings:

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large red onion, peeled and diced
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
  • 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (5-ounce) can red salmon, drained and flaked
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 4 large free-range eggs
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions:

  1. Heat oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, bell pepper, and bird’s eye chili until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, paprika, and cumin. Cook, stirring continuously, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  2. Stir in tomatoes, beans, salmon, and salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and bring to a low simmer. Use the back of a large spoon to make four hollows in the tomato mixture. Crack 1 egg into each hollow and cover skillet.
  3. Maintain a gentle simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until eggs are lightly poached but yolks are still runny.
  4. Remove from heat and top with parsley, cilantro, and feta. Serve immediately.

My Thoughts

I was a fan of this recipe as well. I was worried it would taste a bit “too healthy,” but the ingredients all really complement each other, and I thought it was delicious! With this recipe, I switched out the red bird’s eye chili for crushed red pepper flakes, and I used fresh salmon instead of canned. I also doubled the amount of recommended salmon to get more protein.

Overall, this salmon shakshuka took quite a bit of time to prepare, but I thought it was worth it, considering it got me to enjoy various protein sources and veggies for breakfast!

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Christine VanDoren
Christine VanDoren
Contributor
Christine is a certified personal trainer and nutritionist with an undergraduate degree from Missouri State University. Her…
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