September is National Cholesterol Education Month, so now is a great time to call up your doctor to get your blood cholesterol checked and learn about food and lifestyle choices that can help you reach your cholesterol-related goals.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute says that high blood cholesterol affects over 65 million Americans; this serious condition can increase your risk for heart disease. People can have high cholesterol and not even know it.
According to The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, lowering high cholesterol levels can lessen your risk for heart disease and also reduce the chance of having a heart attack or dying of heart disease. Below, we’ve compiled a list of resources where you can find tasty low-cholesterol recipes so that you can enjoy your dinner and still be “heart smart” when you eat!
- AllRecipes.com has a comprehensive section on low-cholesterol foods, including recipes (grilled cilantro salmon, marinated barbecued veggies), a guide to low-cholesterol eating, a list of some of the best foods for a low-cholesterol lifestyle, and heart-healthy eating tips.
- MyRecipes.com also has an entire section devoted to those who are looking to lower their cholesterol. Their site includes resources on heart-healthy eating, a list of heart-healthy meals that can be made in under 20 minutes, and some creative low-cholesterol recipes (Parmesan and Root Vegetable Lasagna, anyone?).
- The Food Network’s website also has lots of low-cholesterol recipe ideas–turkey burgers, salmon kebabs, grilled eggplant pizza, and more!
- Food.com has some scrumptious-looking heart-healthy recipe ideas, too. Have your cake and eat it, too–they even have a recipe for low-cholesterol chocolate cake!
- Eating Well has compiled an interesting group of low-cholesterol recipes–pineapple-tofu stir-fry, scallops piccata on angel hair, and beer-battered tilapia with mango salsa are just a few of the tasty-sounding offerings listed.
- The American Heart Association has also compiled a list of heart-healthy recipes. Their list includes breakfast items like a potato and egg scramble topped with tomatoes, side dishes like savory sweet potato fries, main dishes such as Mediterranean seafood stew and lettuce-wrap tacos with black beans and corn…and, yes, even dessert options (the chocolate pudding cake sounds heavenly!).
For the absolute best advice on lowering cholesterol and adopting a more heart-healthy diet, talk to your primary care physician or a nutritionist. If you’re a Health Advocate member and are in-between doctors or don’t have a nutritionist, call us to help you locate an in-network physician.
