High Cholesterol
There’s nothing wrong with a snack during the day. Here are some options if you need to be careful about too much cholesterol.
By
Kristen Stewart
by
Chung Yoon, MD
Fiber-rich fruits and vegetables blended up with protein, provide a satisfying and healthy smoothie.
It can be challenging to know what food you can eat if you have high cholesterol, especially if you’re looking for something to snack on between meals. So many snack foods are loaded with saturated fats and sugar that it may seem prudent to cut out snacks altogether. However, eating at regular intervals is important for keeping normal blood sugar levels and your metabolism moving.
While the best snacks are high in fiber or protein and low in sugar and saturated fats, it’s important to know that, as with every diet, there isn’t a one size fits all answer.
“We're finding that different foods for different people can cause elevated cholesterol,” says Julia Zumpano, RD, from the Cleveland Clinic. “We're finding some people respond really well to a low-saturated-fat vegan diet to lower the cholesterol, and some people respond more on a higher-fat, higher-protein, and low-carb. It's really based on the mix of your genes.”
Still, there are general rules to follow, including keeping mindful of what constitutes a snack. Definitions vary, but multiple dietitians say that a snack is only a small portion of food between meals, preferably around 200 calories. This can range from a piece of fruit to leftovers from last night’s dinner.
Here are some surefire snack ideas that will keep you satisfied and your cholesterol levels stable throughout the day.
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Whole Fruits and Vegetables
Whole foods are food that can be eaten as is, without being altered into another form. An apple can be eaten off a tree and a carrot from the ground (after you wash them, of course). Whole fruits and vegetables can also naturally help lower cholesterol.
A systematic review published in May 2021 in Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases found that certain foods including tomatoes and avocados can help reduce LDL cholesterol in the body.
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Nuts
Nuts like almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, and cashews are high in vitamins and minerals. They also contain good monounsaturated fats, which can help lower cholesterol levels.
Nuts are high in calories, though, so be sure to stick to the recommended 1-ounce single serving size of around 24 almonds, 14 walnut halves, or 12 hazelnuts, recommends theCleveland Clinic.
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Heart-Healthy Dips and Spreads
Another way to eat your vegetables is to combine them with healthy dips. Zumpano recommends a Greek yogurt dip with ranch seasoning and dill or rosemary. Greek yogurt is higher in protein than plain yogurt and has less sugar than flavored yogurt.
Other familiar options include hummus and guacamole. If you are tired of vegetable dippers like carrots and bell pepper, these dips also go great with unsalted pretzels and whole-grain crackers.
A quick and easy snack for fruit is spreading some nut butter over a slice of apple or banana. If you’re in a hurry, most gas stations will have either of these fruit and individual containers of single servings of peanut butter.
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Whole Grain Toasts
There is no reason to throw carbs out of the window if you have high cholesterol; just be mindful of what you’re eating. Whole wheat or whole grain bread is your best bet due to the high amounts of fiber compared with other bread. But they are not a good enough snack on their own.
“I'm always including some source of protein to go with a carbohydrate,” says Luis Rustveld, PhD, RD, and assistant professor at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “What happens if you just have crackers by itself is that you'll probably be hungry an hour later and want to keep snacking. But if you add protein with it, you're going to be full longer throughout the day.
Once you choose your bread, toast it up and top it with any number of heart-healthy options. Almond butter and sliced bananas are suitable for a morning snack, while avocado toast can be a good afternoon option.
For a smaller-scale version of toasts, tuna salad with whole wheat crackers like Triscuits is a more portable option.
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Protein-Rich Smoothies
If eating raw fruits and vegetables seems like a daunting challenge, Rustveld recommends smoothies. But there’s a condition — it has to have protein.
“I would halve the amount of fruit that you add to a smoothie and then add veggies and a scoop of protein,” says Rustveld, emphasizing the importance of balancing ingredients. “I wouldn't have papaya, mango, blueberries, and then a handful of kale and a spoonful of protein powder because it's still going to get all that sugar.”
Instead, use fruit and yogurt as a flavoring and natural sweetener, and make the bulk of your smoothie healthy and high-fiber vegetables that will create a filling and satisfying snack.
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Repurpose Leftovers
If the food you make for your main meals is cholesterol friendly, there is no reason you couldn’t have a smaller portion for a snack the following day. Something high in fiber and protein like a bean and vegetable soup offers lots of substance and vitamins for minimal calories.
Zumpano also recommends turkey roll-ups using low-sodium sliced turkey breasts with a mozzarella cheese stick and mustard rolled up in a whole grain wrap.
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Bag Up Your Own Trail Mix
Some of these snacks may sound like something better eaten at home, but there are plenty of options when you leave the nest. One of the easiest snacks for a busy person is a homemade trail mix with nuts, dried fruits, and whole-grain cereal.
Trail mix can even be made ad hoc while you’re out of the home. Find the 100-calorie individual packets of nuts like Planters NUT-rition Heart Healthy Mix, low-sugar dried fruit at the gas station, and sunflower or pumpkin seeds, and you have a two-minute snack at the ready.
Zumpano says to be wary of pre-made trail mix with higher sugar levels than homemade versions, as many options now include candy and chocolate.
Make Healthy Choices Outside of Your Home
Despite your best planning, you may find yourself without anything to eat. You are on a long drive, and your only option is a gas station or convenience store. Suddenly, your options are limited to prepackaged items and questionable fruit. How can you still snack responsibly?
Samantha Pyser, RD, lead outpatient registered dietitian at NYC Health + Hospitals, Lincoln in New York City, says to look at package labels and make sure the snack has at least 3 grams of fiber and 100 milligrams or less of sodium per serving.
“High-fiber snacks help promote reducing cholesterol, and it also increases satiety,” says Pyser. “If you feel more full after your snack, that can also help prevent overeating because you won't want as much food.”
For energy bars, Pyser recommends Lara bars, Nature Valley Protein Bars, or the Navitas Power Snacks.
If you need the comforting crunch of a chip, the green pea and red lentil Harvest Snaps fit the high-fiber and low-sodium bill. Kale chips, fresh-popped popcorn, and roasted chickpeas can also be great options.
Finding individually packaged servings of some of the snacks mentioned above, like hummus and guacamole, are great, but Pyser recommends looking at the nutrition label before purchasing. Wholly Guacamole makes cholesterol-friendly guacamole snack packs, but the Sabra brand equivalent is too high in sodium.
Additional reporting by Zachary Smith
