Eating a healthy diet can play a big role in helping to reduce and control blood cholesterol levels, which in turn helps reduce the risk of heart disease. This 7-day low-cholesterol diet program offers a variety of ideas and recipes that make it easy to eat the right types of healthy fats and get the right type of fiber to help manage your blood cholesterol levels.
Notes on this food schedule
• Choose soy & linseed bread and oat or whole-grain cereals and wrap them as your favorite varieties.
• Salad vegetables: include a combination of green, yellow/orange, and red leafy vegetables (eg carrot, lettuce, cucumber, capsicum, watery vegetable, and tomato).
• Choose brown/whole pasta and rice.
• Add green tea every day – substitute your own black tea instead of green tea.
Want a version of this diet plan to print and use offline? Download the entire low cholesterol diet plan by clicking on this link.
7-day meal plan to lower cholesterol
DAY- 1
Breakfast
Porridge: Rolled oats with milk + fresh fruit (eg. 2 kiwi fruit or 1 apple).
Morning tea
1 tub yogurt + 1 tbsp linseeds.
Lunch
Healthy Gallo Pinto (1 serve): Serve with an additional green salad and multigrain bread.
Afternoon Tea
4 dried apricot halves + 20g hard cheese.
Dinner
Barley, Chicken & Vegetable Soup: Served with 4 rye crackers spread with avocado.
Extras
30g nuts (preferably walnuts/almonds/pecans).
DAY- 2
Breakfast
Soy & Linseed Toast: Soy & linseed bread (toasted) with 1 tsp spread +/- honey/jam + 1 glass milk.
Morning tea
1 pear + 20g cheese.
Lunch
Chickpea Salad Bread Roll: Mixed salad with ¾ cup canned, drained chickpeas + 1 medium multigrain bread roll spread with nut butter.
Afternoon tea
1 orange.
Dinner
Roast Cauliflower & Egg Salad with Avocado Dressing (1 serve)
Extras
Homemade Smoothie: Made with milk + fruit (eg. a banana or berries or a mango).
DAY- 3
Breakfast
Wholegrain Cereal: Wholegrain flaky cereal with 1 cup milk.
Morning tea
1 pear + 20g cheese.
Lunch
Chicken & Salad Wrap: Barley wrap including 1 slice cheese + tuna/chicken/turkey, and plenty of salad vegetables.
Afternoon tea
1 tub yogurt topped with 30g nuts (preferably walnuts/almonds/pecans).
Dinner
Grilled Steak with Vegetables: Grilled steak (using canola or olive oil) with mashed sweet potato and steamed vegetables.
Extras
1 cup fruit salad.
DAY- 4
Breakfast
Easy “On-The-Go” Breakfast Muffins + 1 glass of milk.
Morning tea
30g nuts (preferably walnuts/almonds/pecans).
Lunch
Sardine Salad Bread Roll: Mixed salad with 1 can of sardines+ 20g hard cheese + 1 medium multigrain bread roll.
Afternoon tea
1 medium apple.
Dinner
Lentil, Vegetable & Barley Soup: Lentils with vegetables, vegetable stock, and barley. Serve with toasted soy and linseed bread.
Extras
3 large figs + 1 tub yogurt.
DAY- 5
Breakfast
Muesli and Linseeds with Yoghurt: + 1 serve fruit (eg. 1 cup cherries or 2 tbsp raisins, currants, or sultanas).
Morning tea
2 slices cheese slices on 4 rye crackers.
Lunch
Spicy Chickpea and Egg Soup (1 serve): Serve with additional vegetables or salad.
Afternoon tea
30g mixed nuts.
Dinner
Kidney Bean Pasta: Wholemeal pasta with tomato-based sauce and ¾ cup canned, drained red kidney beans + side salad with canola oil dressing.
Extras
2 cups strawberries stirred into ¼ cup ricotta cheese, drizzled with honey.
DAY- 6
Breakfast
Eggs on Toast: 2 large eggs (poached or boiled) on wholegrain toast with 1 tsp spread + 1 glass of milk.
Morning tea
2 small peaches + 30g nuts.
Lunch
Chicken Hommus Sandwich: Sandwich made with soy & linseed bread, hommus spread + tuna/chicken/turkey, and salad vegetables.
Afternoon tea
Strawberry, Mango & Yoghurt Parfait: 200g yogurt layered with ½ cup sliced mango and ½ cup strawberries.
Dinner
Grilled Fish with Vegetables: Grilled salmon or mackerel with brown rice and steamed vegetables.
Extras
30g cheese on crackers.
DAY- 7
Breakfast
Barley Cereal: Barley-based cereal with 1 cup of milk.
Morning tea
1 cup mixed berries + 1 tub yogurt.
Lunch
Baked Beans, Spinach & Tomato on Toast: Baked beans with soy & linseed toast with 1 tsp spread+ steamed spinach and grilled tomato.
Afternoon tea
4 dried apricot halves + 20g hard cheese.
Dinner
Stir-fried Hokkien Noodles with Beef and Vegetables: Lean beef strips and vegetables stir-fried in sesame oil and served with Hokkien noodles.
Extras
30g nuts (preferably walnuts/almonds/pecans).
FAQ
What meal plan is good for high cholesterol?
Luckily a generally healthy diet high in nutrient-dense whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins is fairly sufficient in managing cholesterol levels. A DASH diet, designed to help manage blood pressure has also been associated with favorable impacts on blood cholesterol.
Can drinking lots of water reduce cholesterol?
Moreover, plenty of water can improve your metabolic rate, which may help you lose weight. Cholesterol is not water soluble. But, the more hydrated you are, the better your body functions to bring HDL, the “good” cholesterol, to clear from blood vessels.
