Printable List Of Foods To Avoid With High Cholesterol: Heart-Healthy Alternatives

Your primary healthcare provider analyzes your cholesterol levels as one way to gauge your overall heart health. 

If your numbers are above the target range, health authorities often first recommend trying to improve your numbers through lifestyle and diet changes. 

To help you feel more confident about managing your heart health, we’ve created a printable list of foods you may want to avoid if you have high cholesterol.

There’s also an abundance of delicious, heart-healthy alternatives you can enjoy instead.

Keep reading to get started. 

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How Can Diet Help with Cholesterol?

Several factors, including genetics, physical activity, and food and beverage choices, can affect your cholesterol levels. 
To lower your cholesterol levels, health authorities recommend making the following dietary changes: 

• Limit your intake of saturated fats (fatty cuts of meat, high-fat dairy products, and desserts). 
• Eat more whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and beans to increase your fiber intake. 
• Decrease your intake of refined and ultra-processed products, such as sodas, fried items, frozen meals, etc. 
• Use fresh herbs and ground spices when cooking, and be conscious of the amount and type of cooking fat and oil you add when preparing your meals. 

Printable List of Foods to Avoid With High Cholesterol

Below are foods that you may want to avoid if you have high cholesterol.

Many of these items contain high amounts of saturated and trans fats, salt, and sugar.

This list is generalized, and a dietitian can suggest more personalized and culturally relevant recommendations.

Organ Meats (Liver, Kidneys)

Organ meats are high in saturated fats and cholesterol (which may raise blood cholesterol in some people) and should be limited in a heart-healthy diet. 

Many people eat organ meats, such as liver and kidneys, for protein.

These cuts of meat can also be rich in nutrients (liver has high iron) and are usually inexpensive compared to other types of animal proteins. 

Fatty Cuts of Meat  

Fatty cuts of meat have visible white streaks or marbling through them, and sometimes pieces attached to the cut itself.

When cooked, these fatty pieces are sometimes called the “gristle.” 

These types of meats are high in saturated fat and should be limited when following a heart-healthy diet.

Examples of fatty cuts include: 

• Pork belly. 
• Ribeye, T-bone, and New York strip steaks. 
• Full-fat ground beef, pork, lamb. 
• Poultry with skin fried on. 

Battered and deep-fried meats or fish (like chicken tenders and fish sticks) will be high in saturated and trans fats and should also be limited. 

Processed Meats 

Processed meats are smoked, cured, or have additional preservatives to make them last longer.

The current USDA nutrition guidelines recommend limiting your intake of these foods for overall health and cholesterol management. 

These are examples of some processed and ultra-processed meats:  

• Bacon (including turkey bacon). 
• Hot dogs. 
• Sausages.
• Deli meat with clear marbling (salami, pastrami, bologna, etc.) 
• Jerky. 
• Corned beef. 

Full-Fat Dairy Products

Whole-fat dairy products are naturally high in saturated fats, and choosing lower-fat options may be better for your cholesterol levels. 

Try to limit your intake of these foods: 

• Full-fat cheeses. 
• Butter and ghee. 
• Ice-cream. 
• Whole milk. 
• Heavy cream. 
• Full-fat sour cream. 
• Whole milk yogurt. 

Foods High in Sodium

Sodium (salt) intake isn’t directly linked to cholesterol levels, but you should moderate your consumption to improve overall heart health.

Your primary health care provider can tell you how much salt you should consume daily, but federal guidelines suggest staying under 2300 mg. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state that these foods are the top sources of salt intake for Americans: 

• Sandwiches. 
• Seasoned grain-based dishes. 
• Meat, poultry, and fish dishes. 
• Pizza. 
• Soups. 
• Chips, crackers, and savory snacks. 
• Desserts and sweet snacks. 
• Condiments and gravies. 
• Cold cuts and cured meats. 
• Breads and tortillas. 

Heart-Healthy Alternatives for Lowering Cholesterol

There are plenty of heart-healthy alternatives that can support your cholesterol goals.

Foods that fit the bill for heart health have at least one of these properties: 

• They have soluble fiber, which is proven to lower cholesterol levels and have other health benefits. 
• They have poly or monounsaturated fats—the healthy cousin to saturated and trans fats.  
• They are whole, minimally processed items with little to no added sugars, salts, fats, or preservatives. 

Plant-Based Protein Sources

Replacing meats that are high in saturated fats with lean, plant-based proteins may help your heart health.

Examples of these foods include: 

• Kidney beans. 
• Chickpeas (garbanzo beans). 
• Black beans. 
• Lentils. 
• Navy beans. 
• Pinto bans. 
• Edamame (whole soybeans). 
• Tofu (made from soybeans). 

Nuts and seeds contain heart-healthy fats and small amounts of protein, but this may not be enough to satisfy your daily protein requirements.

Combine them with other protein-rich foods to ensure you get enough at meals. 

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Lean Cuts of Meat

Lean cuts of meat have lower levels of saturated fats and can be included in a heart-healthy diet.

You can season them with low-salt spice blends and fresh herbs to add more flavor. 

Examples of lean meats include: 

• Skinless chicken breast and turkey breast. 
• Extra-lean ground beef. 
• Sirloin. 
• Pork loin. 

Omega-3 Rich Fish 

Omega-3 fatty acids are found in some fish and can reduce your heart disease and stroke risk.

The American Heart Association recommends eating omega-3-rich fish twice weekly to get enough omega-3. 

Examples of omega-3-rich fish are: 

• Salmon. 
• Trout. 
• Mackerel. 
• Herring. 

Plant-based sources of omega-3 include walnuts, chia seeds, and flax seed or flax seed oil.

Some research suggests flax seed oil may help lower cholesterol in some people, but more research is needed. 

Low-fat Dairy and Dairy Alternatives

Low-fat dairy products contain less saturated fat than whole-fat varieties and may be a better option for lowering cholesterol in some people.  

Plant-based dairy alternatives often don’t have saturated fat or as much protein, but fortified varieties have essential nutrients to help you meet your daily intake goals.

Examples include:

• Low-fat or zero-fat skim milk. 
• Reduced-fat cheeses. 
• Low-fat or zero-fat yogurt. 
• Unsweetened soy milk. 
• Unsweetened cashew milk. 
• Unsweetened rice milk. 
• Unsweetened almond milk. 

Whole Grains

Whole grains contain fiber and are a good source of energy.

For optimal health, the current USDA nutrition guidelines suggest that at least 50% of your daily carbohydrate intake should be whole grains. 

Here are some whole grains to eat more often:

• Quinoa. 
• Teff. 
• Amaranth. 
• Bulgur. 
• Buckwheat. 
• Brown rice. 
• Sorghum. 
• Wheatberries. 

Healthy Fats

Poly and monounsaturated fats are considered “healthy fats.” Include more of these foods in your diet to eat more healthy fats: 

• Some plant-based oils (olive, sunflower, avocado, canola, etc.) 
• Nuts and nut butter. 
• Seeds and seed butter. 
• Avocados. 
• Omega-3-rich fish (we listed some examples above!) 

How to Build Heart-Healthy Meals 

The USDA MyPlate tool makes eating a nutritious, filling diet easy.

To use this tool, fill half your plate with vegetables and fruits, a quarter with lean protein, and the final quarter with high-quality carbohydrates. 

Here are a few examples of a heart-healthy meal: 

• Grilled skinless chicken breast served with lime and cilantro brown rice. Grilled zucchini on the side and a delicious green salad complete the meal. 
• Baked salmon filet and served with herbed quinoa. Add sautéed asparagus and cauliflower on the side for vegetables. 
• Stewed five-bean chili with green pepper, tomatoes, carrots, corn, and spices. Serve with a whole-grain bun.  

Try a free 7-day meal plan to lower cholesterol for more heart-healthy meal ideas.

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Takeaway

Your nutrition choices can affect your cholesterol levels, and you may benefit from making some dietary changes. 

For better heart health outcomes, it’s recommended that you decrease your intake of processed meats, reduce your consumption of saturated and trans fats, and limit your sodium intake to 2300mg daily. 

You can use the MyPlate tool to quickly assemble nutritionally balanced meals that support your health goals.

If you want food or recipe ideas, ask your registered dietitian for personalized advice. 

How a Dietitian Can Help

A registered dietitian can teach you how to improve your cholesterol and overall health through dietary changes.

They’ll go above and beyond to ensure you have a sustainable plan in place to help you achieve your health goals. 

Every dietitian appointment at Nourish is done online and covered by insurance.

At every session, you’ll have the full hour to discuss your current diet, review beneficial changes, and learn how to navigate potential roadblocks (like what to order when dining out or how to respond to cravings). 

Find a dietitian covered by insurance through Nourish today.