Foods That Are Low in Cholesterol

Foods that are low in cholesterol offer a variety of flavorful options

Following the TLC Diet (developed by the National Institutes of Health) means satisfying your taste buds while doing something good for your health. The diet includes a variety of foods that are low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol. Here is the diet broken down by food groups:

  • Breads/Cereals/Grains: Have 6 or more servings a day of whole-grain breads, cereals, pasta, rice, and potatoes. Adjust to your calorie needs.
  • Vegetables/Dry Beans/Peas: Enjoy 3 to 5 servings a day of these nutritious, fiber-rich foods. Eat them fresh, frozen, or canned (without added fat or salt).
  • Fruits: Just 2 to 4 servings a day give you vitamins, fiber, and other key nutrients. Eat them fresh, frozen, canned, or dried (without added sugar).
  • Dairy Products: Have 2 to 3 servings a day of foods such as fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese, and low-fat cheese.
  • Eggs: Eat 2 or fewer yolks per week. Egg whites or egg substitutes are a protein-rich, no-cholesterol alternative to whole eggs.
  • Meat/Poultry/Fish: Have 5 or fewer ounces a day of lean beef/hamburger, pork, chicken (without the skin), and cold cuts made of lean meat. Limit organ meats, which are high in cholesterol, and eat shrimp only occasionally, as they are moderately high in cholesterol.
  • Fats/Oils: The amount that you eat should depend on your calorie needs. This includes nuts in moderation, unsaturated vegetable oils (such as canola and olive oil), and other fats labeled “low saturated fat.”

Fill your shopping cart with foods that are low in cholesterol

Different foods help lower cholesterol in different ways. Some are high in soluble fiber, which binds to cholesterol. Others have polyunsaturated fats, which help lower LDL. Still others contain plant sterols and stanols, which can block cholesterol absorption.

This helpful shopping list includes 11 foods that are low in cholesterol:

  • Oats (oatmeal or cold oat-based cereals)
  • Barley and other whole grains
  • Beans
  • Eggplant and okra
  • Nuts (almonds, walnuts, peanuts, and others)
  • Vegetable oils (canola, sunflower, olive, and others)
  • Apples, grapes, strawberries, and citrus fruits
  • Foods fortified with sterols and stanols
  • Soy (soybeans, tofu, and soy milk)
  • Fatty fish
  • Fiber supplements (called psyllium)

Next: Learn about how exercise helps manage cholesterol

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IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION ABOUT CRESTOR TABLETS

  • CRESTOR is not right for everyone.
  • Do not take CRESTOR if you have liver problems or are allergic to rosuvastatin or any of the ingredients in CRESTOR.
  • Call your healthcare provider right away if you have unexplained muscle pain or weakness, especially with fever; have muscle problems that do not go away even after your healthcare provider told you to stop taking CRESTOR; feel unusually tired; or have loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark urine, or yellowing of skin or eyes. These could be signs of rare but serious side effects.
  • Your healthcare provider may do blood tests to check your liver before starting treatment and if you have symptoms of liver problems while taking CRESTOR.
  • CRESTOR may cause you to have protein and blood in your urine.
  • Elevated blood sugar levels have been reported with statins, including CRESTOR.
  • The most common side effects may include headache, nausea, muscle aches, weakness, and constipation.
  • Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. CRESTOR may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how CRESTOR works.
  • Tell your healthcare provider if you are pregnant or may become pregnant. CRESTOR can pass in breast milk and may harm your baby. Do not breastfeed while taking CRESTOR.
  • Talk to your healthcare provider for more information about CRESTOR.

Approved Uses

  • Prescription CRESTOR is used:
    • to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular (CV) events, such as death from cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke or the need for procedures to improve blood flow to the heart called arterial revascularization in adults who do not have known heart disease but do have certain additional risk factors
  • CRESTOR is used along with diet to:
    • lower the level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) or “bad” cholesterol in adults with primary hyperlipidemia
    • slow the buildup of fatty deposits (plaque) in the walls of blood vessels
    • treat adults and children 8 years of age and older with high blood cholesterol due to heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH), an inherited condition that causes high levels of LDL-C
    • along with other cholesterol lowering treatments or alone if such treatments are unavailable in adults and children 7 years of age and older with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH), an inherited condition that causes high levels of LDL-C
    • to treat adults with primary dysbetalipoproteinemia (an inherited condition that causes high levels of cholesterol and fat) or hypertriglyceridemia

Please read the Patient Information and full Prescribing Information.

You may report side effects related to AstraZeneca products.

References:

  • 1a 1b 1c 1d CRESTOR® (rosuvastatin) [prescribing information]. Wilmington, DE: AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP; 2024.
  • ^ Lipitor® (atorvastatin calcium) [prescribing information]. Morgantown, WV: Viatris Specialty LLC, 2024.
  • ^ Zocor® (simvastatin) [Prescribing Information]. Jersey City, NJ: Organon & Co.; 2023.
  • ^ Davidson M, Ma P, Stein EA, et al. Comparison of effects on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol with rosuvastatin versus atorvastatin in patients with type IIa or IIb hypercholesterolemia. Am J Cardiol. 2002;89:268–275.
  • ^ Schwartz GG, Bolognese MA, Tremblay BP, et al. Efficacy and safety of rosuvastatin and atorvastatin in patients with hypercholesterolemia and a high risk of coronary heart disease: A randomized, controlled trial. Am Heart J. 2004;148:e4.
  • ^ Olsson A, Istad H, Luurila O, et al. Effects of rosuvastatin and atorvastatin compared over 52 weeks of treatment in patients with hypercholesterolemia. Am Heart J. 2002;144:1044-1051.

Reference:

^ Data on File, US-62651. AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP.

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IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION AND APPROVED USES FOR CRESTOR TABLETS

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