Low-Cholesterol Cookbook For Dummies

By Molly Siple

Delicious, easy recipes backed by the latest science on lowering cholesterol

Low-Cholesterol Cookbook For Dummies gives you the tools you need to make simple, healthy meals for managing cholesterol. More than 120 recipes—including 40 that are brand new in this edition—are here to fill your plate with delicious food that your taste buds and your heart will thank you for. There’s a ton of new science out there on cholesterol, and this book brings you right up to speed with the latest studies and medical wisdom for managing your cholesterol with diet. Relying on heart-healthy foods—on their own or in conjunction with a statin medication or as an alternative—a low-cholesterol diet can protect your ticker and, thanks to these recipes, can even impress family and friends.

• Learn the basic principles of how diet affects your blood cholesterol
• Discover foods that give you important nutrients and special compounds for lowering cholesterol and preventing heart disease
• Find the right ingredients when shopping, planning menus, and adapting recipes to support your health and please family and friends
• Enjoy more than 120 easy-to-prepare recipes, including breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and desserts

Anyone who wants to control cholesterol while eating well has a friend in Low-Cholesterol Cookbook For Dummies.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wiley
• Release date: Sep 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781119894773

Book preview

Introduction

Good nutrition, the foundation of health, includes choosing foods that help you manage your cholesterol and lower your risk of heart disease. Nutrients in food go to work in amazing ways on the cellular and molecular level to restore normal body function. The vitamins and minerals in the foods I tell you about in this book help your body lower the bad cholesterol, raise the good kind, and protect your arteries from damage. And that’s just the beginning of the long list of everything they do. Of course, you’ve already taken the right first step in deciding to pick up this cookbook. Getting healthier starts in the kitchen!

This new edition of Low-Cholesterol Cookbook For Dummies discusses the basics of good health and includes more than 100 recipes written with your needs in mind, whether you have moderately elevated cholesterol levels or higher, and whether you’re taking medication to lower your cholesterol. You may have special concerns that will require adjustments to the recipes, but you can use them as a starting point. Work with your healthcare professional to tailor your diet as required.

About This Book

This handy guide gives you a good overview of an effective way to manage cholesterol, backed up by my own experience as a nutritionist as well as scientific studies. You can find out about fat, cholesterol, and sugars in foods, and how to put together meals that give you healthy amounts — all in plain English. I also load the pages with information on all the various nutrients that lower LDL cholesterol or raise HDL cholesterol. And you hear all about soluble fiber that soaks up cholesterol and escorts it out of your body. To make this book as up to date as possible, I also touch on some newly recognized risk factors for heart disease that tie in with managing cholesterol.

Chapters cover various categories of foods, such as vegetables or fish. You find out the basics of cooking these foods and also which ones best suit a cholesterol-controlling diet. Use these recommendations to create your grocery shopping list.

This wouldn’t be a cookbook without the recipes. First, they’re delicious so you’ll want to eat them even if they weren’t good for you. And as I created each dish, I made a special effort to feature the most nutritious, fresh, and natural foods that also help manage cholesterol. With certain recipes you have the chance to shop for special ethnic and gourmet ingredients I thought you’d find intriguing.

The recipes are complete, but they may not spell out every detail of prepping and cooking the food. For example, certain steps and techniques in cooking are standard no matter what you’re preparing. In addition, I require specific types of ingredients and also want to make sure that you adhere to a few of my other cooking preferences. Take a quick look at the following list for points that apply to all the recipes:

Organic foods aren’t required, because I figure you have enough to think about in shifting to a more heart-healthy diet. But by all means, buy organic when you can, to spare your body added toxins. Or at least wash produce in one of the products that removes toxins found on the surface of fruits and vegetables.

Fruits and vegetables are washed under cold running water before using.

Pepper is freshly ground pepper. Invest in a pepper mill and give it a few cranks when you want pepper bursting with flavor.

Fresh herbs are specified in many of the recipes for their bright, authentic flavor. But you can still make a recipe if you don’t plan to use these by substituting dry herbs, using one-third the amount of fresh.

Dairy products are lowfat.

Eggs are large unless otherwise indicated.

Sunflower oil and safflower oil are ideally unrefined, but when not available, cook with less processed versions such as expeller-pressed and cold-pressed.

Canned goods are the low-sodium or no-added-salt versions.

Food products never contain any partially hydrogenated oils.

Water is filtered water.

Keep pots uncovered unless I tell you to put on the lid.

If you can’t find the exact ingredient that a recipe calls for, or in a specific amount, don’t worry. A little more or less of an item won’t ruin the dish, and — who knows — if you tinker slightly with the ingredients, you may invent something that you like even better.

Because the first edition was published more than 15 years ago, I include the following updates in this second edition:

The new thinking on dietary cholesterol and why you may not need to worry about eating foods that contain some

A fresh look at sugar, especially Added Sugars in food products that raise cholesterol and triglycerides

Specifics of the updated Nutrition Facts label and the healthier foods now in supermarkets

Approximately 40 new recipes for delicious, everyday dishes that can help you manage your cholesterol

Foolish Assumptions

As I tested the recipes — and I did cook all of them right in my own home kitchen — I pictured you standing there right next to me, following the cooking procedures and sampling the results. I tailored the recipes to suit a certain kind of cook, who I imagine to be like this:

You’re fairly handy in the kitchen. You know the basics, but elaborate cooking techniques are nowhere to be found in this book.

You know how to shop for food. At least, you know your way around a supermarket. But the few times you wandered into one of those fancy natural foods supermarkets, you saw all sorts of ingredients you never heard of. You also have never ventured into or even come across one of those neighborhood ethnic food shops that look untidy but hold an array of culinary treats. I purposely include special ingredients, such as oil-cured kalamata Greek olives, Mexican dried hibiscus flowers, and the Moroccan spice mix, ras el hanout, in various recipes to lead you into these unique stores.

You want dishes with personality and flavors that get your attention. Uninteresting food isn’t worth the trouble of preparing it. It’s fine if a food is good for you, but it better have pizzazz.

Fiddling with recipes is normal for you when you’re trying a dish. Be my guest! I realized that I couldn’t possibly know how much garlic or onion you like, for example. I settled on amounts of ingredients that seemed good to me and to the palates of occasional tasters. (Be forewarned: I currently don’t like lots of chiles, have little interest in soy sauce, and think onions are great in just about everything.)

You realize that putting some time into cooking at least one nutritious meal per day is an important part of taking care of your health and controlling cholesterol. But you’re not signing on for hours of fussing in the kitchen. A recipe that lets you get in and out in an hour or less is what you’re after, or you prefer a dish you can throw together and cook for a while without watching the pot.

Icons Used in This Book

Throughout the book, you can find icons that mark the vital information in low-cholesterol cooking. Here’s a listing of what they mean:

Remember This icon points out general suggestions about shopping, cooking, and eating that are good to keep in mind.

Tip Read through the tips for useful shortcuts and information for food preparation, cooking, shopping, and more.

Warning This icon alerts you to things you should avoid eating or that need to be handled in a specific way, or possible complications that come up while you’re watching your diet or preparing certain foods.

Technicalstuff This text gives you the lowdown on nutrient and vitamin details and scientific studies and findings. You don’t have to read this information to use the recipes in the book, but you may find it interesting.

Beyond This Book

If you’re interested in reading more about controlling your cholesterol, check out the Cheat Sheet at www.dummies.com and search for Low-Cholesterol Cookbook For Dummies for handy information you can refer to again and again.

Where to Go from Here

The nice thing about using a For Dummies book is that you can open it to any chapter and find all that you need to know about a certain topic without having to flip to other sections. You may very well have picked up this book right now simply because you’re hungry and all you want to do is make yourself a salad. Then what you want is Chapter 18. After all, this is a cookbook, and people usually head for the recipes.

However, at some point, perhaps while you munch your salad, I suggest you poke your nose into the first three chapters, especially Chapter 1. This opening chapter gives you a complete overview of the main themes of the book. Also skim over the recommended foods in Chapters 2 and 3 and look at Appendix B for a shopping list of top cooking ingredients to manage your cholesterol. Then you won’t just be the reader. You’ll be the expert!

Part 1

Getting Started in Managing Your Cholesterol

IN THIS PART …

Find out more about this proven way of eating to manage your cholesterol and support your heart health.

Examine saturated fat and how foods that contain cholesterol may or may not raise your own cholesterol levels.

Look more deeply into the role excess sugars in the diet may play in the development of high cholesterol.

Identify all the delicious foods that lower cholesterol in specific ways and examine why soluble fiber and all sorts of other ingredients are good for the heart.

Discover how items you may have been warned about such as eggs, nuts, and certain shellfish, can have a place in a cholesterol-lowering diet.

Explore how you can start following this way of eating by becoming savvy about shopping for nutritious ingredients and setting up your kitchen to cook in healthy ways.

Chapter 1

Managing Cholesterol Is Easier Than You Think

IN THIS CHAPTER

Bullet Sorting out the kinds of cholesterol

Bullet Cutting back on cholesterol and saturated fat

Bullet Souring on added sugars

Bullet Using the guidelines to decide what to eat

Bullet Turning yourself into a savvy cook

Bullet Looking at the recipes

The heart goes about its business, beating 100,000 times a day, and you probably hardly give it a thought, until perhaps you have your cholesterol checked and find out it’s too high. Then suddenly caring for this precious piece of yourself takes center stage. Self-care starts with knowing what to eat and how to cook the foods that are best for you. That’s the reason I wrote this cookbook — to give you a tool for managing cholesterol and keeping your heart healthy with good nutrition.

This chapter serves as your jumping-off point to managing your cholesterol. It tells you about the several ways diet plays a role in cholesterol and introduces you to a healthy way of eating that can reverse your high cholesterol. You can use this information as a preview for the book where I discuss in greater detail shopping for heart-healthy ingredients and setting up a workable kitchen so you’re ready to cook the recipes that are in Part 5.

Understanding Cholesterol — It Doesn’t Grow on Trees

The liver produces cholesterol, whether it’s your liver or the liver of a chicken or cow. Only animal products, such as eggs, meat, and dairy foods, contain cholesterol. Plants don’t have livers, and they don’t contain any cholesterol, which is one reason why a cholesterol-controlling diet features plant foods.

Although you may have worries about having high levels of cholesterol in your blood, you don’t need to fear cholesterol itself. Cholesterol is essential for your body to function. It’s a natural substance your body uses to build cell membranes, make hormones such as testosterone and estrogen, and create bile acids needed to digest and absorb fats. Cholesterol is also an important precursor to vitamin D. Your liver produces all the cholesterol your body needs, but you also absorb a relatively small amount of cholesterol from foods such as eggs, milk, and meats.

Remember What your healthcare provider is referring to when you hear that you have high cholesterol is the kind circulating in the blood, which is a lipoprotein. A lipoprotein is a package of cholesterol, protein, and fat that the liver assembles and releases into the bloodstream.

There are many different types of lipoproteins, but the two you hear most about are as follows:

Low-density lipoproteins (LDL): LDL hauls out cholesterol from the liver; it’s this cholesterol that deposits in arterial walls and initiates the formation of plaques that can narrow the artery. A blood clot at the site where the artery has narrowed can block the flow of blood and trigger a heart attack. (That’s why it’s called the bad cholesterol.)

High-density lipoproteins (HDL): HDL carries cholesterol back to the liver for conversion into bile acids and excretion via the intestinal track. (In this way, HDL earns its nickname, the good cholesterol.)

Remember Therefore, the purpose of a cholesterol-controlling diet is not just to lower total cholesterol, but also to lower LDL and raise HDL.

Managing Cholesterol with Diet

Altering what you daily eat can lead to significant improvements in your total cholesterol level, your levels of LDL and HDL, and triglycerides (a type of fat found in the blood). Some foods show little benefit whereas others are powerful allies. Research about what aspects of diet most affect blood cholesterol is ongoing, and in recent years the emphasis has shifted, which I discuss here.

Considering the new dietary guidelines

Cholesterol and saturated fat are now seen in a new light, whereas a third factor, easily absorbed carbohydrates, for example sugars, has become cause for concern. Take note of the following:

The amount of cholesterol in the foods you eat isn’t the worry it used to be, at least for many people. For those individuals, avoiding foods high in cholesterol is no longer a cure-all and may have little effect.

The longtime advice to cut way back on saturated fat is still in place, but now with an important difference: Rather than aiming at just following a lowfat diet, the new recommendation is to replace saturated fat calories with other kinds of fats that manage cholesterol and are good for the heart. Refer to Chapter 3 where I discuss these other kinds of fats.

Research is showing a link between cholesterol levels and high intake of sugars. The modern diet, with its dependence on food products and fast-food meals, is full of added sugars, and they need to be greatly reduced. Chapter 3 looks at how to reduce these sweeteners.

Eating cholesterol: Yes or no?

Cutting back on the amount of cholesterol you eat to reduce the amount in your blood sounds like good advice, and for some people this suggestion works. But for many, the amount of cholesterol-rich foods in their diet has little or no effect on their blood cholesterol levels. About two-thirds of people fall into this group, a conclusion based on a growing number of studies as well as clinical experience. These folks can enjoy their eggs in the morning and a shrimp dinner at night. When they consume more cholesterol, their body makes less, and when they eat less cholesterol, their body makes more. For them, the liver tightly controls how much cholesterol it makes.

However, the other third of the population does see changes in their cholesterol levels according to how much cholesterol is in their everyday meals. Foods that contain cholesterol raise their blood cholesterol levels. These people are cholesterol-responders, a tendency thought to be genetic. Lowering their cholesterol intake continues to be a key part of their dietary plan. Switching to a modified or fully plant-based diet may be in order and can be effective.

Remember Unfortunately no test can determine which group you’re in. The only way to find out if you’re a cholesterol-responder is to have your cholesterol levels checked, cut cholesterol from your diet, and test your cholesterol again. If you’re sensitive to the cholesterol you eat, you’ll likely see a change in your lab numbers in about three months.

Turning your back on saturated fat

To manage cholesterol, you need to keep the amount of saturated fat you have in your meals to a modest amount. The reason: The liver produces cholesterol and breaks it down, and saturated fat alters the process. As a result, the level of LDL cholesterol increases, raising the risk of heart disease and stroke.

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, determined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), limits saturated fats to less than 10 percent of the calories you consume per day. The American Heart Association goes even further for people who need to lower their cholesterol, dropping calories from saturated fat for both men and women to less than 6 percent of total caloric intake. That’s about 100 to 120 calories, or around 11 to 13 grams for a 2,000-calorie daily diet. With that as your goal, you’d reach your quota in no time. For example, a cup of vanilla ice cream contains 9 grams and a cheeseburger anywhere from 11 to 22 grams.

Refer (again) to Chapter 3 for foods high in saturated fat and how to limit them. I also discuss trans fatty acids that behave similarly to saturated fat, elevating LDL cholesterol almost as much and raising triglycerides. You can also find information about the healthy fats, the monounsaturates and polyunsaturates, and all the foods that contain them.

Cutting back on sugars

Having too much sugar in your diet in its many forms, such as high fructose corn syrup and sucrose found in so many food products, can raise cholesterol and undermine heart health. Such sweeteners impact blood lipids in the following ways:

A diet high in sugars raises LDL cholesterol, triggering the liver to make more.

A sugary diet lowers HDL cholesterol.

Excess sugar greatly raises triglycerides, at the same time inhibiting an enzyme that breaks them down.

Chapter 3 expands on this connection between the intake of sugars and cholesterol explaining reasons for this link and outlines a variety of actions you can take to make sure your blood sugar levels stay steady and within normal range.

Deciding What’s for Dinner

To be able to translate the nutrition guidelines into what to cook for dinner, you need specifics. That’s where Chapters 2 and 3 come in. Chapter 2 is about all the foods that can help you manage your cholesterol and support general heart health, whereas Chapter 3 takes a considered look at the kinds of foods that cause concern, such as high-cholesterol foods and saturated fats, and advises on how to deal with them.

The following sections focus on which foods are best and why. I also give you a handy way to think about foods in terms of which and how often.

Choosing foods for their fiber and nutrients

Soluble fiber is a gel-like substance that helps cart cholesterol out of the system. To a moderate extent soluble fiber, which is found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and even nuts and seeds, can lower total and LDL cholesterol levels.

Tip Ingredients that supply soluble fiber show up in the various recipes in Part 5. Check out the chapters in Part 2 for more information about these heart-healthy ingredients.

An amazing array of other nutrients can also go to work for you, helping keep your cholesterol at healthy levels and your arteries in good shape, including the following:

Antioxidants: Vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene prevent oxidation, a kind of chemical reaction that can damage tissue and substances like cholesterol.

Remember Consuming several antioxidants together, as you find them in fruits and vegetables, provides you with a bonus of antioxidant power because antioxidants work in concert, bolstering each other’s actions.

Minerals: Several minerals, including selenium, also play a role in preventing oxidation. When cholesterol becomes oxidized, it’s more likely to cling to the lining of the arteries that then begin to narrow.

Phytonutrients: Plant foods contain hundreds of these special compounds. Certain phytonutrients can affect how the body handles cholesterol, affecting where it builds up and how it’s eliminated. Some are pigments like the anthocyanins, which give blueberries their color. The anthocyanins function as antioxidants and also help break down plaque after it forms in the arteries.

Considering foods with their cholesterol and fats

You have the choice of cutting way back on foods of animal origin or counting the milligrams of cholesterol in the dishes that make up your meals. Whatever suits your style, the eating recommendations stay the same, a diet based on plant foods that naturally contain no cholesterol. Plant foods are also low in saturated fat, so including somewhat more in your meals accomplishes two goals.

Tip The recipes in Part 5 provide only a modest amount of cholesterol. Serving sizes of meat, poultry, and fish keep to 3 or 4 ounces, and Chapter 16 includes recipes for egg dishes made with only the whites.

Additionally you want to be cognizant of all the other dietary fats. The best oils to use in your cooking are sunflower oil, safflower oil, and extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). Having fat in your diet is important, particularly the polyunsaturated fats — the omega-3s and the omega-6s — because the body doesn’t make them, which is the reason they’re called essential fatty acids. Here are the special benefits they provide when it comes to heart health:

The omega-6s reduce LDL cholesterol while raising the protective HDL. The production of cholesterol may also slow down thanks to these fats.

The omega-3s help manage cholesterol by increasing HDL levels. Although they don’t lower LDL cholesterol, they do increase the size of these particles when they’re small and dense, reducing the risk of atherosclerosis. These polyunsaturates also lower triglyceride levels and play a role in dampening inflammation.

Chapter 3 takes a closer look at these and explains why having the right balance of omega-6s and omega-3s in the diet is vital for good health.

Sorting out foods that are sweet

You can certainly enjoy some sweet somethings while watching your cholesterol. If you basically have no problem with high blood sugar, adding a drizzle of honey to a bowl of yogurt is just fine. When it comes to managing cholesterol, the larger problem is the abundance of added sugars in food products, sweeteners you may not even be aware you’re eating. When shopping, read product labels and check for added sugars.

If you know you already have high blood sugar and have even been diagnosed with pre-diabetes or Type 2 diabetes, being aware of how much common foods affect your blood sugar levels also becomes important. Two different systems keep track of this, the glycemic index (GI) and the glycemic load (GL). After you understand what to look for, the better foods to eat just become habits. And when you cook with the recipes in this book you can also be at ease. I make a special effort to use ingredients that keep blood sugar levels normal.

Chapter 3 goes into specifics about GI and GL and how to use these tools and includes a list of alternative names for sugar. Chapter 4 covers the details of the new food labels.

Figuring out how much of what and when

Putting together meals brings up the question of quantity. How best to divide up the protein, fat, and carbs? And how often should you have the healthiest foods versus the special treats? A reasonable division of the three macronutrients is as follows:

Fats: 30 to 35 percent of calories

Carbohydrates: 50 to 55 percent of calories

Protein: 15 percent of calories

You have some flexibility so you can experiment with more or less protein to see how you feel while monitoring your weight and checking your cholesterol.

Another way to make decisions about what to eat is to think in terms of specific foods. You may have been told simply to eat in moderation, whatever that means, a measure too vague and variable to be very useful. I prefer to think about how much in terms of how often. Here’s the schedule:

Frequently: Several times a week

Sometimes: Every two or three weeks

Rarely: Every few months

What I especially like about this way of thinking is that no food is made wrong, and neither are you. This scheme has give-and-take in it. Many of the recipes in Part 5, based on plant foods and made with healthy fats, qualify as frequent foods to be enjoyed all the time.

Eyeing Bonus Benefits for the Heart with Cholesterol-Controlling Foods

The many other risk factors for heart disease, just like elevated cholesterol, can also be treated through diet and often with the very same foods. The eating recommendations and recipes in this book can also be effective in treating the following problems:

Weight gain: Most of the ingredients are whole foods, those with a full range of nutrients plus fiber. Dishes made with whole foods are satisfying and filling, making it less likely you’ll crave more of something, one good way to put on pounds. But more importantly, easily absorbed carbohydrates such as added sugars rarely show up in this way of eating, and the recipes in Part 5 mostly avoid flour and sugar, minimizing weight gain.

High blood pressure: Foods good for managing cholesterol can also do their part in lowering blood pressure. The eating plan known as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) features whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and lowfat dairy products while limiting saturated fat and cholesterol. Sound familiar? That pretty much describes the way of eating recommended in this book. In addition, when you cook your own meals, you control the salt. Sodium can lead to higher blood pressure.

Chronic inflammation: Atherosclerosis is now considered to be an inflammatory disease because the arteries can become inflamed. This inflammation isn’t like the kind when you cut your finger and it swells and turns red. This is chronic inflammation and produces no obvious symptoms. Certain foods like coldwater fish rich in omega-3s, vegetables like broccoli and leafy greens, fruits such as berries and apples, and whole grains can dampen this inflammation. An appealing collection of seasonings also makes the approved list: garlic, ginger, and turmeric. Even dark chocolate is anti-inflammatory. Isn’t that cool!

STICKING TO A HEALTHY DIET WHEN YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE

Most of the time, if you have the will, you can prepare something to eat that you know is healthy and follows the recommendations for lowering cholesterol. But what about when you’re eating out or when you need to make some party food? And how do you make a healthy breakfast, that meal dominated by food products made with white flour, sugar, and saturated fat? Menus for lunch and dinner are often healthier than the usual foods served at this important first meal of the day.

To answer these questions, Chapter 15 helps you navigate restaurant menus to find foods that fit your healthy way of eating. Chapter 26 gives you tips on starting with healthy ingredients and dressing them up for a party. And Chapters 5 and 16 take a thoughtful look at breakfast eating.

Elevated homocysteine:Homocysteine is an amino acid that the body uses to make protein, but having a high level in the blood is thought to increase the likelihood of clogged arteries and heart disease. Homocysteine can convert to other compounds, but the chemistry involved requires B vitamins. This whole foods, plant-based diet with the recommended foods supplying vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and folic acid, comes to the rescue. Staples such as beans, green leafy vegetables, strawberries, whole grains, turkey, walnuts, salmon, and yogurt are all good sources.

Looking Closer at Recommended Foods

Eating healthy to manage your cholesterol starts with selecting the right ingredients. They include vegetables, fruit, nuts, legumes (that’s beans and lentils), grains, meats, poultry, and seafood. Here is a breakdown of some these ingredients (check out the chapters in Parts 2 and 3):

Vegetables: Veggies are especially abundant in nutrients important for managing cholesterol. Many provide soluble fiber and other important nutrients, such as these examples:

Artichokes include the phytonutrient cynarin that helps lower LDL cholesterol.

Asparagus contains rutin, which strengthens capillary walls.

Spinach provides alpha-lipoic acid and glutathione, extra-powerful antioxidants that protect the arteries.

Chapter 6 examines what you need to know about veggies.

Legumes: Legumes are reliable sources of soluble fiber. Chapter 7 introduces you to the wide variety of legumes that can add special flavors and textures to meals, and the recipes in Part 5 give you ways to bring gourmet legumes such as black beans and cannellini to the table.

Whole grains: They’re a rich source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and healthy fats. In Chapter 8 you can find details on different kinds to encourage you to cook some you’ve never tasted. Wait until you chew on some satisfying hulled barley or have a mouthful of fluffy quinoa. Don’t forget about brown rice, which deserves to be a staple in your health-conscious kitchen.

Herbs and spices: They have an important place in this diet. In the Lyon Diet Heart Study, French researchers compared the health benefits of differing ways of eating. Among the conclusions they came to was that for any diet to be truly effective, it must be gastronomically acceptable to ensure compliance. That makes Chapter 13 about using special seasonings to spark flavors in foods essential reading.

Fish and seafood: You find a list of fish and shellfish grouped according to how high they are in healthy fish oils and low in toxic mercury in Chapter 12. On the A-list of safe fish to eat are wild salmon, sardines, farmed rainbow trout, anchovies, pollack, and herring.

Readying to Cook: Food Shopping and Checking Your Pots and Pans

Taking a fresh look at the supermarket where you usually shop and the heart-healthy foods for sale gets your plans for managing cholesterol off to a good start. Walk the perimeter of the store for fresh vegetables, fruits, and seafood, and check out the dairy department for lowfat milk and cheese. Head for the center aisles to consider the whole grains, beans, and pastas. You’ll find a variety of quality cooking oils too there, as well as nuts, herbs, and spices.

Use Chapter 4 as a helpful guide when you decide to revisit your food store. It’s full of tips and also details the new food product labels. Be sure to grab a box or can and inspect the updated U.S. Food and Drug Administration food label.

Now check out your kitchen. Take an inventory of pots and pans to decide if they’re fit for cooking and that you have the variety you need to prepare these recipes. I suggest a basic assortment, the same collection I used to test all the recipes in this cookbook. You can also find a list in Chapter 4.

Exploring the Recipes in This Book

A diet for controlling cholesterol, as with any diet, begins with preparing food at home, and that’s where the recipes in Part 5 come in. These recipes don’t require that you be an expert chef to turn out something tasty. As long as you know how to do such basic tasks as stir, chop, and stick something in the oven, you’ll do just fine. The following sections preview what these recipes include and how you can personalize them.

Relying on whole foods and traditional cuisines

All sorts of familiar and appetizing dishes fit quite naturally into a cholesterol-controlling way of eating. If you want a recipe for pretend Fettuccini Alfredo or nonfat cheesecake, this isn’t the book. The recipes here are normal dishes made with natural ingredients.

Remember Foods made with cholesterol-controlling ingredients can be as tasty as everyday eats and as elegant as gourmet dishes. You don’t need to suffer through anything less.

The ideas for many of the recipes have their origins in classic American cooking and in the cuisines of the Mediterranean from Greece to Morocco, including Italy and France. Others are inspired by the cooking of the Middle East, India, and Asia. Here are a few that deserve to be regulars on your table:

Sopa Azteca, a lean soup, (check out Chapter 17) is a meal, complete with chicken breast.

Spinach Salad with Walnut Dressing (see Chapter 18) gives you a dose of healthy omega-3 fats in the walnut oil that help balance cholesterol.

Mediterranean Salmon Salad (refer to Chapter 18) shows off an array of colorful, good-for-the-heart phytonutrients in all the vegetables. You can see a photo of this recipe on the cover of this book.

Old-Fashioned Cornbread (see Chapter 23) gives you a way of enjoying something baked for breakfast that’s made without sugar.

Tuscan Pasta with White Beans (refer to Chapter 22) makes a weeknight spaghetti dinner extra nourishing thanks to the added legumes.

Adapting the recipes to your taste

You can put your own twist on these recipes if it suits you. As you make your way through cooking a dish, you can boost the chiles, skip the cilantro, and substitute Brussels sprouts with the broccoli you have on hand. Just don’t destroy the health benefits of the dish by dumping in unhealthy fats and sugary ingredients.

Also feel free to make the recipes even healthier. The recipes start out low in saturated fat, but if your physician wants you on a diet that’s still leaner, use soy sausage instead of turkey and cook with 1 percent milk, for example. Just be sure always to add nutritious ingredients to keep the dish heart friendly.

MAKING YOUR OWN RECIPES MORE HEART HEALTHY

After you try out some of the recipes in this book, you can take some of your own tried-and-true recipes and adapt them to your new cholesterol-controlling way of eating. Here’s how to start:

Use vegetables, legumes, and fruit that supply soluble fiber such as asparagus, carrots, black beans, strawberries, and apples.

Make sure that a dish is full of color by adding red, orange, purple, and yellow fruits and vegetables to give yourself more antioxidants and phytonutrients.

Prepare an entrée with fish instead of red meat.

Replace some or all of the refined flour with whole-grain flour when baking. At a minimum, add some vitamin- and mineral-rich wheat germ to white-wheat flour.

Cook with minimally processed cooking oils, avoiding those that are refined. Favor the monounsaturated oils such as extra virgin olive oil as well as sunflower oil and safflower oil, polyunsaturated oils that deliver these heart-healthy fats. (Chapter 3 tells you more.)

Cut way back on the sugars in a recipe. If it won’t work without them, cook something else.

Garnish with nuts.

Chapter 2

Identifying the Foods to Favor to Manage Cholesterol

IN THIS CHAPTER

Bullet Getting more soluble fiber in your diet

Bullet Discovering phytonutrients and minerals that lower cholesterol

Bullet Adding antioxidants

Bullet Putting anti-inflammatory foods on the front burner

Bullet Cooking with the freshest