The following low cholesterol dinner ideas are simple recipes for high cholesterol patients suitable for everyone who wants to lower high ldl cholesterol and triglycerides and raise hdl.
What is cholesterol?
“Cholesterol” is such a buzz word that most people think it’s bad for you, when the opposite is true. Hard to believe?
“Cholesterol is essential for many of the body’s functions,” is the statement made from the ninth edition of Focus on Health, a college textbook written by Drs Hahn, Payne and Lucas.
It’s having too much cholesterol in your blood system that’s bad for you. Because it’s found in the blood stream and has a fatty texture, it can clog arteries and put you at risk for cardiac diseases and stroke. Learning ways to lower cholesterol naturally will help you lower your risk and, luckily, there are ways to lower cholesterol without drugs.
Where does cholesterol come from?
There are two types of cholesterol: LDL, which is considered the bad cholesterol, and HDL, the good cholesterol. Neither type is found in vegetables.
Cholesterol comes from animal fats and processed foods. Dangerous levels of LDL are found in saturated fats and trans-fats.
What should you do if you have high cholesterol levels?
There are ways to lower LDL. You can do this by making more informed eating choices. Choose healthy, low cholesterol recipes and recipes that raise HDL. Here are a few recipes to lower cholesterol health.
Low Cholesterol Fish Recipes:
Sautéed Tilapia on a Bed of Greens
Tilapia fillet
1 Tablespoon olive oil
A pinch of Herbs de Provence (a seasoning blend)
Salt
Lettuces: red leaf lettuce, Boston Bibb and sweet butter
Fresh tomatoes, chopped
Drizzle oil into a sauté pan and bring to a medium-high heat. Dust the pan with the seasoning blend and the salt. When the oil liquefies, add the fish and season the top side.
Cook fish 3-5 minutes on each side, or until done. Make a nest out of the lettuces in a dish. Add the fish and top with the chopped tomatoes.
Seared Sea Scallops with Edamame
Six sea scallops
1 to 2 Tablespoons Safflower oil
Sea salt
Coarse ground black pepper
Chives
Frozen Edamame in the shell
Heat Safflower oil on high until smoking. Season pan with salt and pepper and add scallops. Make sure that there is enough oil in the pan that no scallop is sitting in a dry area, otherwise the scallop will burn.Cook on each side 1 and a half to 3 minutes, depending on how opaque you want the centers to be.
Remove from the heat and dust with snipped or dried chives. Microwave frozen Edamame in a container with a lid according to the package directions. Top with coarse salt and serve on the side of the scallops.
Seared Yellow Fin Tuna Steaks with Asian Shallot Dressing
Two Yellow Fin Tuna Steaks
Salt
Pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil
2 Teaspoons soy sauce
2 Teaspoons honey
2 Tablespoon diced shallots
2 Tablespoons water
Mix together shallots, honey, soy sauce, sesame seed oil and water. Add more water as needed to loosen mixture. Set aside. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
Season the pan with salt and pepper. Add tuna steaks when oil is hot and season top. Sear each side for 20 – 40 seconds. Remove from the heat and slice into strips. Center will be cool and dark red. Arrange on plates and top with the Asian shallots.
