Breakfast Foods to Lower Cholesterol: A Dietitian’s Picks
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If you’re online searching for meal ideas to help lower your cholesterol, then you’ve likely encountered no shortage of recipes and tips. Breakfasts, snacks, lunches, dinners–so many ideas to choose from!
In this post, I’m not only here to give you ideas for breakfast foods to lower cholesterol, but also to explain why these foods can help do that. And that means we’ll start at the beginning–discussing cholesterol.
Quick disclaimer—although I am a registered dietitian nutritionist, your reading of this or any articles on this website does not constitute medical nutrition therapy advice nor create a practitioner-client relationship. The information I provide here on this website is for educational and informational purposes only. Please see my full disclaimer for more information.
Quick Primer on Cholesterol Levels
Before we head on to the breakfast ideas, it’s worth mentioning a few facts about your lipid panel (in other words, the cholesterol labs). Understanding these labs will set the stage for applying the right strategy with your breakfast meal selections, as well as other food choices throughout the day.
To start all the way at the beginning, let’s first define cholesterol. Cholesterol is a substance, often described as waxy or fatty, that is a very important building block for the cells in our bodies. It also is a vital part of the creation of hormones in the body, Vitamin D activation, and the production of bile (which helps in the digestion of dietary fat).1
Although cholesterol seems to be spoken of negatively at times, it’s actually a necessary part of ensuring that our bodies function correctly. The challenge is that sometimes the amounts of cholesterol circulating in our bloodstream may not be in the right range for all of these processes.
This is where the types of cholesterol on the lipid panel come into play. Maintaining good levels for each type of cholesterol is helpful in keeping our bodies functioning well and reducing risk of further vascular-related concerns, like the buildup of cholesterol in our arteries.
(As a quick side note, although the categories of cholesterol are often referenced as HDL, LDL, etc., these acronyms actually stand for the types of lipoproteins that carry cholesterol in the body. The lipoproteins are basically protein-based transport vehicles that move the actual cholesterol in different directions in the body.
For the purpose of this discussion, though, we’ll reference the types of cholesterol the way you commonly see them in the media and in your lab test results.)
It’s also important to realize that, while there are certain cholesterol levels you want to lower, there is another one that you may actually want to raise (spoiler alert, it’s HDL). So let’s break down the particulars.
Total Cholesterol
First, let’s talk about total cholesterol. This is basically the sum of the amounts of HDL and LDL cholesterol, along with a small percentage of triglycerides, that are floating around in your bloodstream. For most adults, the recommended level is <200 mg/dL.2
If your total cholesterol level is high, this may be a sign that the other parts of your lipid panel may not be where they ideally should. Start looking into the other values, as we’ll discuss below.
Total Cholesterol
For most adults, the recommended level is <200 mg/dL.
LDL Cholesterol
LDL cholesterol is the type of cholesterol that has been associated with more cardiovascular concerns if the number is higher than desirable. This type of cholesterol can start to build up in your arteries if there is too much of it circulating in the blood.2
Continued build up of this kind of cholesterol can lead to blockages in the arteries, which can start to restrict blood from flowing where it should throughout the body. In some cases, this can cause heart attacks or strokes.
For most people, a good target level is <100 mg/dL. However, depending on your medical history, your doctor might recommend an even lower level of <70 mg/dL.1
LDL Cholesterol
For most people, a good target level is <100 mg/dL. Your doctor might recommend an even lower level of <70 mg/dL.
HDL Cholesterol
HDL cholesterol is the type of cholesterol often termed as “good.” This lipoprotein-transported cholesterol travels away from the arteries back to the liver to be discarded from the body. This process helps to reduce potential for cholesterol buildup and artery blockage.1
For men a level of > 40 mg/dL is helpful, and for women >50 mg/dL is beneficial. Ideally, 60 mg/dL or a bit higher is a sought-after target.1
HDL Cholesterol
Ideally, 60 mg/dL or a bit higher is a sought-after target.
What About VLDL Cholesterol and Triglycerides?
VLDL cholesterol is a system where a lipoprotein transports a combination of cholesterol and triglycerides (but mostly triglycerides) in the bloodstream.3 Higher VLDL isn’t exactly beneficial to your heart due to the potential for build up in the arteries.1
Triglycerides are not actually cholesterol, but rather a type of fat storage unit that can be found in fat cells and in the bloodstream (often carried by other lipoproteins) when the body needs energy.4 Too many triglycerides in the bloodstream can lead to potential cardiovascular concerns as well.4,5
A recommended target for triglycerides is generally <150 mg/dL.4
Triglycerides
A recommended target is generally <150 mg/dL.
Considerations and Foods to Choose
Now that we’ve overviewed the lipid panel, it may have occurred to you that while total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol may need lowering, HDL cholesterol may need an increase. And there are certain foods that apply for each situation.
Ultimately though, current guidance states that if you have a high LDL level, it’s important to focus on lowering that first; you can incorporate HDL raising strategies as a complementary approach.6
So let’s dive in to some food suggestions, specifically for breakfast!
Options to Lower LDL Cholesterol
While this post will get too long if we try to discuss the whole concept of soluble fiber and its ability to help lower cholesterol, suffice it to say that a certain kind of soluble fiber, termed viscous fiber, is especially helpful in promoting lower LDL cholesterol levels. If you want to read more about how that works, see my post here on viscous fiber.
Another important part of the equation is choosing foods that are low in saturated fat. Higher saturated fat intake so far in the available research has been more closely associated with higher levels of LDL cholesterol. The ideas below should be pretty low in saturated fat.
So what does that mean for breakfast foods? Well, some good sources of viscous fiber can be found in the majority of food groups, so there can be plenty of options!
Grains
Some ideas featuring barley include:
- Barley-based breakfast porridge
- Barley pancakes
- Barley breakfast bowls with fruit
- Muesli with barley as an ingredient
Oat-based ideas include:
- Oatmeal or oat bran hot cereal with berries, apples, or pears and a dusting of cinnamon
- Overnight oats with chia seeds
Options with rye:
- Rye toast with avocado and smoked salmon
- Rye-based hot cereal with fruit
Fruit
- Apple with peanut butter for a lighter breakfast
- Berries added to hot or cold cereal or yogurt
- Avocado toast
- Pears added to overnight oats or yogurt
Vegetables
- Roasted sweet potatoes with eggs
- Breakfast egg bake with artichokes
- Butternut squash breakfast hash
Nuts and Seeds
- Chia seed pudding
- Muffins made with flaxseed
This is just a sampling of ideas for soluble fiber foods that can help to lower LDL cholesterol. Feel free to get creative and find recipes you enjoy that feature some of these foods!
Options to Raise HDL Cholesterol
While we’ve noted that viscous fiber (a type of soluble fiber) is great at helping lower LDL cholesterol, let’s transition on to foods that can help raise your HDL cholesterol. These foods are usually found in the category of healthy fats.
Remember, aim first to work on lowering LDL if your doctor advises you to. But also feel free to enjoy some of the HDL raising foods below. Fun fact–several of these foods do double duty lowering LDL cholesterol and raising HDL cholesterol.
Nuts
- Almond butter on toast
- Handful of walnuts on hot cereal
- Yogurt with granola and a tablespoon or two of nuts, like pistachios
Avocado
- Avocado toast
- Sliced avocado along with an omelet
- Add avocado to a smoothie
While this isn’t an exhaustive list of options, hopefully you’ll find some ideas here to get you started.
Conclusion
As we end our discussion here, I hope you’ve seen that improving two specific parts of your lipid panel can start to seem possible if you work on making some swaps, one meal at a time.
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Sources
- What Is Cholesterol? My.clevelandclinic.org. Updated August 3, 2022. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/23922-what-is-cholesterol.
- Cholesterol Numbers and What They Mean. My.clevelandclinic.org. Updated July 28, 2022. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11920-cholesterol-numbers-what-do-they-mean.
- Cholesterol. Medlineplus.gov. Updated December 10, 2020. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://medlineplus.gov/cholesterol.html.
- High Blood Triglycerides. Nhlbi.nih.gov. Updated April 19, 2023. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/high-blood-triglycerides#:~:text=However%2C+high+triglyceride+levels+in,as+part+of+metabolic+syndrome.
- Feingold KR. Introduction to lipids and lipoproteins. In: Feingold KR, Anawalt B, Blackman MR, et al., editors. Endotext. Internet. MDText.com, Inc.; 2000-2024. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK305896/#:~:text=Very+Low%2DDensity+Lipoproteins+(VLDL,one+Apo+B%2D100+molecule.
- HDL: The Good, But Complex, Cholesterol. Health.harvard.edu. Updated August 6, 2019. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/hdl-the-good-but-complex-cholesterol.
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