1. HEALTHY NUTS AND SEEDS (unsalted) which contain high amount of unsaturated fats like:
a. Pecan nuts.
b. Pistachios.
c. Almonds.
d. Walnuts.
e. High-oleic peanuts.
f. Peanuts.
g. Hazelnuts.
h. Flax seeds.
i. Sunflower seeds.
j. Psyllium seeds.
k. Pumpkin seeds.
l. Sesame seeds.
2. VEGETABLES which are low in calorie content like:
a. Onion.
b. Watercress.
c. Leeks.
d. Lettuce.
e. Spinach.
f. Carrots.
g. Artichokes.
h. Avocado.
i. Broccoli.
j. Carrots.
k. Cabbage.
l. Corn.
m. Cucumber.
n. Pepper.
o. Soybeans.
p. Turnips.
q. Kale.
r. Brussels.
s. Sprouts.
t. Cauliflower.
u. “Skin on” potatoes.
v. Spinach.
w. Sweet potatoes.
x. Tomatoes.
y. Sweet potato.
z. Celery.
3. LEGUMES which are high in starch and fiber and low in unsaturated fats and calories like:
a. Beans of all types.
b. Lentils.
c. Dry peas.
4. FRUITS (it is always better to eat fruits with skin than consuming them as juice), which are low in calorie content like:
a. Currants.
b. Grapes.
c. Berries.
d. Bananas.
e. Pears.
f. Pomegranates.
g. Apples.
h. Figs.
i. Dates.
j. Melons.
k. Oranges.
l. Raisins.
m. Kiwi fruit.
n. Apricot.
o. Lemon.
5. WHOLE GRAINS which have high energy and dietary fiber content like:
a. Bran cereals.
b. Whole wheat breads (not bakery or sweat breads).
c. Oats.
d. Brown rice.
e. Whole wheat pasta.
f. Barley.
6. SNACKS which are low in fat and cholesterol like:
a. Bread sticks.
b. Bagels.
c. Dried fruit.
d. Low-fat or fat-free crackers (like rice cakes, melba toast, rye crisp, and soda crackers).
e. Ready-to-eat cereals without added sugar.
f. No-oil baked tortilla chips.
g. Popcorn (air popped or "light").
h. Pretzels (wheat flour, water, brown sugar and yeast).
i. Raw vegetables with non-fat or low-fat dip.
j. Fat-free gelatin.
7. SWEETS which are low in fat and cholesterol like:
a. Fat-free or low-fat brownies, cakes, cheesecake, cupcakes, and pastries.
b. Angel food cake topped with fruit puree or fresh fruit slices.
c. Fat-free or low-fat cookies, like animal crackers, devil's food cookies.
d. Fig and other fruit bars.
e. Ginger snaps.
f. Vanilla or lemon wafers.
g. Frozen low-fat or non-fat yogurt, fruit ices, ice milk, sherbet, and sorbet.
h. Puddings made with 1 percent or fat-free milk.
8. MILK, YOGHURT AND CHEESE:
a. Fat-free and 1 percent milk and yoghurt are low cholesterol foods as they are less saturated than whole milk.
b. Low-fat or nonfat sour cream or cream cheese blends.
c. Fat-free, reduced fat, low-fat, or part skim hard cheeses.
d. Low-fat (1 percent) or nonfat cottage cheese, farmer cheese, or part-skim or light ricotta.
9. Lean red meats, chicken and turkey (all without skin), which are low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
10. Sea foods like Mackerel, salmon, herring, albacore tuna and cod which are low in saturated fats and rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
11. Culinary herbs and spices like Caper, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, fenugreek, fresh garlic, cloves, turmeric, olives, cayenne are low in cholesterol and contain most effective cardiovascular protective compounds.
12. Egg whites are free of saturated fat and also low in cholesterol.
13. Olive oil (in particular extra virgin olive oil) and canola oil are rich sources of monounsaturated fats.
14. Tofu is low in fat and carbohydrates and also is low in cholesterol
15. Soy milk, a beverage made from soybeans.
16. Green tea.
17. Also some other foods/supplements like niacin, chromium polyniconate, polycosanol are also low in cholesterol.
Generally, foods containing cholesterol only come from animal sources and plant foods are free of cholesterol.
It is important to remember that eating low cholesterol diet is just not enough. As saturated and trans fat diet actually increases blood cholesterol more than cholesterol itself, also look for foods that are low in saturated fat and trans fat to remain healthy.
