Even when your LDL cholesterol is shooting through the roof, it can still be tricky to want (and choose!) the “healthy” thing to eat. But we’ve made it easy. These are the friendly and not-so-friendly foods to eat if you’re a person living with familial hypercholesterol.
Eat This:
- Chicken, lean turkey, or fish
- Granola Bars with lots of oats and honey
- Oatmeal and grits
- “Brown” anything—wheat couscous, multigrain pasta, brown rice, and quinoa
- Fruits—grapes, oranges, strawberries, bananas
- Veggies/Salads
- Stick with “fat free” products, like fast free sour cream, skim milk, and fat free salad dressings
Not That (At least Not Very Often)
- Eggs
- Shellfish
- Cereal and Milk
- Bacon or hotdogs (try turkey bacon or hotdogs)
- Butter (go for the Smart Balance, or another similar option)
- White Bread (wheat or multi-grain recommended)
Additionally, read labels. And though it’s hard, try and eat foods with no cholesterol and keep the saturated fat content around one gram. Of course, any meat will have one or the other or both, but try to get the leanest meat possible.
Just like everything in life, once you learn the ropes of what your diet should look like and FH, it’ll become your lifestyle. Even second nature. Don’t think of your diet spectrum as narrow, but instead, get creative with what you eat!
If you are living with any form of familial hypercholesterolemia or know someone who is dealing with this difficult condition, pass this info along to help someone in the FH community eat a little healthier.