Seven Tasty Ways To Help Manage Your Cholesterol

Managing cholesterol

Too much cholesterol in the blood can increase your risk of getting heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases. About one in seven men and one in eleven women die from coronary heart disease. In many cases though, this is preventable by adopting a healthy, balanced diet and active lifestyle, maintaining a healthy weight, and other lifestyle changes such as giving up smoking and moderating alcohol intake.

Eating too much saturated fat can increase cholesterol levels in the blood. Rapeseed oil is lower in saturated fat than other commonly used cooking oils.

Heart UK recommend that vegetables and other plant based foods feature regularly in your diet, such as oat cereals, barley, fruit, beans, pulses, nuts and seeds.

NHS Choices recommend that eating plenty of fibre-rich foods can help lower your risk of heart disease. These include:

• Whole grains
• Potatoes in their skins
• Fruit and vegetables
• Beans and pulses
• Nuts and seeds

Also, foods containing beta glucan such as oats and barley can help lower your cholesterol.

Here are seven tasty recipes you can try:

Breakfast

Start your day with a hot bowl of Porridge with Honey and Almonds. To reduce sugar content, instead of using honey, try sweetening your porridge with fruit or dried fruits like raisins or apricots. This is a nutritious, warming and satisfying dish – perfect for the colder months.

Or how about treating yourself to these crepe like pancakes from BBC Food. They’re made with buckwheat and the recipe uses rapeseed oil.

Lunch

For a low fat lunch that’s packed with flavour, try our tasty Lemon Chicken Parcels with red pepper and baby corn. They only take 15 minutes to prepare and provide one of your 5-a-day. This recipe is also low in saturated fat and sodium.

Our Split Pea Soup with Spicy Moroccan Drizzle makes a delightful light lunch that is low in saturated fat. This dish is also a good source of fibre and won’t cost the earth! Try using sweet smoked paprika instead of chilli powder, if you prefer a less spicy flavour.

Dinner

BBC Good Food’s Noodles with Turkey, Green Beans and a Hoisin Sauce make a substantial supper. This speedy dish is simple to make and only contains 1g of saturated fat per serving. A perfect mid-week meal!

Try Whole Grain Goodness’ Oat Topped Mackerel which combines oily fish with whole grain oats and roasted tomatoes. This dish provides healthy omega 3 fatty acids.

For the perfect end to a busy week, try this Chicken Keema Curry from Heart UK. The recipe uses lean chicken mince instead of the traditional lamb, which is lower in fat. Stir fry the chicken and veg using rapeseed oil, and serve with a wholemeal pitta or whole grain rice for a healthy meal!

So there you have it, seven tasty ideas to keep your taste buds happy and to help you manage your cholesterol too! You can find more recipe inspiration and chat on our Facebook page @RapeseedOilBenefits.