Think low-cholesterol desserts aren’t worth eating? Here, top nutrition experts share their secrets to satisfying a sweet tooth with something delicious and heart-healthy.
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Focus on Fruit
“Try a baked apple, poached pear, a bowl of sorbet topped with diced mango,” recommends Elizabeth Somer, MA, RD, author of “Eat Your Way to Happiness” (Harlequin, 2009). She also suggests snacking on frozen blueberries or dunking fresh strawberries in a little fat-free dark chocolate syrup.
Make-Your-Own Baked Goods
To satisfy a sweet tooth the healthy way, “try to bake something yourself,” suggests Marlo Mittler, MS, RD of Foodwize nutrition consulting in New York. “I suggest that clients use low-fat swaps, such as replacing whole milk and eggs with 1% milk and egg whites. I also recommend grinding up a high-fiber cereal (in a coffee bean grinder) and adding it to the batter of a muffin or cake mix to increase the fiber content.”
“We know that fiber helps to flush cholesterol, so this allows you to enjoy a treat and flush cholesterol at the same time,” adds Mittler.
How Soluble Fiber Can Lower Your Blood Cholesterol Levels
Try Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is the cholesterol-friendly choice of Alice Trivas, RD, CD of the Center for Nutrition, Salt Lake City, Utah. “The ‘high-end’ brands (and ones rich in cocoa) tend to be the highest in nutrients, though you may want to be conscious of their caffeine content. Also, having sweets as a part of your diet isn’t the most likely culprit in high cholesterol level, unless your original diet was heavily based on sweets. Enjoy sweets moderately, the key beingenjoy,” notes Trivas.
Can Dark Chocolate Lower Your Cholesterol?
Make-Your-Own Filling
“For a dessert that is sweet but low in fat and cholesterol, try 0% fatricotta cheesesweetened with xylitol. Addalmond extract, and some dark chocolate powder, and mix all together. This is a mock mocha cannoli filling,” offers Marietta Amatangelo, MS, RD, Integrative & Functional Medicine Nutritionist at the George Washington Center for Integrative Medicine in Washington, DC.
An Apple a Day
Can an Apple a Day Keep High Cholesterol Levels at Bay?
Try Karen’s favorite apple recipes:
Halve a large apple:
Coarsely chop a cored apple:
*To make the oat topping:
Chop a fresh apple into bite-size chunks and drizzle with the following mock “fudge” sauce:
3 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Gunness P, Gidley MJ.Mechanisms underlying the cholesterol-lowering properties of soluble dietary fibre polysaccharides.Food Funct. 2010;1(2):149-55. doi:10.1039/c0fo00080aTokede OA, Gaziano JM, Djoussé L.Effects of cocoa products/dark chocolate on serum lipids: a meta-analysis.Eur J Clin Nutr. 2011;65(8):879-86. doi:10.1038/ejcn.2011.64Ravn-haren G, Dragsted LO, Buch-andersen T, et al.Intake of whole apples or clear apple juice has contrasting effects on plasma lipids in healthy volunteers.Eur J Nutr. 2013;52(8):1875-89. doi:10.1007/s00394-012-0489-z
3 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Gunness P, Gidley MJ.Mechanisms underlying the cholesterol-lowering properties of soluble dietary fibre polysaccharides.Food Funct. 2010;1(2):149-55. doi:10.1039/c0fo00080aTokede OA, Gaziano JM, Djoussé L.Effects of cocoa products/dark chocolate on serum lipids: a meta-analysis.Eur J Clin Nutr. 2011;65(8):879-86. doi:10.1038/ejcn.2011.64Ravn-haren G, Dragsted LO, Buch-andersen T, et al.Intake of whole apples or clear apple juice has contrasting effects on plasma lipids in healthy volunteers.Eur J Nutr. 2013;52(8):1875-89. doi:10.1007/s00394-012-0489-z
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Gunness P, Gidley MJ.Mechanisms underlying the cholesterol-lowering properties of soluble dietary fibre polysaccharides.Food Funct. 2010;1(2):149-55. doi:10.1039/c0fo00080aTokede OA, Gaziano JM, Djoussé L.Effects of cocoa products/dark chocolate on serum lipids: a meta-analysis.Eur J Clin Nutr. 2011;65(8):879-86. doi:10.1038/ejcn.2011.64Ravn-haren G, Dragsted LO, Buch-andersen T, et al.Intake of whole apples or clear apple juice has contrasting effects on plasma lipids in healthy volunteers.Eur J Nutr. 2013;52(8):1875-89. doi:10.1007/s00394-012-0489-z
Gunness P, Gidley MJ.Mechanisms underlying the cholesterol-lowering properties of soluble dietary fibre polysaccharides.Food Funct. 2010;1(2):149-55. doi:10.1039/c0fo00080a
Tokede OA, Gaziano JM, Djoussé L.Effects of cocoa products/dark chocolate on serum lipids: a meta-analysis.Eur J Clin Nutr. 2011;65(8):879-86. doi:10.1038/ejcn.2011.64
Ravn-haren G, Dragsted LO, Buch-andersen T, et al.Intake of whole apples or clear apple juice has contrasting effects on plasma lipids in healthy volunteers.Eur J Nutr. 2013;52(8):1875-89. doi:10.1007/s00394-012-0489-z
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