Low-calorie dinner recipes for cholesterol

While cholesterol is needed in the body, high levels of cholesterol can often lead to heart blockages. The food that we eat, especially at night, plays a major part in increasing our cholesterol levels. A good diet as well as exercise can make a world of a difference when it comes to controlling cholesterol. Including fibre-rich, whole foods, fruits and vegetables, while reducing fried foods, baked foods as well as ultra-processed foods can make all the difference. Dinner is an important meal of the day when it comes to cholesterol management. Here are some low-calorie dinner recipes to manage cholesterol levels that one ought to follow.

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a vital substance in the body, acting as a building block for many functions. It is a waxy, fat-like compound found in your blood and body cells. Your liver produces most of the cholesterol your body needs, while the rest comes from dietary sources, explains dietician Garima Goyal. According to a study published in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, several foods can help reduce LDL cholesterol including flaxseeds, almonds, avocados, tomatoes, turmeric, and green tea. Including some of these in your low-calorie dinner recipes can be a great way to manage cholesterol levels.

Cholesterol is important for our body and it is involved in the production of cell membranes, and hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, cortisol, vitamin D, as well as bile acids. Cholesterol doesn’t travel alone in the bloodstream. Instead, it binds to proteins, forming lipoproteins, which transport it to and from cells. There are two key types of cholesterol

• Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) – This is known as “bad cholesterol”. LDL carries cholesterol to your arteries. Excess LDL can deposit in artery walls, forming plaques and leading to conditions like atherosclerosis..
• High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) – This is referred to as “good cholesterol,” HDL collects all the excess cholesterol from the blood and returns it to the liver for disposal.

An imbalance in these levels—an excess of LDL or very little HDL—can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. What you eat can help you manage these levels. Following low-calorie dinner recipes, which include cholesterol-friendly food, can help you. Read on to know how food impacts your levels.

How does dinner impact your cholesterol levels?

Your diet, especially your dinner, significantly influences your cholesterol levels by affecting LDL, HDL, and triglycerides. A study, published in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, observed that a rise in LDL cholesterol was positively associated with nighttime energy and fat intake. Therefore, including the right foods and following low calorie dinner recipes can help lower cholesterol. Foods that increase LDL include butter, cheese, red meat, and fried foods. Foods that lower LDL include oats, beans, lentils, fruits, and vegetables, it binds cholesterol in the digestive system and removes it. Including these in your low-calorie dinner recipes that can help you manage your cholesterol levels.

5 Low-calorie dinner recipes for cholesterol

Here are some low-calorie dinner recipes that can help in management of cholesterol.

1. Broccoli paneer cutlets

Ingredients

You may also like

• Ginger Paste – 1 tsp
• Garam Masala – 0.5 tsp
• Green Chilli – 1
• Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
• Coriander Leaf – 0.5 tsp
• Paneer – 40 grams
• Broccoli – 5 florets
• Oats – 2 tbsp
• Black Pepper – 0.5 tsp
• Oil – 1 tsp
• Salt – 0.5 tsp

Method

• Take all the vegetables cooked separately, finely mash them, mix all the spices, and oats and make them into round cutlets.
• Brush the cutlets using oil and cook on the pan until well cooked. You can also air fry these and serve with homemade tomato garlic dip.

2. Oats beetroot chilla

Ingredients

• 30 gm oats powder
• 1 Pinche asafoetida
• salt as required
• 1 medium-boiled beetroot
• Oil 1 tsp
• ½ tsp carom seeds
• 1 tsp coriander leaves
• 1 onion

Method

• Add oats flour, carom seeds, salt and asafetida to a bowl. Mix the dry ingredients well.
• Take the boiled beetroot and roughly chop them into pieces. Add to a blender and make a smooth puree.
• Mix this beetroot puree with the other ingredients and mix well to make a pretty red-pink-coloured batter.
• Add water as needed to make a batter of medium consistency (neither too runny nor too thick).
• Lastly, add coriander leaves, and chopped onions and mix well.
• Drizzle a few drops of oil on a non-stick tawa and keep it on medium heat. Pour a ladle full of batter on the tawa and spread in circular motions to spread the batter.
• Cook the chilla from both sides until a bit brownish and crispy. Make more chilla with the leftover batter.
• Ready to be served.

3. Beet and lentil soup

Ingredients

• 100 gm beetroots, chopped into small cubes
• 30 gm red lentils
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ tsp cumin (jeera) powder
• Salt to taste
• 2 cups water
• Herbs for garnish.

Method

• Cook the lentils with the beetroot in water until the lentils are soft.
• Add bay leaf and cumin and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
• Add salt and lime juice.
• Garnish with herbs and serve hot.

4. Quinoa bean salad

Ingredients

• 30 gm dry quinoa, rinsed
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp oil
• 1tsp squeezed lime juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• pinch of pepper powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 1tsp chopped coriander leaves
• 15 gm Cooked black bean

Method

• Pressure cook quinoa for 8-12 minutes.
• While the quinoa is cooking, stir together the oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin, pepper powder, and salt in a bowl and set it aside.
• When the quinoa is ready, stir in the dressing, pepper, red onion, and black beans, and toss well to make sure the dressing is evenly distributed.
• These should help to cool the quinoa even more, and then stir in the coriander leaves and enjoy.

5. Foxtail uttapam

Ingredients

• Foxtail millet 30 g
• Urad Dal 15 g
• Toor Dal 15 g
• Methi Seeds 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil 1 tsp
• Chopped Onion ½
• Chopped Green chilli 1
• Coriander Leaves 5-6

Method

• In a bowl, add one cup of fox tail millet, a quarter cup of urad dal, two teaspoons of Toor dal and a quarter teaspoon of methi seeds.
• Soak this in water for about 6 hours. Wash and drain the water thoroughly once it is soaked.
• Grind them to a batter in a wet grinder or a mixer jar.
• Add salt and mix them. Allow it to ferment overnight.
• Once it is fermented, pour a ladle full of batter into the dosa pan. Top it up with chopped onions, green chillies and coriander leaves. Drizzle oil and cook on both sides.
• Serve with any accompaniments like chutneys.

How to plan your dinner to lower your cholesterol levels?

Dinner is an important meal when managing cholesterol levels, as the food you eat impacts your lipid profile and metabolism overnight. These low-calorie dinner recipes for cholesterol can help you manage your levels well. However, if you are looking for basic guidelines to follow in other recipes too, here is something that you should keep in mind:

• Incorporate soluble fibre: Fibre-rich ingredients like legumes, quinoa, roasted vegetables, or soups made from lentils or beans are a big part of low-calorie dinner recipes. Soluble fibre binds cholesterol in the gut and helps reduce its levels in the bloodstream.
• Choose lean proteins: Low-calorie dinner recipes would never include red meat. This would be replaced with with lean protein options like fish or plant-based proteins such as lentils, chickpeas, and tofu, Skinless poultry or egg whites.
• Use healthy fats: While making these low-calorie dinner recipes, make sure to cook with olive oil or canola oil instead of butter or ghee. Add a handful of nuts or seeds like flaxseeds or chia seeds to your meal for added Omega-3 benefits.
• Avoid refined carbs and sugary foods: White rice, bread, and sugary desserts can cause spikes in blood sugar and triglyceride levels, which negatively affect cholesterol. These can never be part of low-calorie dinner recipes to reduce cholesterol. Replace these with whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, or whole-wheat bread.
• Limit sodium: High sodium diets can exacerbate heart-related issues. Choose herbs and spices for flavouring instead of salt-heavy sauces or seasonings.
  Practice portion control – Overeating at dinner, especially fatty or carb-heavy meals, can raise triglycerides, impacting overall cholesterol health.

What to never include in low-calorie dinner recipes for cholesterol?

A major part of planning low-calorie dinner recipes for cholesterol is to make sure to include the right foods. Here is a list of food items that should never be part of your low-calorie dinner recipes.

• Fried foods: Fried foods, such as fried chicken, French fries, are typically cooked in oils that are high in trans fats. These cannot be part of low-calorie dinner recipes. These fats not only raise LDL cholesterol but also lower HDL cholesterol, leading to plaque buildup in arteries.
• Fatty red meats: Red meats, such as steak and lamb, have high levels of saturated fats, which stimulate the liver to produce more LDL cholesterol, raising heart disease risk.
• Full-fat dairy: Cheese, butter and cream are full-fat dairy products that are rich in saturated fats. These increase LDL levels, and cannot be included as ingredients in low-calorie dinner recipes. They also lack fibre, which could counteract these effects.
• Processed and packaged foods: Many processed foods contain hidden trans fats, saturated fats, and high levels of sodium, all of which can harm heart health.
• Sugary foods and drinks: Excess sugar raises triglyceride levels, increasing the risk of heart disease. Over time, high triglycerides can contribute to atherosclerosis and worsen cholesterol profiles.

• Late-night heavy meals: Eating large, fatty meals late at night can cause triglyceride spikes, as your body has less time to metabolise fats before resting. Therefore, make sure to follow only low-calorie dinner recipes while planning nighttime meals.

To manage cholesterol effectively, focus on a diet rich in soluble fibre, healthy fats, and lean proteins while not adding foods rich in saturated fats, trans fats, and refined carbohydrates. Careful planning, particularly for dinner, can help maintain a balanced lipid profile, reduce LDL levels, and promote heart health. Also, always check with your healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet.