TLC Daily Food Guide to Lower Your Cholesterol

1. Cholesterol Levels Slideshow Pictures
2. Lowering Cholesterol Slideshow Pictures
3. Take the Cholesterol Quiz

Breads, Cereals, Rice, Pasta, and Other Grains

Breads, cereals, rice, pasta, and other grains, and dry beans and peas are generally high in starch and fiber and low in saturated fat and calories. They also have no dietary cholesterol, except for some bakery breads and sweet bread products made with high fat, high cholesterol milk, butter and eggs.

Like fruits and vegetables, naturally low fat, low cholesterol breads and other foods in this group are also good choices. You should be eating 6 to 11 servings of foods from this group each day.

When buying foods from this group, remember to:

• Choose whole grain breads and rolls often. They have more fiber than white breads.
• Buy dry cereals, most are low in fat. Limit the high fat granola, muesli, and oat bran types that are made with coconut or coconut oil and nuts, which increases the saturated fat content. Add fat-free skim milk or 1% milk instead of whole or low fat (2% milk) to save saturated fat and cholesterol.
• Buy pasta and rice to use as entrees. Hold the high fat sauces (butter, cheese, cream, white).
• Limit sweet baked goods that are made with lots of saturated fat, mostly from butter, eggs, and whole milk such as croissants, pastries, muffins, biscuits, butter rolls, and doughnuts. These are also high in cholesterol.

Portions of the above information has been provided with the kind permission of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (www.nhlbi.nih.gov/).