As with any cuisine, some Southern foods can be part of an cholesterol friendly diet, while others can not. Southern cuisine is an assortment of fresh vegetables, hot spices, hearty barbecue, and comforting desserts. Focusing on fruits and vegetables, beans, baked and grilled meats and seafood -- rather than fried and breaded dishes, gravies, or biscuits -- makes Southern food a healthful, delectable addition to your cholesterol-friendly diet.
This menu provides a day's worth of "good" monounsaturated fat, high-fiber, and antioxidant-rich dishes.
This meal plan provides 1,300 calories for the day. Remember that your dietary requirements may be higher or lower than 1,300 calories depending on your weight, age, and activity level.
Breakfast:
1 cup (8oz) coffee or tea with 2 ounce skim milk
1 serving Country Garden Omelette
(use egg substitute, a light plant stenol spread (such as Benecol), and low-fat shredded cheddar cheese)
Lunch:
Beverage: Your choice sugar-free beverage, 8oz.
(use 2 slices whole wheat bread and low-fat mayo; use 3 slices cut up deli turkey instead of 1.5 cup turkey; omit whipping cream and pecans; nutrition information calculated using 2 slices whole wheat bread)
Snack:
1 medium peach
Dinner:
Beverage: 1 cup (8oz) sugar-free iced tea
1 serving Baked "Fried" Chicken
(use 6 tbsp plant stenol spread instead of 10 tbsp butter when preparing recipe; do not use Benecol "light" in this recipe, and supplement with non-fat cooking spray as needed; purchase 1% buttermilk instead of 2% if available)
1 serving Collard Greens and Tomatoes (use "light" Italian salad dressing)
1 serving Low-Fat Cornbread (warmed)
Dessert:
1 cup mixed berries
Tip: These dishes can be made even more heart healthy by using a non-salt substitute.
Nutrition Information Total For The Day: 1,300 Calories, 445 Calories from Fat, Total Fat 51 g (sat 4.77 g), Cholesterol 192.5 mg, Sodium 1,375 mg, Carbohydrate 245 g, Fiber 30.5 g, Protein 71 g
