Keeping tabs on your cholesterol levels can be super helpful when it comes to maintaining a healthy heart. While it sometimes gets a bad rap, our bodies naturally produce cholesterol because it’s necessary to make a number of vitamins and hormones that are beneficial to our health. However, the type of cholesterol is important to consider. Higher levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) can lead to an increased risk of heart disease, while high-density lipoproteins (HDL) can help protect you from heart disease.
These recipes are made with delicious ingredients that also can improve your heart health by raising HDL and/or lowering LDL cholesterol levels. Each serving also contains at least 6 grams of fiber and is low in saturated fat. With tasty options like Creamy Blueberry-Pecan Oatmeal and Spinach & Fried Egg Grain Bowls, these breakfasts will have you excited to start your morning!
Creamy Blueberry-Pecan Oatmeal
In this satisfying, on-the-go oatmeal recipe, protein-rich Greek yogurt, crunchy pecans and sweet berries make this the perfect healthy breakfast. Short on time in the morning? Try our overnight oatmeal variation.
Fruit & Yogurt Smoothie
This easy fruit smoothie recipe calls for just three ingredients: yogurt, fruit juice and frozen fruit. Mix up your fruit combinations from day to day for a healthy breakfast or snack that never gets boring.
Apple Pie-Inspired Overnight Oats
There's no better way to usher in fall than apple pie-inspired overnight oats in the morning. Prep and store this easy breakfast ahead of time to have on hand for busy work and school mornings. You can substitute any nondairy milk for the reduced-fat milk, or try kefir if you want your oats extra tangy.
Spinach & Fried Egg Grain Bowls
Wheat berries, a nutty-tasting whole grain with a pleasantly chewy texture, are the base of this hearty breakfast bowl recipe. The fiber-rich grain freezes very well, so cook up a batch to stash away for salads, bowls and more. Topped with spinach, peanuts and an egg, these bowls make for a satisfying breakfast. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper for extra heat.
Banana Cream Pie-Inspired Overnight Oats
Start your day with a breakfast that feels like a treat—these layered overnight oats offer a delightful blend of banana, cinnamon and a touch of vanilla to elevate the taste. Right before enjoying, a finishing touch of crumbled graham crackers adds a pie-like charm to this easy breakfast.
Anti-Inflammatory Lemon-Blueberry Smoothie
The kale, hemp seeds and green tea in this bright, lemony smoothie all contain antioxidants that can help fight inflammation. If you can’t find baby kale, baby spinach will work well in its place. Banana adds natural sweetness. If you want it a little sweeter, just a touch of honey will do the trick.
Triple-Berry Blended Oats
Oats blend seamlessly with berries and offer a good dose of fiber in this easy breakfast. For blending, old-fashioned rolled oats are best because of how they soften and soak up the liquid, giving the dish a creamy, luxurious texture. If you are using frozen berries, give them a head start by breaking them up in the blender first before adding the rest of the ingredients.
Anti-Inflammatory Strawberry–Passion Fruit Green Smoothie
This anti-inflammatory smoothie draws its bright tropical flavor from frozen passion fruit pieces available in the frozen fruit section of well-stocked supermarkets or natural-foods stores.
Caramel Apple–Inspired Overnight Oats
This easy, meal-prep-friendly recipe takes all the flavors of a caramel apple and imparts them into breakfast. Applesauce ensures the texture is creamy yet light while also providing balance to the sweet-tart flavor of the oats. Crushed honey-roasted peanuts mimic the coating of a caramel apple, but any salty-sweet nut would be delicious.
Black Bean & Chipotle Tostadas with Crème Fraîche
If you love breakfast burritos or huevos rancheros, you'll love this tostada with seasoned black beans on crispy tortillas with scrambled eggs on top. Pass salsa or hot sauce to go with it.
Apple-Cinnamon Muesli
Muesli, a Swiss breakfast cereal, is soaked in liquid overnight, softening the oats, nuts, seeds and dried fruits. This version is chock-full of apples from the applesauce, apple juice and fresh apple topping, with a little cinnamon to warm the flavor.
Anti-Inflammatory Cherry, Beet & Kale Smoothie
Kale, cherries and beets team up in this powerful anti-inflammatory smoothie. All three of these fruits and veggies contain unique anti-inflammatory compounds that may help stave off diseases associated with chronic inflammation, including cancer, heart disease, arthritis and diabetes.
High-Fiber Raspberry-Vanilla Overnight Oats
Get your day off to a healthy start with these raspberry-vanilla overnight oats. This grab-and-go breakfast delivers 8 grams of fiber, plus probiotics from kefir that may help support a healthy digestive system. We love sweet fresh raspberries to top off this easy breakfast, but any of your favorite berries or chopped fresh fruit will work well.
Breakfast Beans with Microwave-Poached Egg
In Costa Rica, this popular breakfast bean dish is called gallo pinto, which means spotted rooster, referring to the dark beans amid the pale rice. We call for cooked barley here, but you can use whatever leftover cooked grain you may have on hand.
Date & Pine Nut Overnight Oatmeal
Chopped dates, honey and cinnamon provide natural sweetness to these overnight oats, and pine nuts balance each bite.
Fig & Ricotta Oatmeal
Sweet figs, creamy ricotta and crunchy almonds make this healthy oatmeal recipe a breakfast treat. Short on time in the morning? Try our overnight oatmeal variation.
Peanut Butter & Chia Berry Jam English Muffin
The addition of chia seeds in the quick “jam” topping adds heart-healthy omega-3s to this healthy breakfast recipe.
Coconut-Mango Oats
Give plain oats a makeover with this quick, five-minute breakfast idea. Adding just a bit of toasted coconut, some vanilla extract and fresh (or frozen) mango provides plenty of flavor. We use oat milk here, but feel free to switch it to dairy or any other plant-based, unsweetened milk too.
Pecan Butter & Pear Toast
For a quick breakfast or snack, try this three-ingredient toast. Pecan butter adds a nutty flavor, which gets balanced by the natural sweetness of the pear.
Mango Raspberry Smoothie
A squeeze of lemon juice adds bright flavor to this frozen fruit smoothie. Mango provides plenty of sweetness without having to add juice, but if it's too tart for you, a touch of agave will do the trick.