Good Desserts to Keep Cholesterol and Triglycerides Down

Many desserts like brownies, cookies, cakes, and ice cream contain saturated fat, as well as sugar and other indulgent carbs. An excess of these in your diet can cause an increase in cholesterol and triglycerides, both of which can increase your risk of heart disease.

Fortunately, you don’t have to eliminate dessert from your diet, but choosing sweet treats with care can help you manage triglyceride levels and protect your heart health long term.

What Are Cholesterol and Triglycerides?

Cholesterol is a type of fat that your body needs to function. However, when you consume more cholesterol than your body needs, it can build up, which raises your risk of heart disease. According to the American Heart Association, a harmful type of cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, can build up in the coronary arteries, stiffening them and making it harder for your heart to pump blood around the body. This increases your risk of stroke, heart attack, and peripheral artery disease (PAD).

Foods that contain saturated fats, including many desserts, can also increase your cholesterol level, Medline Plus reports, and lead to cholesterol buildup in the arteries.

The body stores excess energy from the diet in triglycerides, the most common fat in the body. Elevated triglycerides can also raise your risk of heart disease in combination with LDL cholesterol. Excessive sugar and indulgent carbs can also increase triglyceride levels, as these enter storage after conversion into triglycerides, which can lead to fatty buildup in the artery walls.

Alongside moderating alcohol intake and exercising regularly, making dietary changes can be an effective way to reduce triglyceride levels, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Swap Sugary, High-Fat Desserts for Fruit-Based Options

In the diet, cholesterol comes only from foods of animal origin, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health, so fruits don’t contain it, and most don’t include any saturated fat. This means they may help you lower your cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Fresh fruit isn’t a refined carb and doesn’t contain any added sugar.

A bowl of assorted fruits, such as grapes, cherries, nectarines, and kiwi, provides natural sweetness and can replace a less heart-healthy dessert. Poached pears or grilled peach slices are other fruits that can replace cookies, cake, pie, or ice cream. Fresh, dried, and tinned fruit all contribute to your overall fruit intake.

In moderation, even a fruit pie with a low-fat crust or a low-sugar fruit cobbler will help increase your fruit intake. A study published in September 2021 found that an increased intake of fruit was linked to a lower risk of high triglycerides. However, beware desserts containing fruit cocktail beverages and added sugars, as these can contribute to your sugar intake.

Try Whole-Grain and Nutty Desserts

Whole grains are low in saturated fat and sugar and are a better option than indulgent carbs for lowering your triglycerides and cholesterol, according to the Mayo Clinic. Some options for making whole-grain changes to your dessert menu may include the following:

• Make rice pudding with oatmeal or replace your chocolate pudding with chia seed pudding. According to Harvard Health Publishing, chia seeds provide plenty of omega-3 fatty acids, a type of healthy fat that research has shown may lower triglycerides.
• Add nuts such as walnuts to desserts, as these contain good amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Add Vegetables and Legumes to Desserts

Like fruit, vegetables can also help lower your cholesterol and triglyceride levels. While vegetables might seem at odds with sweet treats, plenty of options are available that can help you include more veggies after the main course. These might involve the following:

• Choose carrot or zucchini cake, although these may still contain sugars and other ingredients that add to triglyceride levels (so read ingredient labels).
• Depending on the recipe, substitute fruit purees such as applesauce in place of oil in baked goods. (The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends starting with a smaller amount of applesauce as it can alter the texture of a dish.)
• Try black bean brownies, which use fiber-rich, mashed black beans in place of some of the oil in a traditional recipe. (Increased fiber intake can help you reduce triglycerides, according to research.)

If you’re finding cholesterol and triglyceride control challenging or levels aren’t changing in response to diet changes, speak to a doctor about possible next steps. They may prescribe medication such as statins, fibrates, fish oil, or niacin.