Foods for high cholesterol

What APEX holds on the table for high cholesterol: the foods it leads with, each with where it comes from and why it is ours. Not a treatment plan — the food, and the reason it is on the list.

Compiled by APEX Legacy from published research and documented food history, under the editorial direction of Jonathan Jackson, Founder. How we write and review these pages →

Dishes & One-Pots

Gullah Benne SoupA creamy soup thickened with ground toasted benne (sesame) seeds, often with okra…
Gullah Okra SoupA slow-simmered tomato-and-okra soup, often with shrimp, crab, or smoked meat, thickened…
Limpin' SusanOkra and rice cooked together with a little smoked pork — the lesser-known sister dish to…
DarabaA thick, drawing stew of okra and leafy greens bound with peanut butter and tomato…
Red Beans and RiceMonday in New Orleans is red beans day. Louis Armstrong signed every letter 'Red Beans…
Navy Bean Soup with Smoked TurkeyCreamy navy beans slow-simmered until the broth thickens itself, traditionally with a ham…
Split Pea Soup with Smoked TurkeyYellow or green split peas cooked down to a velvet purée with smoked turkey, carrots, and…
Draw SoupIla alasepo — Yoruba okra soup — is the ancestral mother of American gumbo.

Seafood

Gullah Okra and ShrimpFresh okra and sweet creek shrimp smothered together with onion and tomato until the okra…

Rice, Grains & Starch

Elephant Foot YamAmorphophallus paeoniifolius — called 'suran' in Hindi, 'elephant yam' in English.
Colusari Red RiceA short-to-medium grain American red rice with a brick-red bran that holds its color and…

Vegetables

OkraOkra crossed the Atlantic in the hands of enslaved Africans. It is the ancestor of gumbo.

Herbs & Spices

Hibiscus LeavesHibiscus rosa-sinensis leaf — medicinal tea and topical hair treatment from the…

Drinks

Sorrel / Bissap (Hibiscus sabdariffa Flower)Dried hibiscus calyces brewed as tea. Clinical trials: 3 cups daily reduces systolic BP…
Zobo ConcentrateThe red drink brewed down to its strongest form. Your grandmother steeped it loose…
Zobo DrinkYour grandmother's red drink — hibiscus, what some call sorrel — was steadying blood…
Sorrel Drink (Caribbean Hibiscus)The Caribbean Christmas hibiscus drink — spiced with ginger, clove, and cinnamon.
Hibiscus TeaAPEX's tier-1 beverage. West African zobo. 2-3 cups daily linked to measurable blood…

Beans & Peas

Butter Beans (Large Lima Beans, Southern)Southern butter beans — large lima beans slow-cooked with smoked pork until creamy and…
Oyster Mushroom 'Fried Chicken'Whole oyster mushroom clusters brined, battered in seasoned flour, and fried until golden…
Calico Crowder PeaA handsome speckled crowder pea — cream splashed with maroon and brown — that cooks into…
Colossus PeaA big, meaty purple-hull crowder pea — the giant of the field-pea world.
Iron and Clay PeasIron and clay peas were the reason Southern soil didn't completely die from cotton…
Soup Beans and CornbreadA pot of pinto beans simmered soft into their own thick broth, ladled over crumbled…
King of the Garden Pole LimaA big, flat, creamy white pole lima famous for its size and rich, buttery texture.

Desserts & Sweets

Apple CobblerTender cinnamon apples bubbling beneath a golden biscuit or cake-batter crust, baked in a…
Texas Pecan PralinesTexas pecans folded into a caramel of sugar, butter, and cream, dropped and set into the…

Fermented & Pickled

Fermented OkraFermented okra combines the documented benefits of okra's mucilaginous compounds (blood…

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