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Hamburgers

…Top it off with a big, think slice of onion. While there is no conclusive proof that onions can help control cholesterol or prevent heart attack, some preliminary evidence has been encouraging. Onions contain flavonoids, which may help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and heart attack by blocking the formation of clotting compounds in the blood. Dutch researchers found in a study of 805 men, those who ate the most flavonoids were half as likely to have a first heart attack and die of heart disease than those who consumed the least.

Top it off with grilled mushrooms. These vegetables are about 90% water, but the remaining 10 percent contains a mother lode of nutrients, including cholesterol-busting calcium and niacin as well as potassium, riboflavin and iron. Better yet, blend the mushrooms in the ground meat before you cook the patties. You’ll use less meat and reduce the fat content that much more.

Flapjacks

Just the name itself can scare small children and dance instructors. But this manly breakfast can be made hearty with a few simple tricks.

Substitute fats. To make a low-fat batter, use non-fat milk and egg substitute.

Add chopped walnuts to the batter. It does more than make the meal crunchy. Research shows that walnuts can deflate cholesterol levels. In one study, men who consumed roughly 3 ounces (about a handful) of walnuts a day saw a 16.3 percent drop in LDL cholesterol-the bad stuff. This may be because walnuts are rich in linoleic acid, which is similar to the cholesterol lowering omega-3s found in fatty fish.

Top ‘em with fresh fruit. Try bananas, strawberries or sautéed apples. These are all good sources of soluble fiber, proven to whittle down high cholesterol levels.

Chili

This firehouse favorite can still be enjoyed without setting your cholesterol level ablaze. Here are some suggestions for a leaner meat with lipid-lowering properties. (Lipids include fats, oils and cholesterol.)

Fry the meat first. Drain the fat before adding the cooked meat to the pot, says Wahida Karmally, R.D., member of the American Heart Association’s nutrition committee.

Elevate the bean-to-meat ratio. In one study, 20 men with cholesterol levels over 260 ate about 1 1/2 cups of pinto and navy beans a day. After three weeks, their total cholesterol fell an average of 56 points, while their LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff) plunged 51 points. In another study, 28 men with high cholesterol each ate one 8-ounce can of beans in tomato sauce every day for three weeks. Their total cholesterol and their triglyceride levels declined by more than 10 percent.

Crumble tofu in the mix. Okay, so tofu sounds as manly as a career in ferret-training. But shred some into a pot of your fire-breathing chili recipe and you’ll never know this bland soybean fare is there. But your heart will. More than 40 studies have shown that soy protein lowers cholesterol. This may be because soybeans are fairly high in fiber, which lowers lipids. And by using more soy and less meat, you’ll end up with less saturated fat, which nudges you farther in the right direction.

Sardines

There’s something masculine about eating an entire creature-bones, skin and all-in just a few bites. A fellow editor eats sardines right out of the tin, and it looks majestic, almost Godzilla-like-and frankly, it frightens us. No surprise he always gets bigger raises then we do. And he might outlive us, too. These silvery creatures are rich in calcium, a multitalented mineral that research is showing can lower cholesterol, not just build bones.

In a University of Texas study, a group of men with moderately high cholesterol were placed on high-calcium diets (2200 milligrams per day) and low-calcium diets (410 milligrams per day). The researchers found that on the high-calcium diets, the men’s total cholesterol dropped an average of 6 percent, with their LDL cholesterol (bad stuff) falling an average of 11 percent. Experts theorize that the reduction translates into a decrease in heart-disease risk of more than 20 percent. Calcium apparently works on lipid levels (including fat, oils and cholesterol) by blocking the absorption of saturated fat and binding with cholesterol-containing bile acids in the digestive system. The body then excretes these acids, giving excess cholesterol the boot, too. So go fish.

Sloppy Joes

It seems that as we stopped eating sloppy joes, we started using more hair mousse. Coincidence? You decide. We say eat your joes, but eat ‘em this way: Use 90% lean ground beef or ground turkey instead of regular ground beef. This will reduce a lot of the fat content without ruining the genuine sloppiness of this hearty meal. “Mix 1/2 cup of chunky salsa with a can of tomato sauce,” says JoAnna Lund, author of The Original Healthy Exchanges. “I also add a tablespoon of brown-sugar substitute, which gives the meat a hint of Southwest barbecue.”

Toss in a can of beans. Beans will help slash your lipid levels (including fat, oils and cholesterol), and adding them allows you to reduce the amount of meat in the meal. Just make sure you drop some on your tie. It’s not called sloppy for nothing.

Ice Cream

With the endless treasure trove of low-fat and nonfat varieties on the market, it would be criminal to skip dessert. Plus, you can give it a cholesterol-fighting edge by picking out some clever toppings.

Top it with almonds. They’re loaded with vitamin E, an antioxidant vitamin thought to reduce the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer. They are also high in monounsaturated fat, which has been shown to lower bad LDL cholesterol without affecting the good HDL cholesterol. In one study, folks added almonds to their diets and their average total cholesterol plummeted from 235 to 215, while their HDLs remained steady. So toss them on top. Or grab a fistful of raw almonds and eat them alone. (A fistful of raw anything sounds manly, doesn’t it?)

Add a dab of pureed chili peppers. Yeah, this sounds odd, but pretentious, overpaid chefs call it jalapeno ice cream. Serve this to your date and she’s bound to be impressed. And she’ll be thankful, too. Capsaicin-the substance that gives chili peppers their bite-may help lower triglycerides, a type of blood fat implicated in heart disease.

Apple Pie

Eating it is as all American as hearing Bob Seger sing “Like a Rock” in a pickup-truck commercial-only much more pleasant. Plus, there’s a wealth of evidence that points to the apple’s ability to help cut blood cholesterol, possibly because of a specific ingredient called pectin, a sticky substance found in fruits and vegetables. “Pectin is a soluble fiber that helps draw cholesterol out of the system,” says Audrey Cross, Ph.D., associate clinical professor at Columbia University’s Institute of Human Nutrition in New York City. Apples also contain flavonoids, chemicals that seem to short-circuit the process that allows LDL cholesterol to accumulate in the bloodstream.

So having a slice of apple pie now and then is no crime, especially when Mom, or anyone’s mom for that matter, makes it. Just be careful of the flaky crust. It often comes loaded with butter. So leave it on your plate if you are so inclined.

Steaks

Here’s something you can tell that miserable vegetarian couple who stands around in fashionable leather boots, bragging about never eating anything that once had a mother. Studies show that red meat can be part of a cholesterol-lowering diet. In one study, two groups of men with high cholesterol were placed on two low-fat diets consisting of either chicken breast or lean beef (choice strip loin steak). After five weeks, both groups’ total cholesterol decreased: 7.6 percent for the meat eaters and 10.2 percent for the poultry eaters. The researchers concluded that lean beef and chicken are interchangeable in a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet. (You can eat meat in moderation as long as your diet is consistently low in fat and cholesterol.) We like this conclusion, a lot. Other lean cuts include eye of round, top roast, tip round and top sirloin.

Chicken Fajitas

You’ve heard a lot of bad press lately about Mexican food. All the oil, all the sour cream. All the salt on the margarita glasses. But you can still have a tasty Mexican dish as part of a heart-healthy diet, as long as you choose the right cuts of meat and prepare it with little fat. Just pack it with tons of cholesterol-bashing produce (broccoli, onions, mushrooms and whatever else you have lying around).

Here’s a simple recipe from Janet Lepke, R.D., a dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Sauté strips of chicken breast with red and green bell peppers, onions and tomatoes in a teaspoon of oil with some chicken broth, or sauté strips in white wine and garlic with fajita seasoning. Then stuff the mixture in a corn tortilla. Serve with tequila over a paper place mat.

Broccoli Bashing

Despite the fact that we’ve constantly harped on how broccoli is good for you, you still can’t tolerate it. Well, take heart. Recent research seems to indicate that maybe you’re just not genetically equipped to like broccoli.

According to a recent report at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, people can generally be lumped into one of three groups: non-tasters, tasters and supertasters. Non-tasters relish broccoli, brussels sprouts and probably even brake fluid, just because they don’t have that many taste buds. Super-tasters, on the other hand, have so many taste buds that they notice every last nuance of these bitter vegetables and thus quickly spit them out.

So what if you want to get the benefits of broccoli but just can’t stand the taste? You’ve got a couple of options. (No, dunking the broccoli in a lake of melted cheese isn’t one of them.) One is to eat it prepared a different way. (A lot of people like chicken or beef with broccoli in a Chinese restaurant, although you should ask to have it prepared without oil and served with steamed rice.) If that doesn’t work, don’t worry about it. No one vegetable (or food, for that matter) is so critically important that you have to force yourself to eat it. As long as you maintain a good balance of fruits and vegetables in your diet, you should be able to avoid broccoli and still grow up to be president.

Tangerines, oranges, and limes

A new study in the British Medical Journal reports that a deficiency of vitamin C may cause a higher risk of heart attack. Scientists in Finland studied 1,605 randomly selected men ranging in age from 42 to 60 years. When adjusting for all other risk factors, they found that the men with a deficiency of vitamin C had a significantly greater risk of suffering a heart attack than men whose levels of vitamin C were not deficient.

We know a woman (actually one of our editors here at MHD) who loves to chomp on fresh lemons. Although it makes our eyes water just to watch her do it, she may be pretty smart with her love of lemons, which are a great source of vitamin C. If lemons make you pucker, there are lots of other good sources of vitamin C such as: strawberries, citrus fruits, kiwifruit, tomatoes, red and green peppers, broccoli, potatoes and leafy green vegetables.