Yogurt can be a part of your diet if you’re watching your cholesterol, but it depends on the types that you eat. If cholesterol management particularly lowering your cholesterol is your main concern, you need to make sure you select the right kind of yogurt before adding it to your shopping cart.

Although your body needs cholesterol to build healthy cells, if it’s too high, you may run an increased risk of heart disease and other health issues. Having high cholesterol means you’re more susceptible to the growth of fatty deposits in your blood vessels, which could lead to difficulty for blood flow through your arteries, according to the Mayo Clinic. If you’re at risk, you need to be careful about the types and quality of food you put into your body. Some might be more harmful, while others can actually benefit your health.

But what are the right kinds of yogurt to help you maintain and possibly lower your cholesterol? According to the Nutrition Twins Lyssie Lakatos, RDN, CDN, CFT, and Tammy Lakatos Shames, RDN, CDN, CFT, the best yogurt to help lower or regulate cholesterol levels are nonfat, probiotic-rich yogurts that are low in sugar and have higher protein.

Why is this yogurt better for cholesterol management?

“Although saturated fat has been a bit more controversial in recent years, and genetics may play a part, slashing saturated fat [in yogurt] is important when it comes to heart health. This is because when you get too much, it tends to raise ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol,” says the Nutrition Twins. “Also, it’s important that the yogurt is low in sugar because when you eat too much sugar, your liver makes more LDL cholesterol while lowering the amount of HD ‘good’ cholesterol in your body.”

The Nutrition Twins also claim that sugar increases inflammation, making cholesterol more dangerous. This is because it plays an essential role in atherosclerosis, or the hardening of the arteries that occurs as LDL cholesterol builds up.

When it comes to choosing the correct yogurt, the Nutrition Twins advise selecting those with low or very little saturated fat, as these are best for managing cholesterol in much of the population. However, they also note that it’s just as important to find yogurts with little to no added sugars. Greek yogurt and the Icelandic yogurt fits this bill well because many of them contain probiotics, don’t have saturated fats, are low in sugar, and are high in protein.

“For an individual who has a diet that is very low in saturated fat and that includes no added sugar, a yogurt that contains these components likely would not affect them negatively,” says the Nutrition Twins. “However, in our modern-day world, the majority of people don’t have diets like that.”

Paying attention to the probiotics as well as additives should also factor into selecting the best yogurt for your cholesterol.

“Good gut health plays a major role in overall cholesterol management,” explains the Nutrition Twins. “Gut bacteria, which are impacted and improved by probiotics, have a large impact on overall health. It also seems to regulate immune health and metabolic pathways, and a healthy balance of gut bacteria has been shown to reduce cholesterol in the blood in animals.”

They also claim that eating more fermented foods like yogurt can increase microbial diversity, which plays a critical role in overall gut health and healthy cholesterol levels.

What should you look out for on yogurt labels?

When deciding on what yogurt to pick with respect to the possible effects on your cholesterol, it’s important to look at the label. For instance, many yogurt brands contain helpful probiotics. And according to the Nutrition Twins, “Research has shown that certain probiotics can reduce both total cholesterol and ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol.”

While most yogurt ingredient lists may not break down the amount of each specific probiotic strain, they do typically note the types of probiotics within them.

“Lactobacillus tends to be best in general,” says the Nutrition Twins say. “Both Lactobacillus probiotics L. plantarum and L. reuteri have been found to be effective in reducing cholesterol levels.”

Also, any yogurt that is fat-free will not contain saturated fats capable of raising LDL levels, and has no or low amounts of sugar is ideal for managing cholesterol levels.

To also play it safe when choosing the best yogurt with consideration to your cholesterol levels, the Nutrition Twins suggest selecting nondairy options. “These are a safe bet if they don’t contain a lot of sugar.”

If you’ve been looking for a healthy snack, then you may want to consider nibbling on a few nuts whenever you get a little hungry. Nuts are full of healthy fats and have been found to be some of the healthiest snack foods you can eat. Of course, you could always grab a few almonds or cashews when you feel peckish, but you might want to eat some walnuts due to the fact that a new study has found that they’re an ideal option for keeping you healthy as you age.

During the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study, which was published in Nutrition, Metabolism, & Cardiovascular Diseases, 3,023 participants between the ages of 18 and 30 were initially asked about their eating habits at the beginning of the study, as well as after seven years and 20 years. Specifically, those involved were found to be eating an average of three-quarters of an ounce of walnuts each day. Beyond that, over the course of 30 years, participants underwent exams that noted both their physical and clinical measurements.

When the researchers then took a look at the long-term health of the participants, they found that those who regularly ate walnuts from the time they were younger continued to have a better diet, participated in more physical activity, and were less likely to be at risk of heart disease as they got older

“Walnut eaters seem to have a unique body phenotype that carries with it other positive impacts on health like better diet quality, especially when they start eating walnuts from youth into middle adulthood—as risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, obesity, and diabetes elevates,” Professor of Epidemiology and Community Health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and Lead Researcher on this new study, Lyn M. Steffen, PhD, MPH, RD, explains

Steffan later notes, “the surprising, healthy shifts in overall dietary pattern of walnut consumers suggests walnuts may act as a bridge or ‘carrier food’ for helping people form healthy nutrition and lifestyle habits throughout life.

“Healthy habits learned early in life tend to stay with us as we get older. If we are used to reaching for a handful of walnuts for a snack, we’re likely to continue this pattern well into adulthood and reap the nutritional benefits,” Selena Devries, RD, Celiac Dietitian, states.

Devries also explains that “walnuts contain omega-3s, which are anti-inflammatory fats associated with better heart health outcomes.” On top of that, “they also provide a healthy dose of fiber, coming in at about 2 grams per ounce, which will lead to steadier blood sugar levels, leaving you feeling full and satisfied for hours.”

If you’d like to start seeing the benefits of walnuts, then Devries says that you can eat a few each day “by combining them with dried cranberries and your favorite high-fiber cereal for an on-the-go snack!”

Why do so many people fail at nutrition and weight loss goals? You may start a specific intention be it an eating or exercise plan with a full tank, but it can be difficult to keep the habit up as time goes on. Temptations arise, motivation wanes, and soon enough you’re back at the starting line. How do you give your healthy habits a bit more longevity?

That’s where behavioral sustainability scientist Michelle Segar, Ph.D., author of The Joy Choice shares how to create sustainable, long-term healthy behaviors and what’s keeping us from reaching our well-being goals. Below, she discusses four of the most common nutrition “traps” and exactly how to escape them:

1. Temptation

It’s an all-too-familiar scenario: You’re getting ready to go to the gym or for a walk around the neighborhood, but the cozy couch is calling your name, or you’re at a party and feel a visceral pull to the slice of chocolate cake glistening across the room. “We face these temptations all the time, and they pull us away from what we hope to do,” says Segar. “But what people don’t know is that the temptations calling to us are not actually what we’re looking at… It’s actually our past histories with those things.”

Meaning, it’s not the actual food itself that has power over you; it’s the emotional connections you have with those items. “[When you] understand why your past experiences are tempting you away from your intentions and plans, then you have more control over these things,” says Segar.

2. Rebellion

Next up, we have rebellion. “Rebellion is this force that people experience when they’re starting a new eating plan,” Segar shares. “If people feel that they should do [something,] their natural human tendency is to want to rebel against it.” Essentially, it’s a classic case of “you want what you can’t have.” For example, let’s say you’re following a restrictive diet that eliminates sugar—when you see that glistening chocolate cake from across the room, you might want it even more.

“Eventually there’s a booming effect and you rebel against your intention,” Segar adds. “And instead of just having some of the cake, you eat three pieces of it, because the energy is this reactance and rebellion against the, I can’t, I should, I’m being forced to do this.”

3. Accommodation

Here, we have the accommodation trap. “This is a very different type of trap,” says Segar, as it actually has good intentions. Allow us to set the scene: You’re at a friend’s party, and again, you notice that same rich chocolate cake. You’re not tempted to grab a slice, and there’s no sense of rebellion, but then your friend approaches you with said cake and offers you a piece (and some pizza, too).

Instead of sticking to your plan, “you want to honor their needs to care for you, so you just take it and say thank you,” Segar explains. “You eat the whole thing, and you feel terrible because you’re trying to accommodate their needs instead of your own.” You may have good intentions, but try to remember that your eating choices are yours, and you shouldn’t feel like you have to indulge to show your appreciation or fit in; a true friend will respect your choices, anyway.

4. Perfection

All of the previous three traps ultimately ladder up to perfectionism. “We have been taught that we’ve got to do [everything] right,” says Segar. “You’ve got to plan to exercise; you’ve got to plan to eat. And if you can’t follow the plan, it’s not worth doing.” But this all-or-nothing mindset often fails because if you make one tiny misstep, you might throw all of your progress out the window and reject your intentions entirely.

Rather, “being flexible and doing some part of our plan, instead of trying to do it all, actually will set most of us up for better success,” Segar notes. Of course, this is easier said than done, especially when that all-or-nothing thinking is so ingrained in our brains. But once we understand that this mindset is not productive, it frees us up for more flexibility. As Segar adds, “There are going to be ups and downs and forks in the road. Know that they’re part of the path to lasting change.”

The Takeaway

When it comes to implementing healthy eating habits, a few common traps can keep you from maintaining your goals. The key, according to Segar, is to name those traps so you can eventually overcome them. By calling out whatever is getting in your way, you take away some of its power.