This post looks at buying whole foods in bulk from one angle: if you are trying to bring your cholesterol down, which foods are worth putting on a big shopping list, which ones to buy less of, and where a box of dates fits.
The starting point is the NHS. It says you can lower your cholesterol by eating healthily and getting more exercise, and that some people also need to take medicine. Among the causes it lists are eating fatty food and being overweight. High cholesterol does not usually cause symptoms, and the NHS says a blood test is the only way to find out if you have it.
What the NHS says to eat more of
On its page about how to lower your cholesterol, the NHS says to cut down on fatty food, especially food that contains saturated fat, and that you can still have foods with unsaturated fat. Its "try to eat more" list is:
- oily fish, like mackerel and salmon
- olive oil, rapeseed oil and spreads made from these oils
- brown rice, wholegrain bread and wholewheat pasta
- nuts and seeds
- fruits and vegetables
The "try to eat less" list is meat pies, sausages and fatty meat; butter, lard and ghee; cream and cheese; cakes and biscuits; and food that contains coconut oil or palm oil.
Turning the list into a bulk order
This post leaves fresh fish and fresh vegetables aside and looks at the dry goods that come in large bags and boxes. Brown rice, wholewheat pasta, nuts, seeds and dried fruit cover three of the five lines on the NHS list.
For nuts, the NHS page on fat is more specific. It names almonds, brazils and peanuts as sources of monounsaturated fat, and walnuts, almonds and cashews as nuts with higher amounts of omega-6. It also lists walnuts among the omega-3 sources suitable for vegetarians. Whatever you buy, follow the storage instructions on the pack once it is open.
Nuts need a limit, though. The same NHS page says every type of fat is high in energy: a gram of fat gives 9 kcal, whether it is saturated or unsaturated, against 4 kcal for carbohydrate and protein. Since being overweight is one of the NHS causes of high cholesterol, weigh out portions from the big bag instead of eating from it.
Fats in the big bottles and big bags
If you buy cooking oil in large bottles, note that the NHS puts olive oil and rapeseed oil on the eat-more side, and food containing coconut oil or palm oil on the eat-less side. Its fat page lists palm oil, coconut oil and coconut cream, and butter, ghee and lard, among foods high in saturated fat. It says too much saturated fat can raise "bad" LDL cholesterol, and that there is good evidence that replacing saturated fats with some unsaturated fats can help to lower your cholesterol level. So when you restock the big bottle, check the type of oil, not just the size.
The NHS also gives daily limits for saturated fat: no more than 30 g a day for men and 20 g a day for women, and less for children.
Dates in a bulk order
Dates are fruit, so they sit on the eat-more side. USDA FoodData Central lists Deglet Noor dates at 0 mg of cholesterol, 0.39 g of fat and 0.032 g of saturated fat per 100 g, with 8.0 g of fibre. Medjool dates have 0.15 g of fat and 6.7 g of fibre per 100 g.
A large box is still a lot of sugar. Per 100 g, Medjool dates have 277 kcal and 66.5 g of sugars, and Deglet Noor dates 282 kcal and 63.4 g. The NHS counts a 30 g portion of dried fruit, such as dates, as one of your 5 A Day, and says it should be eaten at mealtimes, not as a snack between meals, to reduce the impact on teeth. Split a bulk box into 30 g portions to go with meals.
What the date studies found
A food with no cholesterol is not the same as a food that lowers the cholesterol in your blood. Here is what three studies on that second question found.
In a pilot study (Rock et al., 2009), ten healthy people ate 100 g a day of Medjool or Hallawi dates for four weeks. Their total cholesterol and the cholesterol in the VLDL, LDL and HDL fractions did not change significantly. Triglycerides fell by 8% after Medjool and 15% after Hallawi.
A randomised trial (Butler et al., 2022) gave 79 adults with type 2 diabetes either 60 g of dates or 60 g of raisins daily for 12 weeks. Sixty-one completed the study, and lipids showed no difference between or within the groups.
A meta-analysis limited to people with type 2 diabetes (Mirghani and Alhowiti, 2025) pooled fourteen cohorts from four studies, 298 participants in all. Dates reduced total cholesterol in the pooled result, with heterogeneity of 90%. LDL, triglycerides and HDL showed no significant change, and the authors call for larger studies.
So the evidence is thin: the study in healthy people found no change in cholesterol, the diabetes trial found no change in lipids, and the meta-analysis, in type 2 diabetes only, found lower total cholesterol but no significant change in LDL. None of the three found that dates made lipids worse. In a bulk order they count as a fruit, in measured portions.
Beyond the shopping list
Food is one part of the NHS advice. It also says to aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week, to stop smoking, and to avoid drinking more than 14 units of alcohol a week on a regular basis. Whether you also need medicine is a question for your doctor.
Buy less often, buy more at once, and choose what goes in the order with the NHS lists in mind. Browse our dates fruit range or check current kurma prices before placing a bulk order. The figures above are for plain dates, so check the label on stuffed or coated ones.
This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have high cholesterol or take medicine for it, talk to your doctor before changing your diet.
References
- Rock W, et al. Effects of date (Phoenix dactylifera L., Medjool or Hallawi variety) consumption by healthy subjects on serum glucose and lipid levels and on serum oxidative status: a pilot study. J Agric Food Chem. 2009;57(17):8010-7. PMID 19681613
- Butler AE, et al. Effect of Date Fruit Consumption on the Glycemic Control of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Nutrients. 2022;14(17):3491. PMID 36079749
- Mirghani HO, Alhowiti A. Dates fruit effects on dyslipidemia among patients with Type-2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials. Pak J Med Sci. 2025;41(1):331-337. PMID 39867809
- NHS. High cholesterol; How to lower your cholesterol; Fat: the facts; 5 A Day: what counts?
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2019): Dates, deglet noor, FDC ID 171726; Dates, medjool, FDC ID 168191.