Wellness

[AngelPuppy1]

Those of you with this problem, do you find it difficult to follow a healthy diet that is low in cholesterol? I am finding it somewhat difficult. I always felt that I had a pretty healthy diet and was shocked to find out that my cholesterol is quite high! My dr. wants to start me on a statin and I don't want to go on it. I asked for some more time to try and get it down. But I am finding the task somewhat daunting.

How do you handle this? DH has very low cholesterol so he does not have to really worry. I work full-time and he is at home, so he is in charge of cooking. He tries to make decent meals for us but he is not that experienced of a cook, plus he is not in great health and I do not want to put any undue burden on him. He does not like a lot of things which I would eat that are healthier.

Once I get my head wrapped around this, I will probably do better, but right now - this seems a monumental task.

Any and all suggestions, tips, etc., would be greatly appreciated.

I do eat a lot of fresh vegetables and fruit already. I do have a sweet tooth and love baked goods and realize that I must do away with eating these. I don't eat much bread and never did eat fried foods.

Please help!

[addiegal]

I would leave off the sweets and baked goods. The veggies and fruits are good and lean protein. Have you had your thyroid checked? Low thyroid is a possible cause of high cholesterol. I hope you can get your cholesterol under control.

[cuddlesmama]

I also have high cholesterol and it runs in my family My father died at the age of 48 from a heart attack which I am sure his cholesterol was high but in those days it wasn't checked. When I found out I had high cholesterol I gave up all sugar products which is junk food. I eat a very healthy diet and feel so much better and my cholesterol came way down. I also picked up tis book I got from the Library and liked it so much I bought it on e-bay. It is called" Cholesterol Down" by Janet Bond Brill,Ph.D R.D it is a great book and very easy reading and has helped me a lot. You really need to keep an eye on your cholesterol you don't want to have a heart attack it needs to be taken seriously. And don't take Satin Drugs they are very dangerous to take of course your Doctor won't tell you that. Check out the book I mentioned it will help a lot.

Good Luck

[Jersey Born]

Hi, AngelPuppy. If I were you, I would consider going for extensive testing conducted by a metabolic specialist who understands how diet affects cholesterol in each and every different person. This one-size-fits-all, just-shut-up-and-take-a-statin stuff is troubling to me, and it appears it is to you, also. I have learned so much from a friend who suffers like we both do, apparently, from elevated cholesterol. He actually went to a metabolic specialist and was repeatedly given cholesterol tests, after making severe dietary changes in his life, so he knows precisely what works for him to this end. He can eat lean meats, even red meats, as long as he eats them with green vegetables and not with potatoes or pasta, or corn or rice, or wheat/bread, or sugar. He has eliminated all breads, pasta, rice and corn from his diet, actually, except for an occasional slice of Ezekiel bread (from sprouted grains that are processed by the body differently than other breads).

His cholesterol has dropped to about 110 when he eats this way. It is the carbs that spike his cholesterol, not the fat from animal meat. We need the fat for our brains. What we do not need is the grains that spike our sugar levels and wreak havoc with our insulin levels, apparently.

All the best-- to us!

[Bird mama]

AngelPuppy1, I got the shock of my life last October when I was told I had high cholesterol. My triglycerides were good (these are the worst to control), my HDL was good, but my LDL (the bad cholesterol) was 196 (bad).

I am tall, slender and don't eat fast food, fried food, meat, mayonnaise or any of the things I would normally associate with being high in cholesterol. When my doctor made the off hand remark to eat less fat, and I told my sister what he said, they told me, since when did you start eating fat?

I will preface that the blood work had been taken at 7:30 in the evening at the end of the work day. An accurate cholesterol screening usually involves a 12 hour fast before hand. Since I was also told there was some concern about my bone density, I didn't stop drinking my 2% milk or eating my Yoplait yogurt. My thought is, if my bones hit the skids, I won't be able to get around no matter the condition of my cholesterol.

I didn't change the way I ate. As a matter of fact, because I am trying vitamin supplementation for the old bones, I force myself to eat three meals a day. Up to now, I ate when I was hungry only.

In April of this year, I started taking nature made Cholest-off, one capsule per meal. I did the 12 hour fast the night before follow up blood work in July. My LDL is now 141. I don't know if the fast gave a more accurate result or if it's the Cholest-Off. I am not stopping the cholest-off.

What I've learned so far: if your HDL is low, walk more, even 30 minutes a day to bring it up. HDL helps clear out LDL.

If LDL is high, what the cholesterol in anything you eat. The first time you go grocery shopping it will take forever while you study all of the labels.

If the triglycerides are high - bless your heart - those are the worst to control. You'll need to cut out the sweets as triglycerides are the sugars turning into fat.

[Winkk]

I have borderline high cholesterol and the doctor put me on meds even though my HDL's are excellent and my triglycerides are good. Dietary cholesterol comes from anything that was alive like meat, eggs, etc.

However, a lot of cholesterol is not dietary but your body just makes too much. Start reading labels and you will get a feel for what you can and cannot eat. It will take a little time to get used to but it will happen.

[Kathlen]

My doctor said that the good/bad ratio is more important than the cholesterol level itself.

My cholesterol "number" may be a bit high, but my ratio is more than adequate. We don't worry about it.

[Lily]

I lowered my cholesterol without medication. Here is what I researched and found out:

Look at every label on the food at the grocery store and remove anything from your diet that includes Hydrogenated Oil, Partially Hydrogenated Oil or Intersified Oil. These are oils that have been chemically altered to stay solid at room temperature (trans fats). They won't break down in your digestive system like a natural oil and can line your veins and attract the cholesterol, therefore, giving you higher cholesterol in your blood. Even if the front of the package says "no trans fat per serving" read the label, it might be in there. Read all the way to the last ingredient!

Also, Oatmeal is a magical ingredient! Eat it for a meal a few times a week. You can cook it and put some in the refrigerator to have on hand. Oats can actually attach to cholesterol and take it out of the body in your waste (#2!!)

Fiber is another great ingredient to incorporate. It helps similarly as the oats do!

I incorporated these 3 things along with exercise and it lowered my cholesterol into the normal range for the past 7-8 years! Hope this helps you! Good luck.

[wagirl]

My story is similar to Butterfly 12. My dad died at age 47, in 1976, from heart disease. You need to find a good cardiologist who will run the right tests as the standards for this are changing all the time. I was on a b vitamin called Niaspan for about 5 years that did wonderful things for my numbers but because I also have a very high HDL--in the 80's--my risk ratio is way down. Things have changed alot in this area. But try very hard not to go on the statins. They did horrible things to me.

[Shelbelle]

Try something OTC such as plant sterols supplements before your meals. I take Puritans Pride Cholest Wise, been taking for about last 8 years now. They also offer something a little less comprehensive for much less money called Cholest Solutions, you can mix these, and take less of the more expensive product.