Cholesterol Lowering Foods List

SoleTrainer60

I recently had a blood screening done. I have High Cholesterol. I need a list of cholesterol lowering foods. Does anyone know where I can get this list of foods?

lynn_glenmont

I used the list in Janet Bond Brill's "Cholesterol Down" when I was working on lowering mine, but I believe that weight loss and exercise had more of an effect than specific foods.

LKArgh

High fiber food (all sorts of beans, vegetables, fruit, whole grain), fish, avoid too much meat and animal fats, prefer baked/boiled/steamed over fried, avoid too much sugar and increase physical activity

psuLemon

Weight loss and exercise have the biggest impact, unsaturated fatty acids and fiber can also help.

ninerbuff

Losing weight would be your best bet. There is direct evidence that foods you eat with cholesterol (EX: eggs) don't raise your blood cholesterol level. Cholesterol is mostly genetic and also raises when one becomes overweight.

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GottaBurnEmAll

Echoing the recommendation to lose weight and exercise. For me that helped along with eating a lot of foods with high fiber (vegetables and whole grains) and limiting intake of saturated fats.

dopeysmelly

For me, losing weight (1/3 of body weight) didn't make any difference, but cutting out saturated fat did (I cut out all dairy, meat and my bad cholesterol essentially halved in 4 weeks).

DancingMoosie

I've tried changing my diet to low cholesterol foods (not losing weight) and I've also changed diet to calorie deficit with working out and losing weight. Cholesterol lowered much more with working out and losing weight

SoleTrainer60

Thanks everyone. I walk daily, at least 3 -7 miles a day. I feel I get enough exercise, but my husband and I do like steak and pork loin. We are doing well , when using portion control, but I will try to substitute beef and pork for skinless chicken or turkey. Maybe this will help. Any other ideas would be appreciated. Thanks again, : )

SoleTrainer60

I also feel that it could possibly be genetic, as well.

nvmomketo

What part of your cholesterol is high? Total cholesterol is not a very useful test. LDL can be too high if it is made of pattern b rather than pattern a LDL, but high LDL with lost of pattern a particles is considered to be healthy. Is your HDL high? That's a good thing. Triglycerides should be normal. You want a good HDL to triglycerides ratio.

Reading books like Cholesterol Clarity or The Great Cholesterol Myth will help you know if your "high" cholesterol is actually a problem.

If you need triglycerides to go down and HDL to go up, avoiding sugars and grains will help. As a general rule, lowering carbs will improve those numbers, and keeping veggies and fruits is preferable to keeping baked goods and sugar, IMO.

Cholesterol in food does not have any real impact on cholesterol.

Fats, except for transfats and too much vegetable oils, tend to improve cholesterol so switch to lean poultry may not help you.

Peter Attia has great information on cholesterol if you are interested:
http://eatingacademy.com/category/cholesterol-2
He tends to get quite technical but here is a simpler summary: http://highsteaks.com/straight-dope-cholesterol-summary-dr-peter-attia-eatingacademy-com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAWdHYSrh7M

SoleTrainer60

My HDL Cholesterol is: 67 <2> LDL Chol (calc) 139 H* Cholesterol 220 H*

nvmomketo

SoleTrainer60 wrote: »

My HDL Cholesterol is: 67 <2> LDL Chol (calc) 139 H* Cholesterol 220 H*

I'm not a doctor so take my thoughts with a grain of salt.

Your HDL is quite good. HDL is considered protective so higher is a good thing.

Your calculated (not measured) LDL is considered to be borderline high. In the low middle of the borderline range. Without knowing what type of LDL particles you have, I would not be overly concerned. You could have lots of the larger, less dense LDL where more is a healthy thing. If it bothers you, ask for an LDL-P test, which is not calculated, as well as for the actual particle types. This article has more information:http://www.docsopinion.com/health-and-nutrition/lipids/ldl-p/ It's a simpler read than the Attia stuff posted above.

Total cholesterol is not a useful test. I'd ignore it completely.

Did they give you triglyceride numbers? If you have normal triglycerides and good HDL, I'd say you probably have nothing to worry about. And I would never in a million years take any sort of statins for your numbers, or even for numbers worse than yours. If your doctor brought up statins, do your research before using them.

But as I said, I'm not a doctor. You'll want to do your own research.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

my cholesterol is hereditary I have FH(familial hypercholesterolemia),I was told to avoid red meats(no,lamb,beef and no pork due to its high fat content),fried foods, cut down on sat fats, and to eat more fruits,veggies and lean meats(fish,chicken,turkey)low/no fat dairy,and eat whole grains,cut out foods made with white flour and limit my cookie,cakes,pies,etc(I dont eat a lot of those things). also to be careful with oils.my dr also told me to watch my sugar and sodium intake. I have lost weight and watched what I ate but my cholesterol was still high so Im back on meds for it.I didnt want to take statins but something has to be done in my case as diet,exercise and weight loss hasnt helped.

Good luck and hope that you can lower yours without meds,but some of us will need meds as well.

SoleTrainer60

My triglyceride number was : 69 The range was 0-149. So, isn't this number low? I am trying to cut out some of the red meats and sweet goodies , also. Thank you all so much for the information.

GottaBurnEmAll

I also have FH, and just got my results back today from my yearly physical. Mine went down from 210 to 169 with my HDL at 69 and my LDL at 85.

I've lost a lot of weight and exercise and follow a vegetarian diet that is similar to what CharlieBeansmomTracey follows in that it's low fat, high in fiber and fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and low fat dairy.

My doctor called me herself with the results. She was seriously gushing.

ejbronte

My cholesterol levels are also hereditary, and I'm on a low dosage of Crestor to see what that does (I'm very bummed about it). But for about a year, I followed my doctor's advice regarding lowering the cholesterol without meds: oatmeal, fish oil and flaxseed every day. I've developed all sorts of oatmeal/oat flour variations, and I enjoy them, so as far as *that's* concerned, no harm, no foul. I also added in 2 or so ounces of dry red wine every couple of days. I think, if things weren't genetically programmed, it might have helped.

nvmomketo

SoleTrainer60 wrote: »

My triglyceride number was : 69 The range was 0-149. So, isn't this number low? I am trying to cut out some of the red meats and sweet goodies , also. Thank you all so much for the information.

That's at the low end of normal. A fine spot to be IMO, especially with good HDL numbers.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »

I also have FH, and just got my results back today from my yearly physical. Mine went down from 210 to 169 with my HDL at 69 and my LDL at 85.

I've lost a lot of weight and exercise and follow a vegetarian diet that is similar to what CharlieBeansmomTracey follows in that it's low fat, high in fiber and fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and low fat dairy.

My doctor called me herself with the results. She was seriously gushing.

congrats,hope mine goes down too. If I have to go vegetarian most of the time I will. I do love tofu lol. my HDL is good the rest is not lol

CharlieBeansmomTracey

The thing that sucks with having FH is that later on we could have insulin resistance issues,diabetes can crop up and so can other health issues, not to mention some people have to get liver transplants. Im trying to avoid all the negative issues that can crop up if I can.I need to lose a little bit more weight, but it wont budge no matter what I do, but then again FH is considered a metabolic issue so maybe that has a little to do with it.Im only 10 lbs from the high end of the healthy BMI range though.

GottaBurnEmAll

CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »

GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »

I also have FH, and just got my results back today from my yearly physical. Mine went down from 210 to 169 with my HDL at 69 and my LDL at 85.

I've lost a lot of weight and exercise and follow a vegetarian diet that is similar to what CharlieBeansmomTracey follows in that it's low fat, high in fiber and fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and low fat dairy.

My doctor called me herself with the results. She was seriously gushing.

congrats,hope mine goes down too. If I have to go vegetarian most of the time I will. I do love tofu lol. my HDL is good the rest is not lol

Thanks. I used to love tofu! I developed soy intolerance after being on antibiotics for a sinus infection last winter. I made this really good marinated baked dish with it that I just loved. I miss it. It was so good for low calorie protein.

Wishing you the best. FH is a pain. I'm estranged from the parent I got it from, it's an ironic twist to have it.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »

CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »

GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »

I also have FH, and just got my results back today from my yearly physical. Mine went down from 210 to 169 with my HDL at 69 and my LDL at 85.

I've lost a lot of weight and exercise and follow a vegetarian diet that is similar to what CharlieBeansmomTracey follows in that it's low fat, high in fiber and fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and low fat dairy.

My doctor called me herself with the results. She was seriously gushing.

congrats,hope mine goes down too. If I have to go vegetarian most of the time I will. I do love tofu lol. my HDL is good the rest is not lol

Thanks. I used to love tofu! I developed soy intolerance after being on antibiotics for a sinus infection last winter. I made this really good marinated baked dish with it that I just loved. I miss it. It was so good for low calorie protein.

Wishing you the best. FH is a pain. I'm estranged from the parent I got it from, it's an ironic twist to have it.

yeah Im not sure which parent I got it from. I dont associate with my mom and my dad passed away in 2001 and they were never tested. but thanks and hope you can keep going with keeping it down. its a pain in the butt for sure

littlechiaseed

It would be more beneficial to show us what you typically eat daily so we can help you cut out those foods raising with some better options because just adding 'cholesterol lowering foods' to your diet while still eating the ones that raise it won't help that much.

SoleTrainer60

Thanks again everyone. My cardiologist told me that if I eat: fish, chicken,turkey and lots of fruit and veggies that I would be fine. He said that I was allowed one egg a week. Lately when I want something sweet, I have a graham cracker with a teaspoon of peanut butter. I hope that my new diet will help lower my cholesterol numbers. I do not want to go on cholesterol meds.

sgt1372

I have high cholesterol and it's genetic; changes in diet and exercise make no difference.

Only medication (a generic version of Lipitor, in my case) has been able to control it.

SoleTrainer60

I have heard nothing but bad things about cholesterol medications,leg pain, joint pain etc. Could this possibly be true for some patients. Does this medication affect you in any way?

crzycatlady1

I just had blood work done a few days ago, and after having totals in the 160s for several years, the most recent one dropped all the way down to a total of 143. Totally freaked me out I have been on an oatmeal kick lately though and have been eating two packets of flavored instant oatmeal 5-6 times a week. Figure that may have something to do with the weird low number? Maybe try adding oatmeal daily and see if that helps?

CharlieBeansmomTracey

SoleTrainer60 wrote: »

I have heard nothing but bad things about cholesterol medications,leg pain, joint pain etc. Could this possibly be true for some patients. Does this medication affect you in any way?

some meds can have those side effects in some people. I was taking zocor years ago and did great, started back on it again and it gave me really bad side effects(I felt like I was dying-no energy,no strength,etc),so Im on something different. I also take coQ10 because statins rob your body of it.so far so good. what will cause issues for some will not for others.its all trial and error. same with any other meds.

NewMeSM75

SoleTrainer60 wrote: »

I have heard nothing but bad things about cholesterol medications,leg pain, joint pain etc. Could this possibly be true for some patients. Does this medication affect you in any way?

I dieted, exercised and lost weight. My triglycerides improved tremendously but rest didn't.

As far as meds, crestor made me feel like I had the flu. I tried it for a couple weeks.

I tried niacin which is a vitamin/supplement as suggested by my doctor. Oh man. It gives such a flush affect that feels like ant bites.

Now I'm on prevastatin. Side effects aren't as bad. I still have my feel and legs to cramp up at times. If you can lower yours with diet and exercise, that's the best option.

I not only take the pravastatin, I also walk, eat lean proteins and high fiber foods. My fiber goal is 25 to 30 grams a day. Don't forget that there are good fats that help with your cholesterol such as olive oil.

cwolfman13

High cholesterol was one of the reasons I started all of this in the first place over four years ago. I have taken my LDL from 160something to 93 and my HDL from something like 25 to 62.

Basically, I cut way back on processed foods and refined grains and started eating a lot more whole foods...lots and lots of veggies which were completely missing from my diet before and a couple servings of fruit daily. I have whole oats for breakfast probably 3x per week. I also eat a lot of legumes and lentils and whole food starches like potatoes and sweet potatoes. I eat vegetarian about 3x per week (but still eggs and dairy)...I eat fish a couple nights per week and often have a chicken dish on the weekend. I eat red meat probably 2-3 times per month

I'm not what I would consider low fat...I get anywhere between 0.3 and 0.4 grams times my body weight...I eat a lot of avocados and nuts and nut butters and usually cook with olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil depending on the application.

I'm pretty sure that regular exercise has helped immensely. I spend about 8-10 hours per week working out...I primarily cycle and I lift a couple days per week. On average I'd say I ride between 80-100 miles per week...sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less.

I also dropped about 40 Lbs which I'm sure improved all of my markers.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

cwolfman13 wrote: »

High cholesterol was one of the reasons I started all of this in the first place over four years ago. I have taken my LDL from 160something to 93 and my HDL from something like 25 to 62.

Basically, I cut way back on processed foods and refined grains and started eating a lot more whole foods...lots and lots of veggies which were completely missing from my diet before and a couple servings of fruit daily. I have whole oats for breakfast probably 3x per week. I also eat a lot of legumes and lentils and whole food starches like potatoes and sweet potatoes. I eat vegetarian about 3x per week (but still eggs and dairy)...I eat fish a couple nights per week and often have a chicken dish on the weekend. I eat red meat probably 2-3 times per month

I'm not what I would consider low fat...I get anywhere between 0.3 and 0.4 grams times my body weight...I eat a lot of avocados and nuts and nut butters and usually cook with olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil depending on the application.

I'm pretty sure that regular exercise has helped immensely. I spend about 8-10 hours per week working out...I primarily cycle and I lift a couple days per week. On average I'd say I ride between 80-100 miles per week...sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less.

I also dropped about 40 Lbs which I'm sure improved all of my markers.

for some though exercise,change in diet and losing weight does help. I was diagnosed with my high cholesterol(FH) when I was a normal weight(before I gained any) I was 140lbs(im 5'6 1/2). mine is hereditary so even eating better and getting exercise,and losing most of the weight I gained (after being diagnosed),it still did not go down enough. I was on a low cholesterol diet before they put me on meds,last year I stopped taking statins to see if since I was smaller and more active and eating better if I could do without the meds, went back a few months ago and nope,I needed to be put on meds