Biometric Screening & Nutrition

rowlandk

I recently started a new job and for the health insurance I had to go through a biometric screening. I'm 29 and I've never done this before. Well the results come back and my cholesterol and triglycerides are high. I'm 5'6" and weigh 176 pounds and do a boot camp type work out at least 5 days a week. I try very hard to eat healthy, but have a weakness for sweets. I never thought that at 29 I would need to be changing my diet for these things and have no idea how to go about lowering these naturally. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks

LisaD1025

I went to the doctor a few months ago and my LDL and triglycerides were borderline high. I work out regularly and eat fairly healthy too -- although I have my weaknesses & indulgences, but what would life be without them -- so I was at a loss. I asked my doctor about it and she gave me a fairly long list of foods to eat regularly that help lower LDL & raise HDL. It doesn't say anything specifically about triglycerides, but generally speaking, the lower your LDL levels are, the lower your triglycerides are too. Anyhow, I don't have the list with me, but I remember a few off hand and have added these to my diet regularly: oats (I buy plain instant oatmeal and add fruit/honey/etc. to it for breakfast), walnuts & almonds, & avacado. Those are the ones I have added the most and that were the easiest for me to add on a regular basis. I know red wine was on the list as well, in moderation of course, but it gives me migraines, and dark chocolate. Olive oil and garlic were on the "for cooking' list, but I already used those pretty regularly.

The only foods she specifically asked me about were red meat (rare) and eggs. I told her I usually eat at least one, frequently two, eggs per day, and she recommended cutting out at least one of the egg yolks because that is the part that has all the cholesterol in it. I put a whole egg into the MPF food diary and the cholesterol was really high, but just an egg white doesn't have any at all.

Anyhow, you might have already known all of these things, but if not, I hope this helps. I'm going back in a few weeks to have my levels checked again and I will be very curious to see if adding/removing foods has helped at all.

One last thought -- high cholesterol and triglycerides can also be largely genetic. If you're already eating/doing all the right things, you might check with your parents/siblings/other relatives to see if they have the same thing. Just a thought.

Congrats on the new job!

Acg67

I recently started a new job and for the health insurance I had to go through a biometric screening. I'm 29 and I've never done this before. Well the results come back and my cholesterol and triglycerides are high. I'm 5'6" and weigh 176 pounds and do a boot camp type work out at least 5 days a week. I try very hard to eat healthy, but have a weakness for sweets. I never thought that at 29 I would need to be changing my diet for these things and have no idea how to go about lowering these naturally. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks

Lose weight and I bet those markers improve

LisaD1025

Spinach was also on the list, now that I think of it. Which surprised me for some reason, but I've added it as often as possible, but it's not easy to work into your day. But if you drink protein shakes or anything like that during the day, I have added spinach to them in the past and I can't really taste it at all.

bcattoes

I recently started a new job and for the health insurance I had to go through a biometric screening. I'm 29 and I've never done this before. Well the results come back and my cholesterol and triglycerides are high. I'm 5'6" and weigh 176 pounds and do a boot camp type work out at least 5 days a week. I try very hard to eat healthy, but have a weakness for sweets. I never thought that at 29 I would need to be changing my diet for these things and have no idea how to go about lowering these naturally. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks

Dietary sugar can affect your triglycerides but I'm surprised yours would be high with boot camp 5 days a week. Fish oil is sometimes prescribed to lower triglycerides, so you might try eating more oily fish or taking a supplement.

But you probably need to cut your sugar and processed grain intake. This could help with the trig level and with weight loss. You don't have to give them up, but cutting back may be beneficial for you.

You also might want to look at your cholesterol intake. For most people dietary cholesterol doesn't have much affect on blood cholesterol, but for some it can have a failry significant impact.

neanderthin

Information people should be aware of about LDL.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2014286/

Any questions, let me know.

rowlandk

Thanks for all the information everyone! I will look try adding those foods into my diet and cutting back on the processed stuff. I have some Omega 3 vitamins at home that I had stopped taking since they give you that fishy aftertaste, but I will start on those again as well. And yes, I'm here because I'm trying to lose weight. Thanks.

bcattoes

Thanks for all the information everyone! I will look try adding those foods into my diet and cutting back on the processed stuff. I have some Omega 3 vitamins at home that I had stopped taking since they give you that fishy aftertaste, but I will start on those again as well. And yes, I'm here because I'm trying to lose weight. Thanks.

Look for fish oil pills with enteric coating. This cuts the fishy aftertaste.

rowlandk

Thank you! I will do that.

Thanks for all the information everyone! I will look try adding those foods into my diet and cutting back on the processed stuff. I have some Omega 3 vitamins at home that I had stopped taking since they give you that fishy aftertaste, but I will start on those again as well. And yes, I'm here because I'm trying to lose weight. Thanks.

Look for fish oil pills with enteric coating. This cuts the fishy aftertaste.

gamesandgains

I know this an old thread but does anyone know why you can't exercise before taking a biometric screening?