Low Cholesterol getting bored

mom2two2

Hi everyone!

During some routine bloodwork, my Dr discovered that I am showing high cholesterol numbers. This was a shock to both of us as I walk daily, eat fairly healthy, don't smoke, don't drink and am not a bigger girl.
She put me on a pretty restrictive version of the mediterranean diet along with instructions to lose 20 lbs before repeat bloodwork in Dec.

I am working hard at this but am finding meal planning to be a struggle. I am trying to keep it interesting for myself but there is only so much I can do with chicken breast and fish.

Does anyone have any fun ideas for dinners? I cannot have pork, very little red meat, and the only cut of chicken I can have is skinless breast.

Because I am trying to lose weight as well as lower cholesterol I am finding the lack of variety a challenge.

Any help is greatly appreciated
TIA

Tab122377

We got the call my husband needs to do the same. I need to loose weight and we need to bring his cholesterol numbers down and keep his sugar from going up also.. No advice but we can share what we find. Note we have not started anything yet..

Tab122377

These looked good not sure if there Mediterranean: https://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/250549/roast-chicken-sweet-potatoes/
https://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/269496/one-pot-garlicky-shrimp-spinach/ https://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/267768/chicken-spinach-skillet-pasta-with-lemon-parmesan/ https://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/7961980/sheet-pan-garlic-soy-chicken-vegetables/ https://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/278018/honey-walnut-shrimp/

frhaberl

I'm still on a statin to lower my cholesterol, but I've seen my numbers improve dramatically with weight loss, even though I still eat red meat and pork occasionally. I'm actually looking forward to seeing my next blood work results and chatting with my doctor about going off the cholesterol meds to see if I can stay in a good range without them. I'm not advocating going against your doctor's advice, but I do think there might be a path of moderation that could allow you to eat a bit more of what you are used to eating and still improve your numbers.

Some general advice for adjusting your diet within the bounds your doctor has given you:

• Focus on foods you can add to your diet vs what you have to subtract. Here's a good article from Mayo clinic - https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/cholesterol/art-20045192#:~:text=Soluble fiber is also found,day decreases your LDL cholesterol.
• It's already in the article above, but I'd emphasize focusing on increasing your fiber intake. That was what helped me most in terms of not feeling bored with my diet. Raspberries and chia seed pudding are my current favorite dessert and adding beans to my meals is a great filler as well as fiber source.
• Look at other cuisines in addition to Mediterranean. I'm a fan of Indian and Thai dishes. There are some great vegetarian/fish/chicken centric dishes in those cuisines.
• Try some "new to you" vegetables. This is a bit challenging with my picky kids where broccoli is about as exotic as they will get, but there is a huge amount of variety that can be added in the form of different vegetables. Jicama is nice and crunchy with a mild flavor and 100 calories worth has 12.8 g of fiber. Just one example.
• We're getting into soup weather. There are lots of soups that could work well with your dietary restrictions.

Here's what I ate this week as an example:
Breakfast (I eat the same breakfast every morning, so that may not help with boredom) - Chicken sausage links wrapped in high fiber tortilla.
Lunch (also the same most days since I meal prep a big salad, but variety can be added) - Salad with napa cabbage, sugar snap peas, green onions, carrots, cilantro, chicken breast and a spicy tahini dressing.
Dinners -

• Spring mix salad with tomato, feta, red wine vinaigrette, and 4 oz steak (I typically have red meat once a week)
• White chicken chili (white beans, skinless chicken, poblano and jalepeno peppers, onion, cilantro, lemon juice, and spices and broth)
• Red beans and rice (made with kidney beans, chicken andouille sausage, poblanos, celery, onion, spices, broth and brown rice)
• Grilled Sambal Chicken with broccoli and brown rice - (marinade has sriracha, fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice wine vinegar)
• Chinese style chicken salad (kit from Costco)
• Homemade chicken noodle soup

lynepkyle

Do you eat ground Turkey? I just found this recipe and it’s delicious!
https://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/274587/spinach-feta-turkey-meatballs-with-herbed-quinoa/

IvoryParchment

There's no reason chicken and fish should have less variety than beef and pork. There are so many ways to marinate, dredge, braise and air fry any protein.

If you want to find things that can make your chicken and fish interesting, search for recipes for tofu and substitute your protein instead. Anything that makes tofu palatable will really make chicken shine.

IvoryParchment

I haven't tried this particular recipe, but I've had it in a restaurant, and it's amazing.

Don't be intimidated by fish sauce (nam pla). It does smell like dead fish when it comes out of the bottle, but it loses that taste when cooked. It becomes the characteristic taste of Thai food.

Galingale (galanga) is hard to find fresh, but if you've never had it, you MUST try it. It's completely unlike any other flavor. This recipe uses regular ginger instead, but the tastes are very different. It's worth trying it both ways.

You can use as much or as little of the hot chiles as you want, just as restaurants ask you how you prefer it.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/161985/baked-snapper-with-chilies-ginger-and-basil/

neanderthin

Why wouldn't your Dr. then just have you tested for calcium in your arteries with a coronary calcium scan which actually detects coronary disease even before a person has any symptoms. Maybe talk with a dietitian that's been trained in this discipline. Higher total cholesterol has virtually no meaning. Might be a tad better than just advising you to eat skinless chicken breasts. Also Scandinavian countries, France, Hong Kong and Japan have lower heart disease rates then the countries of the Mediterranean and always have, why not use them. Personally I'd be more concerned with elevated triglycerides. Cheers.

sollyn23l2

neanderthin wrote: »

Why wouldn't your Dr. then just have you tested for calcium in your arteries with a coronary calcium scan which actually detects coronary disease even before a person has any symptoms. Maybe talk with a dietitian that's been trained in this discipline. Higher total cholesterol has virtually no meaning. Might be a tad better than just advising you to eat skinless chicken breasts. Also Scandinavian countries, France, Hong Kong and Japan have lower heart disease rates then the countries of the Mediterranean and always have, why not use them. Personally I'd be more concerned with elevated triglycerides. Cheers.

hmckate

Hi! I lowered my cholesterol by becoming a pescatarian and low carb. I know that's a harsh way to do it, but my triglycerides plummeted to under 50 and my HDL soared. My PCP was thrilled. I found it very easy to cut meat out and choose carb friendly options. I get all kinds of great food ideas and recipes from Pinterest.

neanderthin

hmckate wrote: »

Hi! I lowered my cholesterol by becoming a pescatarian and low carb. I know that's a harsh way to do it, but my triglycerides plummeted to under 50 and my HDL soared. My PCP was thrilled. I found it very easy to cut meat out and choose carb friendly options. I get all kinds of great food ideas and recipes from Pinterest.

Under 50 for trigs is legend, good for you, mine are in the mid 40's as well. Conventional medical advice like to see trigs below 150. I believe that is to accommodate the basic USDA's recommendations where around half of the grains recommended can be from refined grains because only refined grains can be fortified to allow for deficiencies and for the allowable sugar content. Personally and a lot of doctors that specialize in metabolic diseases believe 100 to be more sensible. cheers

loulee997

mom2two2 wrote: »

Hi everyone!

During some routine bloodwork, my Dr discovered that I am showing high cholesterol numbers. This was a shock to both of us as I walk daily, eat fairly healthy, don't smoke, don't drink and am not a bigger girl.
She put me on a pretty restrictive version of the Mediterranean diet along with instructions to lose 20 lbs before repeat bloodwork in Dec.

I am working hard at this but am finding meal planning to be a struggle. I am trying to keep it interesting for myself but there is only so much I can do with chicken breast and fish.

Does anyone have any fun ideas for dinners? I cannot have pork, very little red meat, and the only cut of chicken I can have is skinless breast.

Because I am trying to lose weight as well as lower cholesterol I am finding the lack of variety a challenge.

Any help is greatly appreciated
TIA

https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/low-cholesterol-dinner-recipes/

Low cholesterol doesn't have to mean low taste. This link has several tasty low-cholesterol meals including an Italian Sausage Veggie Skillet (259 Calories) and Chipotle Ranch Chicken Tacos. You can also replace the Italian sausage with chicken sausage.

Plus some foods lower your cholesterol such as the following:

Foods like oatmeal, apples, prunes, and beans are high in soluble fiber, which keeps your body from absorbing cholesterol. Research shows that people who ate 5 to 10 more grams of it each day saw a drop in their cholesterol.

High Fiber such as oatmeal and avocado can help as well. And though less effective, Cheerios can be a nice cholesterol-friendly/lowering snack.