High Cholesterol Diet

Rmazula

Hi,

I was told recently that I have high cholesterol which was a shock to me, it is probably genetic though. I usually always eat lean meats and don't eat fast food and generally eat a pretty good diet, or so I thought. I am pretty conscious and have become more so since using my fitness.

I wasn't put on medicine, it was probably not high enough to need so right away, I don't remember my number. My doctor wants me to follow a high cholesterol diet for 3 months to see how I do.

Does anyone have any advice or good recipes to follow?

Thanks for any help!

Rebecca

kstw

Found out last week I have the same problem. High cholesterol. As far as I know I am the only one in my immediate family to have this, but I had been overweight for quite a while although I am still losing most of the 'over' weight. Being overweight also led me to a very unhealthy lifestyle with little exercise. I am following the basic guidelines for what to eat to lower cholesterol (you can find that online at several sites though I really likes the site run by the National Institute of Health and has the TLC Cholesterol meal guidelines). Make fish and white meat chicken your staple meats with lean (90% lean minimum) red meat just once or so a week. I eat egg whites (the guidelines tell us we can have two yolks each week) and lots of dark green and yellow vegetables. I also love cauliflower, broccoli and brussel sprouts which are part of the recommended foods. A couple of sites with meals, recipes, etc. are http://www.3fatchicks.com/sample-menu-for-anne-collins-cholesterol-lowering-diet/ or http://www.crestor.com/c/mealplanner/step3.aspx?r=1. I want to conquer this with diet and exercise, preferably without meds. Hope you are doing well with getting yours to normal.

fittocycle

I try to use diet and exercise to keep my cholesterol down. I'm sure others have lots of things to add but what works for me is:

*eliminating as much processed food as possible and eating clean.
*eating lots of fruits/vegetables and nuts
*having the old-fashioned, cook on the stove oatmeal for breakfast most mornings. To it, I add a tablespoon of walnuts, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, a tablespoon of ground flaxseed, and cinnamon
*taking an omega 3 fish oil capsule each day
*eating only very lean meats and lots of fish
*working out daily, alternating with strength training, yoga, and cardio. For me, I find that I have to work out at a fairly high intensity during cardio to keep my HDL levels high.

These are things that have helped me but I'm sure others have some great ideas too!

bostonwolf

Dietary cholesterol does not have a lot to do with the levels in your blood.

Such a diet can be good for a man, because cholestorol generally metabolizes into testosterone.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/50509373/Adventures-in-Tripling-Testosterone-Cheat-Sheet

Marll

Cutting out sugar and all grains and legumes dropped my Triglycerides by over 100 points in about 6 months. I eat low carb/primal and intake a ton of healthy fats and oils. My cholesterol profile continues to improve such as triglycerides, and HDL to LDL ratio.

taylor5877

Cutting out sugar and all grains and legumes dropped my Triglycerides by over 100 points in about 6 months. I eat low carb/primal and intake a ton of healthy fats and oils. My cholesterol profile continues to improve such as triglycerides, and HDL to LDL ratio.

legumes? really? I can see the grains, but legumes is a new one on me.

A recent review found non-soy legumes lowered cholesterol.

Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2011 Feb;21(2):94-103. Epub 2009 Nov 25.

Non-soy legume consumption lowers cholesterol levels: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

CONCLUSION: These results indicate that a diet rich in legumes other than soy decreases total and LDL cholesterol.

MinnieInMaine

That's so crap of your doctor to give you such arbitrary instructions and leave you to do your own research!! I'd be calling their office for clarification and/or a referral to a nutritionist!

I have borderline high cholesterol too. Something changed in the last few years where over 200 used to be considered high but now there's a gray area where between 200 and 225 is ok and being put on meds is up to your doc and how they feel you should be treated. So it sounds like you might be in the same spot as me. Mine is also genetic but unlike some in my family, mine is controllable with diet and exercise...my Dad on the other hand has to be on meds.

As far as recommendations, I pretty much agree with all of what fittocycle said. Try to stay away from anything with hydrogenated oil in it like regular processed PB (most of your natural ones are fine) and margarine. To elaborite on veggies - try to increase the amount of green leafies like kale, spinach and broccoli.

And also what bostonwolf said about dietary cholesterol. From what I was told, you should be more worried about saturated fats and transfats - not so much cholesterol.

JaceyMarieS

Cutting out sugar and all grains and legumes dropped my Triglycerides by over 100 points in about 6 months. I eat low carb/primal and intake a ton of healthy fats and oils. My cholesterol profile continues to improve such as triglycerides, and HDL to LDL ratio.

This! Not as spectacular an improvement, but in 6 months, my total cholesterol dropped 35 points, triclycerides went down 53 points, LDL decreased by 27 points and HDL increased by 3

Increasing my exercise and adding fish oil will hopefully bring about even greater improvement by my next lipid panel

Marll

Cutting out sugar and all grains and legumes dropped my Triglycerides by over 100 points in about 6 months. I eat low carb/primal and intake a ton of healthy fats and oils. My cholesterol profile continues to improve such as triglycerides, and HDL to LDL ratio.

legumes? really? I can see the grains, but legumes is a new one on me.

A recent review found non-soy legumes lowered cholesterol.

Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2011 Feb;21(2):94-103. Epub 2009 Nov 25.

Non-soy legume consumption lowers cholesterol levels: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

CONCLUSION: These results indicate that a diet rich in legumes other than soy decreases total and LDL cholesterol.

I don't eat many legumes anyway (though natural peanut butter is a weakness of mine) and there is strong evidence in many of my readings to indicate that many people can have inflammatory effects on the body when they are consumed. I personally feel much better when I don't eat them at all.

I never touch soy in any form, as I am convinced it has been overhyped, overused and put in foods where it doesn't belong and has detrimental side effects. I feel horrible any time I eat anything with soy in it personally.

kstw

Which grains have you cut out? I've read barley, oats, wheat, etc. were recommended. I have, in fact, switched to 100% whole wheat bread from the white sandwich breads I'd eaten prior to watching my cholesterol. Are grains considered bad for the diet of a person watching their cholesterol?