Need a REALIST Meal Plan to lower Cholesterol

Unfortunately, the cholesterol in your diet doesn't tie in much with the cholesterol levels in your body. This is a common misconception and there is a lot of research to support it. My advice would be to become more physically active, cut back on your intake of refined sugars, and if you smoke, stop. High blood cholesterol is actually an indicator of chronic inflammation within the body.

Hi,

While a few people have high cholesterol due to genetics, the majority of americans owe their high cholesterol due to an unhealthy diet. I believe you can lower cholesterol by diet and exercise. Research also supports this:

This is from the Mayo clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cholesterol/CL00002
The top foods for lowering cholesterol are: oatmeal, walnuts, fish and high fiber foods (apples, bran, cabbage).

This is from Harvard: http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Heart_Letter/2009/October/11-foods-that-lower-cholesterol

If your diet gave you high cholesterol, it can lower it, too.

It's easy to eat your way to an alarmingly high cholesterol level. The reverse is true, too — changing what you eat can lower your cholesterol and improve the armada of fats floating through your bloodstream.

Doing this requires a two-pronged strategy: Add foods that lower LDL, the harmful cholesterol-carrying particle that contributes to artery-clogging atherosclerosis. At the same time, cut back on foods that boost LDL. Without that step, you are engaging in a holding action instead of a steady — and tasty — victory.

In with the good

Different foods lower cholesterol in various ways. Some deliver soluble fiber, which binds cholesterol and its precursors in the digestive system and drags them out of the body before they get into circulation. Some give you polyunsaturated fats, which directly lower LDL. And some contain plant sterols and stanols, which block the body from absorbing cholesterol.

Oats. An easy first step to improving your cholesterol is having a bowl of oatmeal or cold oat-based cereal like Cheerios for breakfast. It gives you 1 to 2 grams of soluble fiber. Add a banana or some strawberries for another half-gram. Current nutrition guidelines recommend getting 20 to 35 grams of fiber a day, with at least 5 to 10 grams coming from soluble fiber. (The average American gets about half that amount.)

Barley and other whole grains. Like oats and oat bran, barley and other whole grains can help lower the risk of heart disease, mainly via the soluble fiber they deliver.

Beans. Beans are especially rich in soluble fiber. They also take awhile for the body to digest, meaning you feel full for longer after a meal. That's one reason beans are a useful food for folks trying to lose weight. With so many choices — from navy and kidney beans to lentils, garbanzos, black-eyed peas, and beyond — and so many ways to prepare them, beans are a very versatile food.

Eggplant and okra. These two low-calorie vegetables are good sources of soluble fiber.

Nuts. A bushel of studies shows that eating almonds, walnuts, peanuts, and other nuts is good for the heart. Eating 2 ounces of nuts a day can slightly lower LDL, on the order of 5%. Nuts have additional nutrients that protect the heart in other ways.

Vegetable oils. Using liquid vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower, safflower, and others in place of butter, lard, or shortening when cooking or at the table helps lower LDL.

Apples, grapes, strawberries, citrus fruits. These fruits are rich in pectin, a type of soluble fiber that lowers LDL.

Foods fortified with sterols and stanols. Sterols and stanols extracted from plants gum up the body's ability to absorb cholesterol from food. Companies are adding them to foods ranging from margarine and granola bars to orange juice and chocolate. They're also available as supplements. Getting 2 grams of plant sterols or stanols a day can lower LDL cholesterol by about 10%.

Soy. Eating soybeans and foods made from them, like tofu and soy milk, was once touted as a powerful way to lower cholesterol. Analyses show that the effect is more modest — consuming 25 grams of soy protein a day (10 ounces of tofu or 2 1/2 cups of soy milk) can lower LDL by 5% to 6%.

Fatty fish. Eating fish two or three times a week can lower LDL in two ways: by replacing meat, which has LDL-boosting saturated fats, and by delivering LDL-lowering omega-3 fats. Omega-3s reduce triglycerides in the bloodstream and also protect the heart by helping prevent the onset of abnormal heart rhythms.

Fiber supplements. Supplements offer the least appealing way to get soluble fiber. Two teaspoons a day of psyllium, which is found in Metamucil and other bulk-forming laxatives, provide about 4 grams of soluble fiber.

I would look Dr. Furhman's lectures on You tube and his books: Eat to live and Super Immunity are fantastic. He talks a lot about meals to lower cholesterol.

There is also a great documentary on Net Flex called: Fat, sick and dying about a man who lowered his cholesterol with diet.

Overall your diet looks great, I would add oatmeal instead of breakfast bar, more fruits (apples) and vegetables.

Good luck.

I cut my cholesterol in half in about 9 months...from 102 to 51 (doctor wants it to be 50 or below). I cut out almost all processed foods and started eating fresh foods. Mostly I ate fruits, vegetables, grilled chicken breast. I cut out soda, margarine, all fried foods. I ate a salad with lunch and dinner with either chicken or brown rice. I did eat real Ranch dressing, that was my splurge. I ate few sweets and little bread. I ate flatbreads for wraps and tons of brown rice. I made a pot of brown rice with onions, peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes on Sunday, divided it into bowls and took a bowl to work for lunch each day with a salad. I used onion, garlic, green peppers to season things. I lost about 25 lbs. I ate saltine crackers with my salads. I drank water through the day and tea when I ate out with dinner. I added exercise to my sedentary life. I didn't eat fish. I didn't eat nuts. I didn't use oil or butter in anything. I didn't eat beans. I ate salads with lettuce, cucumbers, onions, peppers. I ate steamed vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower. I ate baked potatoes with laughing cow cheese on them. I ate brown rice and chicken. I ate oranges, grapefruits, plums by the gazillions, frozen blueberries and sometimes an apple or peach. I cut out all pasta except sometimes a Weight WAtchers Smart One dinner (yes, it's processed) when I had to have something tasty on the run. I ate a lot....of vegetables...and fruits......and chicken....I ate a lot.......

I'm struggling to get back on it, but this is how I lowered mine.

Dietary Cholesterol has little to no impact on blood Cholesterol. As such, you should be changing your diet in general to be healthier and increasing your physical activity as well. You want plenty of healthy fats and whole grains. Don't be scared of red meat. It is not off limits, though you should most likely not have it every day.

The days of freaking out about red meat and eggs for those of us with bad Cholesterol is over. It's about an overall healthy lifestyle now.

This website provides menus for many life situations and conditions : pregnancy, maintaining bone health, gluten free, weight loss, etc. Some meal plans are free while some others are very affordable. I am a subscriber and am very pleased by the variety of food, the delicious recipes and by the fact that they are following guidelines and recommendations issued by many health organizations. I don't need to worry about getting enough calcium or fibers (for instance), they look at it for me, I only have to follow the plan. It is not a website that tries to sell you pills or some products, their main goal is to provide healthy meal plans to the population.

There is one meal plan that could interest you.

http://www.soscuisine.com/coeur_en_sante/menus_intelligents?sos_l=en

" Smart Meal Plans for a HEALTHY HEART

Food plays a key role in preventing and managing heart diseases. This is why we created these dedicated Heart Healthy Meal Plans.

They are designed for people with high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol or hypertriglyceridemia. They allow for reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke, through a healthy, varied and balanced diet. They are also designed to prevent the risk of relapse. "

In this case, they follow recommendations from:

•Heart & Stroke Foundation (Canada's leading organization for heart disease and stroke)
•American Heart Association (USA)
•DASH Eating Plan, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
•Health Canada's Food Guide
•Extenso (Canada; in French)
•PasseportSanté.net (in French): Hypercholesterolemia, Hypertension, Hypertriglyceridemia

have a look!

many people are already using that site, if you look into the mfp food database for soscuisine or sos cuisine, you'll see a few recipes that were previously entered.

On Sunday nights, put on some music and make some pre-prepared meals for the week. I'll just chop up a lot of veggies and put them in tupperware containers so if I'm trying to do something fast all I have to do is reach in the fridge and sprinkle them in whatever I'm making. Throw a squash in the oven while you do it, and you have a week worth of a yummy side dish!

Dr. Oz show says to take in 2 Tsp. of Metamusil powder in a cup of water 3 x's a day. I have been doing this for 2 months now, I sure hope it's working because I can't take any of the C meds. It has psyillium in it and it grabs onto the stuff that would turn into C in your blood while it's in your tummy and your body rids it.