Slim and high cholesterol, frustrating!

I agree, it may not be something you can control with diet and exercise but it's definitely worth a try if you can! Plus you may need more specific advice like is your ratio ok but your HDL needs to be better? I'd recommend talking more with your doctor about it and/or going to see a nutritionist specifically about lowering your cholesterol through diet. I did this years ago and it was very helpful. I'm not sure if the science has changed much but here are a few things I remember off the top of my head:

lower intake of saturated fats - eat more chicken, fish and pork, lower red meat intake

avoid hydrogenated oils (I think the term now is trans fats) - things like margarine and regular peanut butter are bad, check labels, use natural peanut butter and healthier oils, avoid fast/fried foods, etc.

eat more high fiber foods - more leafy greens like broccoli, kale, spinach and stick to whole grain breads

Add Omega-3 - eat more fish like salmon. add flax seed to foods or go with supplements. I

snack on almonds and walnuts


If you do go see a nutritionist, be honest about those foods you love and see if they have suggestions for alternatives. Not sure if lower fat cheeses would help or maybe try alternatives to ice cream like coconut/almond milk products.

Good luck!

i had high cholesterol and im pretty sure mine was due to red meat. I now eat more turkey, chicken, pork, and fish and my numbers are normal now.

i disagree w/a previous posters comments about having more chicken, fish, turkey etc....these foods actually raise the bad cholesterol & other stuff that is not good.

highly recommend reducing your meat intake to 2-3 x's a week vs everyday - if that's what u do now.

<snip>

personally, i don't have cholesterol issues or anything major, but my husband does and i've taken steps to decrease our meat/fish intake & have more fruits/veggies and definitely feel better. my husband just came back from his cardio dr. & his cholesterol is up - so, going to reduce even more his portion size of meat & make sure he has more fruit/veggies.

Wait...you've cut down your husband's consumption of meat & fish, increased his carbohydrates, and his cholesterol has gotten worse. So you're going to do even more of the same and expect a different result?

Maybe you ought to try cutting out bread and sweets instead, and let him have the meat and fish back...

i disagree w/a previous posters comments about having more chicken, fish, turkey etc....these foods actually raise the bad cholesterol & other stuff that is not good.

highly recommend reducing your meat intake to 2-3 x's a week vs everyday - if that's what u do now.

<snip>

personally, i don't have cholesterol issues or anything major, but my husband does and i've taken steps to decrease our meat/fish intake & have more fruits/veggies and definitely feel better. my husband just came back from his cardio dr. & his cholesterol is up - so, going to reduce even more his portion size of meat & make sure he has more fruit/veggies.

Wait...you've cut down your husband's consumption of meat & fish, increased his carbohydrates, and his cholesterol has gotten worse. So you're going to do even more of the same and expect a different result?

Maybe you ought to try cutting out bread and sweets instead, and let him have the meat and fish back...

my husband is allergic to certain fish, all dairy and doesn't eat pasta.....

WHERE IN MY POST DO I SAY I'M INCREASING CARBS???? i'm not increasing carbs w/breads or sweet. we don't eat a lot of processed foods which have the bad carbs.

all foods have carbs. i'm increasing fruits/veggies/beans-legumes and decreasing his portion size. instead of 8oz of chicken, i'm making it to be more like 4oz.

YOU NEED TO DO SOME MORE RESEARCH FROM ACTUAL DOCTORS WHO PRACTICE MEDICINE WITH USING FOOD TO CURE ILLNESS/DISEASE & NOT MEDS!!!!


here's another disclaimer about reducing cholesterol w/less meat/fish & processed foods......another friend has recently started reading the book, "Eat to Live" and has cut out more of her dairy & cut back on her meat intake & increased her fruit/veggie intake dramatically. her #'s have gone down a bit, she doesn't feel bloated as much anymore & feels lots better.

2nd disclaimer - my dad has followed the "Eat to Live" plan on his own for @ 5+ years. he still eats meat - a good steak from time to time. he eats chicken,fish,turkey maybe 1 or 2 times in a week. not 5-7x's. my dad lost a lot of weight, lost inches, and has blood work that constantly blows his primary dr. away whenever his has his yearly physical. i might add that my dad was never severely overweight. my dad does juicing, eats salads for lunch w/a slice of some sort of multi or whole grain bread, snacks on nuts from time to time, eats fruits w/his cereal & dinner - usually another salad b/c he's too tired to make something else @ 7p. sometimes he'll do a pasta (whole grain or multi) or something w/beans-legumes. he eats sweets @ parties, holidays, special events. all of this is based upon the book, "Eat to Live" and other research info he's gathered.

don't know about the Pritikin or low-fat Ornish u mentioned. for the Brody person - never heard of her either. however, from the basic info u gave sounds like she was eating a lot of processed foods & not enough fresh or frozen fruits/veggie.

all i know - with a balance of fruit/veggies/beans-legumes; moderate amount of diary, meats, and occasional sweet treats - exercise often - one will be better off.

when u increase your leafy greens & veggies overall - it takes @ 3 months for the body to adjust and get the right amount of fat from the food. animal protein/fat is just not as healthy as plant/fruit/beans' fat.

highly recommend getting the book, Eat to Live & really reading it for your information. what the dr. says makes a whole lot of sense/truth w/all the info that is out there. i felt it kinda put a lot of dieting info into better perspective to understand.

Cholesterol is more about eating the wrong fats and the wrong carbs than eating too much of them. If you are struggling with cravings and eating 'bad' snacks I would question your definition of 'good' meals.

A good breakfast is rich in protein, healthy fats and fibre, plenty of fruits or veggies, a modest portion only of the lowest glycaemic index carbs. Most women eat toast or boxed cereal for breakfast which is the absolute opposite of what is going to keep you satisfied for longest. Be sure you eat at least nine portions of bright or dark coloured fruits and vegetables each day for the heart-healthy antioxidants, fibre, vitamins and minerals. This is super filling.

Healthy fats include oily fish, avocado, olives, coconut, cocoa, nuts and seeds - note these are all whole foods not oils so rich in protein and/ or fibre too. Healthy carbs for the cardiovascular system include most vegetables, some fruits particularly cherries and berries, beans and lentils, to a much lesser extent pot barley and steel cut or jumbo oats. Again all these are filling foods, potatoes sugar and most wheat products are not.

You can make healthier versions of ice cream, cookies and bread - use ingredients like xylitol, stevia, sucralose, peanut flour, defatted coconut flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, any nuts and seeds, fresh fruit or veg (banana, apple, carrot, prunes, pumpkin etc). Concentrate on recipes that eliminate sugar, animal fats and white flour in favour of those that contain increased protein, healthy fats and fibre. Frozen bananas make for amazing ice cream with Greek yoghurt or low fat soft cheese or canned unsweetened evaporated milk.

Try adding some oatmeal and Metamucil to your diet. Both of these can help lower cholesterol.