ChoLESSterol - any tips on keeping it low?

NeilHead2012
NeilHead2012 Posts: 1
edited January 6 in Health and Weight Loss
I've been watching my cholesterol and sodium lately, on my dr's advice of course. I struggle with it a little, as I notice today I have not eaten much of anything, but decided to use some leftover chicken breast (meat onlhy) and add it to a garden salad - I add the tiniest amount of cheese, together with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Combine that with a bit of 2% milk in my coffee, and I am practically at nearly half my limit of cholesterol for the day. Feels frustrating... any advice out there??

Replies

  • bradwwood
    bradwwood Posts: 371 Member
    exercise goes a long way towards helping keep your body's cholesterol in check. Also getting plenty of fiber on a regular basis.

    There are probably some alternatives to things you eat too, but I don't know off the top of my head.

    I put Darigold half and half in my coffee. If you don't have Darigold in your area, try looking at the other half and halfs. it has a little less cholesterol than regular milk.

    I think that MFP tools don't really differentiate between good and bad cholesterol either, lumping them into one number. This is an area I don't know much about, but perhaps the cholesterol from a piece of chicken breast isn't that bad?

    in any case, my daily target that MFP set for me is 300. Do you have yours adjusted to be much lower?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    I don't know how much cholesterol in foods really effects a body. I eat egg's every day (I am talking 3-4 eggs), as well as red meat, pork and chicken and as I drop weight, and do a combination of heavy weight training and HIIT and over the last 3 years, all my numbers have improved. Good cholesterol is up, bad cholesterol is down and triglycerides improved. I workout 6 days a week, eat 2500-2700 calories a day, and I just keep on cutting fat.


    Keep in mind genetics can effect things. My LDL is higher than normal because of that (same as my dad) but I do not drink or smoke like he does and I am 195lbs at 12% body fat, while he is 40 lbs overweight.
  • marjoleina
    marjoleina Posts: 189 Member
    Read Esselstyn's book! Become vegan or or if you can't stand that vegetarian.
  • clover5
    clover5 Posts: 1,640 Member
    Get this book:

    http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_16/177-0038085-3976741?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=cholesterol+down+10+simple+steps+to+lower+your+cholesterol+in+4+weeks&sprefix=cholesterol+down,aps,327

    The reccomendations were easy to incorporate into my daily eating and made a noticeable diference in my cholesterol. Good luck.
  • RipperSB
    RipperSB Posts: 315 Member
    Exercise, fibre, fish & flax... and, after a 28 Kg loss, I may be off Liptor for good as my latest numbers were normal for HDL and below normal for LDL.
  • gingerveg
    gingerveg Posts: 748 Member
    Don't consume animal flesh and/or lower your intake and exercise. As an almost 40 year old vegetarian I have ridiculously amazing cholesterol levels.
  • thaislcrd
    thaislcrd Posts: 76 Member
    My mom's doctor told her that eating strawberries could help lower her cholesterol and she's been eating them daily ever since. Her cholesterol is no longer high. She also takes fish oil, but she's been taking those for years! What really made the difference were the strawberries.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    Read Esselstyn's book! Become vegan or or if you can't stand that vegetarian.

    That is just completely unnecessary unless he is looking for a lifestyle change. Becoming vegan or vegetarian won't automatically make his cholesterol drop. Meat diets can be just as effective.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
    Simple, don't consume any dietary cholesterol. No dairy, flesh, or eggs, and your cholesterol will drop very rapidly.

    Fasting can be used to drop it rapidly, but only eliminating (or drastically reducing) dietary cholesterol will keep it down.
  • kms1320
    kms1320 Posts: 599 Member
    Dietary cholesterol has almost no effect on blood cholesterol. Neither does a low fat diet. Cut out your refined carbs and watch your cholesterol get better. Eat 4 eggs a day, no sugar, no white flour, no cakes, no candy.. and watch your cholesterol get better. It's not the cholesterol number in your food at the end of the day. It has nearly zero effect on your test numbers.
  • jrmartinezb
    jrmartinezb Posts: 147 Member
    I track saturated fats and not cholesterol. The cholesterol found in food has much less effect on the level of cholesterol in your blood than the amount of saturated fat that you eat. Plus, I've found that MFP's database lacks cholesterol data much more often than sat fat data.
  • axialmeow
    axialmeow Posts: 382 Member
    I cut out as many processed carbs as I could, added in healthy fats like coconut oil and mine is.perfect now.
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    Dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol are not exactly the same thing.

    Blood cholesterol is simply fats in the blood. No food you ingest goes directly into the blood stream, it all goes through some processing first. Thus, dietary cholesterol does not go directly into your blood.

    To reduce blood cholesterol, increase your fiber intake. Cheerios, broccoli, and celery are some examples of high fiber foods.

    Scientific reason:

    The Gal Bladder stores Bile that is produced by the pancreas. Bile is used to emulsify fats in the duodenum, making the fats easier to digest. Bile can be reused, and since the body is apt to not waste needlessly, it sucks up the bile when done and stores it in the Gal Bladder for later use. Bile tends to cling to fiber, causing it to be excreted rather than stored. This ultimately leads to the need for more bile, which is where the pancreas comes in. A key ingredient in bile is cholesterol. When the pancreas needs to create more bile, it needs cholesterol, and instead of creating it itself, it simply takes it from the blood, where it is readily and easily available. It is far more efficient for the pancreas to take cholesterol from the blood than it is to create it itself. The body really does hate wasting things.
  • kms1320
    kms1320 Posts: 599 Member
    From the Harvard Health Publication of the Harvard Medical School:

    Myth: All that cholesterol goes straight to your bloodstream and then into your arteries.

    Fact: Not so. For most people, only a small amount of the cholesterol in food passes into the blood. Saturated and trans fats have much bigger effects on blood cholesterol levels.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    There are two sources of cholesterol: animals and animal products. Reduce your intake of these foods.
  • deb3129
    deb3129 Posts: 1,294 Member
    Read Esselstyn's book! Become vegan or or if you can't stand that vegetarian.

    This. Mine was high, and then 9 months ago I became vegan. At my last physical about a month ago, my total cholesterol was 151, and my triglycerides were 84. It works
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    Oh, should have mentioned it is a good idea to eat fats along with the fibrous foods. It is the presence of fats that causes the gal bladder to release bile. Bile will not be released in sufficient quantities with fiber in the duodenum alone. So, something like broccoli + ranch dressing will do the trick nicely. Note that low fat alternatives will still work, but not nearly as well.
  • raviwong6
    raviwong6 Posts: 8 Member
    I just found out my cholesterol is high too and I'm trying my best to listen to my doctor. She recommends getting about 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week, eating more fruits and vegetables and replace foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol with foods with more unsaturated fats. So what I've done so far is change my diet to the following:

    - Breakfast is usually coffee with milk (no cream or non-dairy creamer), yogurt and carrots
    - Snack is a piece of fruit and a piece of whole wheat toast with a Tbsp of peanut butter
    - Lunch is a salad with beans, corn and a lean protein (canned tuna or chicken breast at a salad bar)
    -Snack is a small bowl of cereal with milk and a piece of fruit and coffee
    - Dinner is whatever I can put together but includes carbohydrates, proteins fats, fiber and vegetables. Last night it was a stew I made with potatoes, carrots, peas and beef. The other night it was rice with spinach and roasted chicken.
    - A beer or a glass of wine 2-3 times a week after dinner.

    It's been a tough couple of weeks because I'm used to eating certain things and am now forgoing them. I usually like a bagel with cream cheese or an egg sandwich in the mornings but have stopped. I usually have a sandwich for lunch and have switched that too. I'm trying to stay away from cookies/cakes/pastries as they are usually full of trans-fats. My doctor says they are the worst for high cholesterol. I'm also working to keep my portions in control and trying to include a lot more fresh/frozen vegetables in my diet.

    So far I think things are working out well but I know I have to keep up the work. I've lost a few pounds and have more energy to get through the day with less coffee/soda. This website has really helped keep me on track and motivated. I won't find out how my cholesterol levels are until my next doctor's appointment in February but I hope my numbers are lower. My results from my blood test last week:
    Total = 249 mg/dL
    LDL = 168
    HDL= 68
    Triglycerides = 67

    Good luck to you and I hope we can post good news soon.
  • jrmartinezb
    jrmartinezb Posts: 147 Member
    Dietary cholesterol has almost no effect on blood cholesterol. Neither does a low fat diet. Cut out your refined carbs and watch your cholesterol get better. Eat 4 eggs a day, no sugar, no white flour, no cakes, no candy.. and watch your cholesterol get better. It's not the cholesterol number in your food at the end of the day. It has nearly zero effect on your test numbers.

    I hadn't heard of carbs affecting blood cholesterol before. Would you mind elaborating on that?
  • Whimzeee
    Whimzeee Posts: 152 Member
    From my own experience: although the vegan diet does work, I found it was very hard to keep my calories down to where I could lose weight. Plus I could only stay on that life style for a few weeks before reverting back to my normal way of eating.

    Try replacing some of the higher cholesterol foods with lower ones. Ex., non dairy creamer in your coffee, beans instead of chicken on your salads, dairy free cheeses (or do without). Maybe only eat one meal a day with meat/poultry in it and try other options in between. Spaghetti with marinara sauce or a bean chili without meat?

    Good luck!!!
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    I've heard the same thing about dietary cholesterol having little/no effecti on your actual blood lipid levels. Obviously there is a lot of conflicting info out there just based on the responses so far. I'd recommend talking to your doctor more about it or asking for a referral to a dietician who has experience with these things.

    These are things I was told 10 or so years ago:

    Lower intake of saturated and trans fats. You can still eat red meat, just go with leaner cuts and lower your frequency of intake. Get used to reading labels and avoid anything with hydrogenated oils. For instance regular peanut butter isn't so great but most natural versions are totally fine. Stick with healthier fat sources like olive oil or canola oil. Either add flax seed to foods and eat more fish or take the oil supplements of either.

    Eat more whole grains. 100% whole wheat bread, steel cut oats, quinoa, etc

    Eat more leafy greens. Spinach, kale, broccoli, etc
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    Read Esselstyn's book! Become vegan or or if you can't stand that vegetarian.

    This. Mine was high, and then 9 months ago I became vegan. At my last physical about a month ago, my total cholesterol was 151, and my triglycerides were 84. It works

    I would question if it was your huge weight loss (and congrats on that) that decreased your cholesterol as opposed to your diet. Now, if you went from a standard US diet to a vegan diet and ate the same amount of calories and did not lose weight, then I would say that is a better correlation that vegan works. I would surmise that your weight loss has more to do with your cholesterol improvements than your new diet.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    Read Esselstyn's book! Become vegan or or if you can't stand that vegetarian.

    This. Mine was high, and then 9 months ago I became vegan. At my last physical about a month ago, my total cholesterol was 151, and my triglycerides were 84. It works

    My last total cholesterol is was 129, and I eat tons of meat.

    Basically, I'd say ignore everyone else, consult with your doctor and find what works for you. For me, it's been eating more whole foods that don't come out of boxes, bags, bottles, etc. It's working for me and I enjoy eating my food. You need to find something that you will be willing to eat long term and confirm with your doctor that it's a good plan.

    And yes, recent studies have shown that dietary cholesterol has no impact on your blood cholesterol levels (it's vastly genetic). How do I know? I discussed my diet with both my personal doctor and my friends who are MDs.
  • kms1320
    kms1320 Posts: 599 Member
    Dietary cholesterol has almost no effect on blood cholesterol. Neither does a low fat diet. Cut out your refined carbs and watch your cholesterol get better. Eat 4 eggs a day, no sugar, no white flour, no cakes, no candy.. and watch your cholesterol get better. It's not the cholesterol number in your food at the end of the day. It has nearly zero effect on your test numbers.

    I hadn't heard of carbs affecting blood cholesterol before. Would you mind elaborating on that?
    I never said carbs affected cholesterol. They are often associated with foods that do raise cholesterol, so rather than make a list of food I tried to keep it simple.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    Read Esselstyn's book! Become vegan or or if you can't stand that vegetarian.

    This. Mine was high, and then 9 months ago I became vegan. At my last physical about a month ago, my total cholesterol was 151, and my triglycerides were 84. It works

    My last total cholesterol is was 129, and I eat tons of meat.

    Basically, I'd say ignore everyone else, consult with your doctor and find what works for you. For me, it's been eating more whole foods that don't come out of boxes, bags, bottles, etc. It's working for me and I enjoy eating my food. You need to find something that you will be willing to eat long term and confirm with your doctor that it's a good plan.

    And yes, recent studies have shown that dietary cholesterol has no impact on your blood cholesterol levels (it's vastly genetic). How do I know? I discussed my diet with both my personal doctor and my friends who are MDs.

    This has worked for me. It's no different that dietary fat =/= body fat.
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