High Cholesterol

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kgj66
kgj66 Posts: 22 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi there.

I am 25 and have a cholesterol of 7 - high I know!

This is genetic as my mum and aunty both have very high cholesterol but I just want to get some tips / recipes/ food to try and get it down as my aunty had a heart attack at 40 and I really don't want to go the same way!

I certainly don't have a perfect diet and know that I must get a more balanced diet but at the same time I don't think I eat unhealthy food.

I go to the gym/ swim 3 -4 times a week, although only for 20 mins so I am going to find the time to go for longer! Although I have an office job, I am active because I have a horse so am outside on my feet or riding every day for a few hours. I don't sit in front of the tv for hours every day!

I eat dairy very occasionally as I have IBS and it doesn't agree with me, I rarely eat red meat (maybe once or twice a fortnight), in fact I don't eat a lot of meat at all.

My plan at the minute is to get some fish oil tablets, eat more oily fish and try to eat more balanced meals for dinner. Unless my mum cooks something, I usually only get home after 9pm from leaving the house at 8am so cooking tends to be the last thing on my mind! Oh and cut down on the chocolate- I would normally have a few squares as a treat at night!

Has anyone else had high cholesterol in the family, and what has worked to get it down?

Any tips greatly appreciated!

Thanks.

Replies

  • elephant_in_the_room
    elephant_in_the_room Posts: 145 Member
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    Has anyone else had high cholesterol in the family, and what has worked to get it down?

    Hm, so, the general wisdom is:
    Oatmeal. Oat bran, rolled oats, porridge. Allegedly one bowl of it per day can help lower your LDL cholesterol.
    Then a diet generally high in soluble fibre - handful of walnuts; apples; etc....

    This is the general wisdom, unfortunately I can't yet tell you the results of the experiment yet.
    One thing is for sure, aerobic exercise helps getting it down. Running.
  • kgj66
    kgj66 Posts: 22 Member
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    I currently eat porridge for breakfast a couple of times a week so will increase that. And I also put oats in my smoothies. So that's good I am on the right track!

    At the gym I tend to rotate around the cardio machines so hopefully that will make more difference if I up the time I spend doing it.

    Thank you!
  • CharlieBarleyMom
    CharlieBarleyMom Posts: 727 Member
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    Interesting news I saw just yesterday:

    http://blogs.cbn.com/healthyliving/archive/2012/10/23/cholesterol-not-the-cause-of-heart-disease.aspx
  • AzhureSnow
    AzhureSnow Posts: 289 Member
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    Lots and lots of fiber! Oatmeal daily was very helpful for me (I was 23 with a cholesterol of 197! almost at the point of needing medication).
    I started running and ate oatmeal every morning for like six months, and my cholesterol is now very appropriate for my age and health.
  • elephant_in_the_room
    elephant_in_the_room Posts: 145 Member
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    Hello hgj66,
    I am 25 and have a cholesterol of 7 - high I know!
    Oh, something else I was wondering while I couldn't access the forum today.
    Cholesterol is high, 7 - that's some calculated value out of. HDL and LDL which they want to be under 5.5?
    What's your HDL?
    The ratio Cholesterol : HDL is a more sensitive risk predictor where Triglycerides and HDL are affected, said my pathologist. They want that to be under 4.5. So, you want to get your HDL over 1.5555 to balance a high total cholesterol of 7.
    Try to think of both, HDL up, LDL down.
    I hope the oat diet and exercise will help!
    Even if it is not sure whether high cholesterol and heart disease are generally linked -- for you, they might. And anyway, it might be good to get one risk factor in check if it can be done at all!
    So, good luck!

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