High Cholesterol :(

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mrsgoodwine
mrsgoodwine Posts: 468 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Just tested at 250 LDL during a screening at work, which is high. My HDL is 47 which isn't high enough to balance out the high LDL number.

I'm starting to think this may be a genetic thing. My cholesterol has always been on the high side even when in my 20's and only weighing 100 pounds.

My doctors appt isn't until mid June so I want to start making changes to my diet to see if I can control it that way. I figure if it hasn't reduced by the time I see the doctor - maybe I take a statin.

Anyway, the point of this post is to see if anyone has some outstanding suggestions other then the obvious (exercise) which I do - and less saturated fat (and incorporating from avocado and fish,etc). I also read that one alcoholic drink a day helps. I would like to hear from people with personal experience as to how you control your cholesterol numbers. Thanks.

Replies

  • _noob_
    _noob_ Posts: 3,306 Member
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    I have no idea what mine USED to be, but my entire immediate family (including 33 y/o sister) are on meds for it, and mine is actually too low (109 TOTAL last time tested).

    I've actual consciously added certain saturated fats in my diet in effort to healthily get my levels back in the normal range.

    I eat lean meats, whole fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds, whole grains, and dark chocolate and coconut products mainly fwiw. Basically "clean" but not in the "anally clean" camp.
  • mrsgoodwine
    mrsgoodwine Posts: 468 Member
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    I have no idea what mine USED to be, but my entire immediate family (including 33 y/o sister) are on meds for it, and mine is actually too low (109 TOTAL last time tested).

    I've actual consciously added certain saturated fats in my diet in effort to healthily get my levels back in the normal range.

    I eat lean meats, whole fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds, whole grains, and dark chocolate and coconut products mainly fwiw. Basically "clean" but not in the "anally clean" camp.

    Thanks - this is helpful :)
  • jtangcs
    jtangcs Posts: 37 Member
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    I come from a family with high cholesterol, blood pressure and high risk of heart attack and stroke. We've all made a conscious effort to change our diet. Many of my extended family have had bypass surgery. Here two things that may help.

    1. All the "adults" in the family have been on this (http://www.jamiesonvitamins.com/4624) or something similar for a long time. It's Omega 3-6-9 natural supplements. I know that no where on the website does it say that it can reduce cholesterol, but my Grandma's been on it for 20+ years and her doctors have always noticed a difference. Actually her first doctor was the one to recommend she try it, taking the supplements 3x/day and we were all surprised by the results. My parents, uncles and aunts are all taking it.

    2. We've all made an effort to reduce 3 things in our cooking (be forewarned though, food is bland because of it) - oil, fat and sodium. Mom stopped cooking with coconut-based products and instead switched to canola oil and olive oil. My diet's been changed since I was 6 and I have to admit, it's made a huge difference. I'm the only one out of the entire family that's on the "low" side. This doesn't mean we don't eat out either, we do. It's sort of like being on a constant diet, with a few splurge days every few weeks/months.

    Good luck!
  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,416 Member
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    My LDL dropped from 201 to 170 when I reduced my sugar intake. Your liver processes fructose with LDL cholesterol as some kind of by-product. I have started taking Omega 3 fish oil to bring my HDL level up from 39 to balance my LDL level.
  • leonasmith77
    leonasmith77 Posts: 10
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    I've taken out sugar, saturated fats and carbs out of my diet. Having high cholesterol levels myself, choosing the right food has become a mission for me. Has any of you tried Flora spreads? A lot of my friends say that it can lower cholesterol by 10% in just 2 weeks.
  • DatMurse
    DatMurse Posts: 1,501 Member
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    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1768013/
    cholesterol is not as big of an indicator as you think it is.

    a good balance should be attained though. I suggest you increase monounsaturated fats and increase egg consumption.


    When you lose more weight it will improve
  • Beavergong
    Beavergong Posts: 178 Member
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    I found an amazing difference to my overall cholesterol 5.5 to 4 in. 3 months on the 5:2 diet. My LDL went down from2.6 to 2.2 and my triglycerides from 2.2 to 1.5.

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