High Cholesterol Help

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jrowe0311
jrowe0311 Posts: 6
in Food and Nutrition
Hi my husband was just diagnosed with high cholesterol what are some foods that he can eat to help lower this? Hoping to get it low and keep it low to get off the medication.

Thanks

Replies

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,402 MFP Moderator
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    Honestly, weight loss and exercise will provide the biggest gain. Also, aiming to get plenty of nutrient dense foods and whole foods can aid in the process. So moderate carbs and work on getting foods high in fiber, protein and fats. Some will suggest limiting saturated fats, but there is a lot of conflicting evidence.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,681 Member
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    It's actually more about reducing foods that can increase risk. Foods with transfat (usually fried foods and packaged foods like cookies) and LOTS of saturated fat can contribute to higher cholesterol.
    But high cholesterol is mostly genetic and physical inactivity and high weight increase it. Working on those 2 alone will help decrease it.

    A.C.E. Certified Group Fitness and Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • homegirl614
    homegirl614 Posts: 93 Member
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    I was diagnosed with high cholesterol last year. My doctor wanted to put me on medication for it. I hate taking medications so I asked if I could try to lower it on my own. I really just switched up my diet and started exercising. I used to eat fried foods everyday. Since I've changed my diet and started working out, my cholesterol has decreased a lot. So I'd say he should just try to do that and it should help. Oh yea, and stay away from those trans fats....Good luck to him :)
  • jrowe0311
    jrowe0311 Posts: 6
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    Thanks guys that helps a lot I will keep this in mind! : )
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    What does his diet and activity look like now?
  • kittyr77
    kittyr77 Posts: 419 Member
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    It's actually more about reducing foods that can increase risk. Foods with transfat (usually fried foods and packaged foods like cookies) and LOTS of saturated fat can contribute to higher cholesterol.
    But high cholesterol is mostly genetic and physical inactivity and high weight increase it. Working on those 2 alone will help decrease it.

    A.C.E. Certified Group Fitness and Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    THIS
    exercise and aim for a healthy weight
  • jrowe0311
    jrowe0311 Posts: 6
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    He is on nights and days rotating every 3 weeks. SO sometimes it depends on the shifts of what he eats. He does typically skip meals because of his job, but right now its like this... breakfast.. biscuit with jelly. lunch bag of chips maybe a sandwich dinner... salad. when he is on days his dinner changes to mashed potatoes, bbq chicken, green beans, rice and will typically change the main course. He walks a lot and goes to the gym about 2-3 days a week and runs on the treadmills and lifts some.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,402 MFP Moderator
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    Does he eat any fruits and veggies? I would also suggest replacing the biscuit in the morning with some eggs and replace the chips with fruits and veggies.

    It's ok to skip meals because timing and # of meals are completely irrelevant to weight loss and health. It's all personal preference..
  • WombatHat42
    WombatHat42 Posts: 192 Member
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    There are two types of cholesteral HDL and LDL. To remember the difference, HDL should be higher and LDL should be lower. LDL gets high from eating a lot of fats sugars and sodium, and can clog the arteries. This is usually accompanied by high triglycerides. HDL increases through exercise and this is the good one because it binds to and removes the LDL so as HDL increases LDL decreases. Watch the fat intake(especially transfats) and sodium/sugars and make sure you/he walks 20 minutes a day or more(and increase the difficulty of this walk or your body adapts over time).

    I have heard grapefruit helps with cholesterol, replace eggs in the morning with unsalted nuts and oatmeal(no sugar). or just eat the whites not the yolks(which is high in cholesterol)
  • 55sc
    55sc Posts: 46 Member
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    Heredity is a big part of cholesterol levels, he can't do anything about that and may need medication if his LDL is too high. There are a number of things he can control that may be enough to bring it down. In addition to LDL, there are other heart disease risk factors, if they are all very low, a higher LDL level may not increase his risk to an unacceptable level. He should discuss this with his doctor. Some of the following links may help assess his risks.

    I am following the TLC (Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes) diet to lower my cholesterol. My doctor approves, though it is too soon to tell how effective it will be.

    Each item on the list will lower cholesterol a bit, together they should add up to a 20-30% reduction in LDL blood cholesterol levels. For me, that will be enough to avoid medication.
    --Increase whole grains and soluble fiber
    --Decrease dietary cholesterol and saturated fat
    --If overweight, lose 10 pounds
    --Exercise regularly
    --Increase plant stanols/sterols (available as a supplement or in fortified foods). While present in many vegetable foods, there isn’t very much, though substituting the chips for a handful of pistachios would be better and little things will add up.

    More information:
    http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/cholesterol/art-20045192?pg=1
    http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/PreventionTreatmentofHighCholesterol/Cooking-for-Lower-Cholesterol_UCM_305630_Article.jsp
    http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/resources/heart/heart-cholesterol-hbc-what-html.htm
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    It may not be much fun for him but here is my success story.
    About five years ago I had a blood test that revealed that I was "above normal" and I ignored it. I continued to eat what I wanted and gained weight. Last fall I decided it was time to get rid of my beer gut. I started exercising and making better food choices, not all at once but I started. After finding this site I started logging my foods and gave up my eggs, bacon, french fries, chips and burgers. I switched to Oatmeal (the old fashioned kind) with chia seeds, walnuts and lots of fruit in the morning. My snacks were tree nuts and an apple. Lunch is a grilled chicken sandwich or wrap. I got off the loaded baked potatoes and have grilled veggies with dinner. Started running 25 miles a week and lifting weights three days a week. I feel incredible, I don't starve, lost my beer gut completely and here is the kicker. I just had my blood tested and my good is up and my bad dropped over 50 points. I am normal weight and cholesterol now. This is something he needs to do and can do. Good luck!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,402 MFP Moderator
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    There are two types of cholesteral HDL and LDL. To remember the difference, HDL should be higher and LDL should be lower. LDL gets high from eating a lot of fats sugars and sodium, and can clog the arteries. This is usually accompanied by high triglycerides. HDL increases through exercise and this is the good one because it binds to and removes the LDL so as HDL increases LDL decreases. Watch the fat intake(especially transfats) and sodium/sugars and make sure you/he walks 20 minutes a day or more(and increase the difficulty of this walk or your body adapts over time).

    I have heard grapefruit helps with cholesterol, replace eggs in the morning with unsalted nuts and oatmeal(no sugar). or just eat the whites not the yolks(which is high in cholesterol)

    Dietary cholesterol is not the same as cholesterol in food. In fact, too little dietary cholesterol can increase blood cholesterol which can lead to high cholesterol levels. Eggs are full of nutrients. In fact, for 2 years, I ate 5 whole eggs a day (love me eggs) and my cholesterol improve every year. Genetics, total diet and weight management have a much greater impact on cholesterol.


    http://chriskresser.com/the-diet-heart-myth-cholesterol-and-saturated-fat-are-not-the-enemy

    http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fats-full-story/
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
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    I recommend checking out the Harvard Nutrition Source (you can Google it) - or even better, have your husband check it out. They have lots of helpful hints based on clinical studies, and he needs to take control himself, although it's always great to have help.

    I would also suggest you keep heart. It is very possible to change high cholesterol and high blood pressure through diet and exercise, and the change can be quite rapid (my husband essentially reversed his high blood pressure in about 2 months after making big dietary/exercise changes), but it takes real commitment.
  • dlb777
    dlb777 Posts: 13
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    My doctor told me to take Red Yeast Rice to help with cholesterol. Maybe that can help your husband.
  • niyohn
    niyohn Posts: 9
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    So not only do you want to eat foods that don't have high trans fat and cholesterol, but you want to eat things that strengthen your heart and cardio system. For example:

    -Oatmeal, oat bran
    -Fish that have high omega 3 (salmon, mackerel)
    -walnuts, almonds
    -olive oil

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