Total Chloesterol.

veganbettie
veganbettie Posts: 701 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I did normal blood work a few weeks ago and got my results back, everything seemed really good but next to my total cholesterol amount they wrote a note to eat more protein. The level was 89 and I guess anything under 200 is good, but does anyone know if 89 is just too low? And how could they tell that I need more protein from that?

My HDL was a little low too, but LDL was great..

I'm going back to them in a few weeks so i'll ask then but we have so many smart people on here I was curious if anyone had an idea.

I know cholesterol isn't necessarily bad, and we need some levels to keep our organs and bodies functioning but how they determined the protein thing sort of baffled me.

back to really focusing on getting that protein in for me....

Replies

  • eacupp2101
    eacupp2101 Posts: 6 Member
    89 is a low cholesterol number.. they were able to tell you needed protien because protien raises cholesterol numbers and helps maintain and sometimes lose weight... bad cholesterol levels high or low can put you at risk for heart disease i would suggest eating foods high in protien until your next check in fodds such as (Turkey or chicken with the skin removed, or bison,Lean cuts of beef or pork, such as round, top sirloin, or tenderloin (trim away any visible fat),Fish or shellfish,Pinto beans, black beans, kidney beans, lentils, split peas, or garbanzo beans
    ,Nuts and seeds, including almonds, hazelnuts, mixed nuts, peanuts, peanut butter, sunflower seeds, or walnuts (just watch how much you eat, because nuts are high in fat),Tofu, tempeh, and other soy protein products,Low-fat dairy products) eating foods such as these should help to get your cholestroel to a normal level using MFP will also help you determine how much protien your eating hope this helped Good Luck!! :smiley:
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    Somehow, I can't see a user with the sn veganbettie eating turkey and chicken and beef...
  • veganbettie
    veganbettie Posts: 701 Member
    Thank you!

    Ya i'm vegan so while it's possible to have good levels of protein and all that jazz, if it's not something i'm focusing on it's something i will personally slack on.

    So obviously i have to stop slacking. ;)
  • veganbettie
    veganbettie Posts: 701 Member
    TR0berts wrote: »
    Somehow, I can't see a user with the sn veganbettie eating turkey and chicken and beef...

    <3
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    Oh, considering that the L in HDL (second L in LDL) stands for lipoprotein, I'm guessing that the idea is that more protein intake will help create more cholesterol, but I'm not entirely sure if that's quite how it works.
  • rosebette
    rosebette Posts: 1,659 Member
    89 is extremely low for total cholesterol. You actually need to add more fat to your diet. There is such a thing as a cholesterol level that is too low. Anything below 120 is abnormal. If you're a vegan, start eating more nuts, avocado, other healthy fats. Apparently, some people do experience depression and reduced brain function at those levels.
  • VeggieStef
    VeggieStef Posts: 54 Member
    Do you ever do smoothies with protein powder? It helps me a lot to do one for breakfast and get a lot of protein in. My smoothie this morning had 27g of protein (I use Sun Warrior protein, it is vegan), soymilk, frozen banana and frozen fruit. If I don’t track on MFP I rarely get all of my protein in, but when I do track I usually hit my goal. Do you like seitan? I recently discovered it and it is full of protein and really good!
  • farfromthetree
    farfromthetree Posts: 982 Member
    There are vegan protein supplements. Check into a product called Isopure, you can get it at The Vitamin Shoppe, probably GNC too. It has 40 grams of protein in one bottle. It's a little pricey but worth it if you are trying to up your protein (especially for a vegan which I imagine it is challenging) I am sure there are vegan protein shakes too.
  • veganbettie
    veganbettie Posts: 701 Member
    rosebette wrote: »
    89 is extremely low for total cholesterol. You actually need to add more fat to your diet. There is such a thing as a cholesterol level that is too low. Anything below 120 is abnormal. If you're a vegan, start eating more nuts, avocado, other healthy fats. Apparently, some people do experience depression and reduced brain function at those levels.

    Cool thank you...they didn't put a range on there of what is acceptable levels, just that anything under 200 is good, but obviously not.... I did read that it can lead to depression and anxiety, which may help clear some things up for me.
    TR0berts wrote: »
    Oh, considering that the L in HDL (second L in LDL) stands for lipoprotein, I'm guessing that the idea is that more protein intake will help create more cholesterol, but I'm not entirely sure if that's quite how it works.

    Ah okay.

  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    Also - sorry for multiple posts... - just in case you need ideas for protein sources...

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/926789/protein-sources/p1
  • veganbettie
    veganbettie Posts: 701 Member
    VeggieStef wrote: »
    Do you ever do smoothies with protein powder? It helps me a lot to do one for breakfast and get a lot of protein in. My smoothie this morning had 27g of protein (I use Sun Warrior protein, it is vegan), soymilk, frozen banana and frozen fruit. If I don’t track on MFP I rarely get all of my protein in, but when I do track I usually hit my goal. Do you like seitan? I recently discovered it and it is full of protein and really good!

    Yes, I was using one for a while that I need to replace, the protein drink i'm drinking now has practically nothing it's ridiculous, i have no idea what made me buy that rubbish. And I do love seitan, i just honestly have not been watching my macros.
    farfromthetree wrote: »
    There are vegan protein supplements. Check into a product called Isopure, you can get it at The Vitamin Shoppe, probably GNC too. It has 40 grams of protein in one bottle. It's a little pricey but worth it if you are trying to up your protein (especially for a vegan which I imagine it is challenging) I am sure there are vegan protein shakes too.

    Wow thank you, i'll look into it!

  • veganbettie
    veganbettie Posts: 701 Member
    TR0berts wrote: »
    Also - sorry for multiple posts... - just in case you need ideas for protein sources...

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/926789/protein-sources/p1

    No thank you, i really appreciate it.

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