meal ideas with high cholesterol/sugar levels

jaythedragontamer
jaythedragontamer Posts: 1 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I've just gotten news from my doctor that my cholesterol is getting pretty high, and I'm pre-diabetic... we're hoping to control both with diet change before moving onto medications. I'm just a bit lost on what I can and can't eat. I was told little to no bread or potatoes, to cut out processed foods and all that. The real issue is that I am on a fixed income so most if the healthy foods are out of my price range. Can anyone help with ideas? Thanks.

Replies

  • JPW1990
    JPW1990 Posts: 2,424 Member
    Focus on cooking from scratch, the more basic the ingredient, the cheaper the cost. If you're not in the habit of doing that, you'll need to ration your spending to cover basics like spices, but once you have things like that in your cupboard, you don't need to keep buying them every week. Buy plain, frozen vegetables without sauces or butter added, it's cheaper per serving than canned. Supplement with fresh produce when it's affordable, but build up your supply of frozen so it's always on hand. Buy meat in large quantities, and spend the time after you get home portioning it down into smaller meal sized ones, then repackage it for freezing so it won't get freezer burn. If you can get a vacuum sealer at a 2nd hand store, that's great. If not, use freezer bags and a sink full of water, put the meat in the bag, lower the bag in the water until the zipper is at water level, shake it gently to get any trapped bubbles out, seal it, then remove from the water. The less air inside the plastic, the less opportunities for freezer burn. Try to get to a point where the only shopping you're doing is for things that are on sale, but the bulk of your meal planning comes from what's already in your house.

    That should help with your budgeting. From there, the best way to reduce cholesterol is to lose weight, period. It's a tiny fraction of the population who are affected by specific foods with regard to cholesterol. To reduce sugar, what you're really doing is reducing carbs. Use a calculator to figure out how many calories you should eat, and set the options on the calculator so that your carb percentage is smaller than your fat percentage:
    http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Either of those will work.

    Transfer the numbers it gives you to MFP, and use that to make sure you keep your carbs at or below the number of grams you're given, your protein at or around the number given, and fat fill in if you're hungry, as long as you don't go over your limit.

    If you're currently drinking a lot of pop, eating a lot of chips or fast food, you can drop your carbs drastically simply by swapping out pop for water or tea, the chips and french fries for vegetables, and opting for regular meat and vegetable meals over burgers or pasta.
  • eved305
    eved305 Posts: 29 Member
    edited June 2015
    Its not as pricey as you would think. I have a budget and I use to feel the same way but it is doable. Everything they said above is what I do. Frozen veggies (I buy a large bag in Costco) along with the meat for the month. I then buy some fresh veggies here and there to add in some days at my local grocery store. I can usually find pretty cheap spinach (even organic) in a huge container that last 1-2 weeks. Asparagus and carrots are good find sometimes. Add onions and peppers when you can wing it or if they are on sale for added flavors. I also buy fresh garlic in a jar already peeled. Its cheaper and saves me time, and adds great flavor to food. You will find veggies every time you go on sale here and there just look for those or the sales on the frozen ones.

    Eliminate all carbs, sodas, and juices.

    Good luck!

    edit: Also you can eat beans. Try and find the plain ones like "Goya" that come in water and then just rinse them and you can add to anything. Sorry I had to eat on a low sugar diet when I was pregnant so I got pretty good at it.
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