High Cholestrol ... need a diet plan. (1 Viewer)

[Colton]

Well, not real high, but mid-range. Can anyone suggest what kind of foods I should eat to get my cholestrol in control? Any tips and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

- Colton

 

[Vlad D]

How high is your total cholesterol. Also, how high is your LDL "bad cholesterol"?

 

[Mort Corey]

As well as getting more exercise and modifying my diet, I found that fresh ground flax seed (mixed in juice or the like) helped quite a bit. There's a ton of dietary suggestions on the net.

Mort

 

[Colton]

CHOL = 221
LDL = 130

What does that tell you?

- Colton

 

[MarkHastings]

I know Cheerios boasts this, but it really is great for helping to lower Cholesterol. I believe it's the 'whole grain' or oat aspect of it that helps.

Here are some quick tips that I had given a friend who needed help:
-Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
-Eat six or more servings of cereals, breads, pasta and other whole-grain products.
-Eat fish, poultry without skin and leaner cuts of meat instead of fatty ones.

 

[Daren Welsh]

I just came across this article citing the 29 Healthiest Foods and noticed a few were said to help with cholesterol levels.

Their FAQ also mentions your LDL should be below 130 and your HDL should be above 50. I've not looked at other sources, though.

 

[Todd_B]

IMO, I would skip the Cheerios and go w/Uncle Sam's cereal (which does have flaxseed in it and real whole grains) and/or Kashi Go Lean.


Both are great w/some fresh berries mixed in

The problem w/Cheerios is that even though they are made from whole grain sources, they are highly processed - finely ground and then crisped and puffed. They digest rather quickly and don't stay w/you a long time. Also, the fiber per serving is kinda low.

You may want to go ahead and get more good healthy fats as well. Stuff like Avacados and fish are great sources.

Todd B

 

[Chris Lockwood]

Real oatmeal is good, better than any cereal.

I can already hear people screaming about this next part, but cutting out meat or eggs is NOT a solution to this. I had a friend whose cholesterol was dangerously high & was on medication for it. His doctor put him on a diet called Protein Power, which is like Atkins but not quite as low carb. Within a few months he was off the medicine, & his cholesterol was under 200. He also lost 60 lbs in 6 months.

Just because foods (like eggs) have cholesterol in them doesn't mean that eating them raises your cholesterol level. It's not that simple.

 

[PhillJones]

IIRC, it's soluable fibre that's thought to be particularly good for lowering choloesterol. Soluable fibre is found in large quantities in vegetables and whole foods like oats.

Insoluable fibre is otherwise known as Bran and I think it's supposed to not be so good for choloesterol. Not that it's bad or anything, just neutral.

Also, I think that the latest research says that dietary cholesterol, in things like eggs, is far less important than saturated fat. There's a strong case that it's the corralation between dietary cholesterol and saturated fat in things like Bacon that led to the false assumption that it's the cholesterol that's the problem. So don't get sucked into 'cholesterol free' on any packaging Check the label for saturated and trans fats.

You could also try Benecol or some such similar spread as a replacement for butter or margarine. Those spreads have been shown to actually lower cholesterol so well that some people think that they should be licenced as pharmaceuticals.

Don't avoid fat altogether, you'll get hungry and end up craving a Big Mac or something equally bad for you. Choose unsaturated fats like canolla and olive oil, or the aformentioned cholesterol lowering spreads.

HTH
Phill