Dealing with High Cholesterol: Tips and Advice from Others in the Same Boat

[janezapchef]

I just got results back today showing that I have very high "bad" cholesterol and high total cholesterol. I know the recipes in the It's Good For You cookbook are pretty low in the stuff, but I'm hoping for some advice from someone else having to watch out and work on lower the stuff. What do you do? Any tips? This has been the wake-up I need to get me moving on the diet train, but any tips at all from people going through the same thing would be helpful.
TIA,
Jane

 

[raebates]

Low fat. High fiber. Exercise. Consider taking a niacin supplement (speak to someone about the wisdom and dosage of this first). Best wishes.

 

[janezapchef]

Thanks, Rae!

 

[pjpamchef]

I tried diet, and after 6 mos my numbers hardly changed. Added in an hour a day of walking, dramatic change, made the normal range after 6 months!

 

[Stampaholic1961]

Avoid any suggestions by your doctor to go on statin drugs. They are horrible & scary. Diet & exercise are the best bets. If that doesn't help enough, ask about natural alternatives. JMHO.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

high cholesterol, anyone?

No, thanks. I already have some.

I have been able to avoid taking the scripts that are being marketed to reduce cholesterol with diet and supplements.

The three most important words I have for you are oatmeal, oatmeal and oatmeal. You may laugh at the concept, but daily oatmeal helped lower my cholesterol almost 50 points.

You might also try Red Yeast Rice, a supplement that isn't as effective as it used to be but it has still shown to be effective in lab tests. (Ask you doctor, mine recommended it to me.)

 

[BubbaLem]

Well, first you need to find out if its hereditary...ask family members if your mom or dad had it, grandparents, etc. I found out my bad was through the roof at the age of 31 (and at a healthy weight of 130 lbs) and no dieting or amount of exercising would help. After two months on Zocor my bloodwork was beautiful.

But try to cut out ALL animal fat first and exercise everyday for an hour, even if its just a walk. Low fat diets and cheerios baby

 

[BubbaLem]

Oh, I don't know about your family history...

... you may want to try herbals first, but check with your doctor first. My family has a history of heart disease and my daddy dropped dead of a heart attack playing softball with me at the ripe age of 55 so I wasn't about to play around when I found out my own cholestorol issue.

 

[thecougchef]

Well, first you need to find out if its hereditary...ask family members if your mom or dad had it, grandparents, etc. I found out my bad was through the roof at the age of 31 (and at a healthy weight of 130 lbs) and no dieting or amount of exercising would help. After two months on Zocor my bloodwork was beautiful.

But try to cut out ALL animal fat first and exercise everyday for an hour, even if its just a walk. Low fat diets and cheerios baby

i agree. oatmeal & cheerios. totally easy breakfast foods that do wonders. add in some daily walking & youll see results in no time.

 

[Kitchen2u]

No, thanks. I already have some.

I have been able to avoid taking the scripts that are being marketed to reduce cholesterol with diet and supplements.

The three most important words I have for you are oatmeal, oatmeal and oatmeal. You may laugh at the concept, but daily oatmeal helped lower my cholesterol almost 50 points.

You might also try Red Yeast Rice, a supplement that isn't as effective as it used to be but it has still shown to be effective in lab tests. (Ask you doctor, mine recommended it to me.)

Ditto, ditto, and double ditto! The oatmeal/cheerios & EXERCISE thing! Works! Good luck!

 

[janezapchef]

Thanks, everyone!!!
Thankfully, I really like oatmeal and cheerios! Really, I have no problem adjusting my diet to include a lot more vegetables and fiber and just eating healthier overall. The problem is I have REALLY been ignoring it for too long. I do have a family history to some degree. High cholesterol runs on my mom's side of the family, but she doesn't have it at all. She has really low cholesterol all the time, so, I guess that throws it off a bit. And, it is scary because I am 32, not quite at a healthy weight, but not incredibly overweight either. My uncle died of a heart attack at 36 (when I was about 10 years old) and in what appeared to be good health (little did anyone know!), and the realization that I am getting to be about that age was part of what prompted me to get the bloodwork done in the first place. I was being tested for a bunch of stuff because I've been really fatigued, and when I told my doctor about my uncle he added a lipid profile. Again, thanks to everyone for the suggestions! I really appreciate it!
Jane

 

[janezapchef]

One of the things I was reading was saying I should switch to soy milk because getting 25 mg (or something like that) of soy a day will help lower cholesterol. I HATE the taste of regular soy milk. The only way I can get it down is if it's the vanilla kids kind, and I think that has more fat and sugar than I'd like. I am a huge skim milk fan, so, this is a major problem for me. Does anyone know of a brand of soymilk that isn't gross? (If you like the taste of soy milk most of the time, that really won't help. I need to hear from people that usually don't like it -- if you've found a brand that works.)
Thanks again,
Jane

 

[raebates]

You might want to check before you use soy milk. For some women the added plant estrogens can be a problem. I hate the taste of soy milk. However, I found a soy creamer that works well in my coffee. Soy milk also works in coffee in a pinch.