High Cholesterol

Ok so I have high cholesterol.....right now I have eaten 210 mg of cholesterol. Does anyone know what the healthy range is.....all I know is that before I started eating right my cholesterol was lower then it is now....so please tell me what is the healthy range to eat and what foods are low in cholesterol that can be eaten everyday? Thanks:)

The Americal Heart Association recommends we intake 300 or fewer mg daily.  However, your ideal number varies depending upon other health factors. You may rest assured eating vegetables, fruits, fish, poultry (without skin) and avoiding beef, seafood, dairy and butter will help your number come down.  The American Heart Association has some great information on its site. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml? identifier=4488

Speak with a nutritionist to help you along.  I did and it made a world of difference!  My old numbers were 292.  I am now at 160 and my LDL is under 100.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the advise. It is just so confusing sometimes:)

The cholesterol in your food doesn't impact on the cholesterol in your bloodstream as much as the amount of foods you eat containing saturated fats.  Other factors include being overweight and/or sedentary.  There's also a genetic factor... some people have naturally higher cholesterol levels than others.

So if you start by controlling your weight & being more active that's going to help considerably.  And if you change your diet to include  much more fruit, vegetables and wholegrains, fewer foods containing saturated fat... red meats, full-fat dairy products... and more foods containing  unsaturated fats... olive oils, nuts, avocados, oily fish.... then you'll see a difference. 

What's your typical day's diet at the moment?

On work day for breakfast I usually have a yogurt and a fruit or fiber one bar. For snack usually a fruit or fiber one bar (which ever one I didn't eat at breakfast), Lunch is a lean cuisine meal or something similar. Snack is a luna bar or bag of smart pop popcorn, Dinner is whatever...sometimes good for you sometimes not so much, and then snack is usually like a pickle or a couple chips with dip (something small to satisfy whatever craving I am having at that time)

Try to eat more fresh foods and fewer processed ones if you want to a) control your weight and b) reduce your cholesterol.  Transfats and other nasties are hidden in a lot of processed foods - some that you may not expect.   Plus they aren't very satisfying so you'll be more likely to crave junk to keep you going.

Do try to build your day around 5-a-day fruit and veg plus plenty of wholegrains.  Oatmeal or a high-fibre cereal for breakfast, for example is a really good way to reduce blood cholesterol.  As is eating lots of fruit and vegetables. 

welcome to the club! We can lower it together!  I've been planning what I eat before I eat using Calorie Count for 4 months now.  As a side effect I've lost 35lbs.  Only 2 more months until I get my blood test again.

Original Post by joevill:

welcome to the club! We can lower it together! I've been planning what I eat before I eat using Calorie Count for 4 months now. As a side effect I've lost 35lbs. Only 2 more months until I get my blood test again.

I just returned from a vacation which was planned out before the discovery of my high cholesterol.  A week before we left I decided to speak to my doctor to see what my levels were that way I can plan to stick to the diet or slurg on the trip.

I got my blood test results, and my borderline high level of 225 was dropped to 132!  YAY!

So yes, I went 4 days without Calorie Count and my diet.  It was scary at first but I deserved the hard earned reward.  I did eat smart and healthy while I was out of town, but I did treat myself to some sweet treats.

Well done... Once you've had a warning about cholesterol levels you're going to have to eat smart and healthy as standard to keep on top of things.  If you managed to do that on a holiday, you can manage it any time.  How great is that?