Have you lowered your cholesterol with medication or foods? An Adventure!

So, was wondering....  Have you ever lowered your blood cholesterol significantly by changing the foods you eat?  And what foods did you change to do that?  

I understand oatmeal is a good one :)

Want to try this Adventure? I have to have my cholesterol checked again in 90 days... So, would luv your company!!!  Feel free to join me :)  Just getting started but everyone welcome always!  Never to late to join us in the chatter!

Now this is something I've been, er... *thinking* about more or less and practicing for the last 3 years or so!  We don't have to radically change everything today...  Small changes as we learn about different foods we want to eat are just fine! 

For me, it's a choice between trying this or trying a cholesterol lowering drug.  I choose food!  Thinking I really, really want to try this first ;)


edit:  Added... here & to title...

~ inspiration ~

?Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.??Helen Keller

Day 1.  Will it work?

Please share your tips, tricks and experiences with me!  Best yet?  Join me in a daring adventure :)

a tag~it~licious thread on making dietary changes for lowering blood cholesterol levels by

• reducing the bad4heart fats,
• increasing good4heart fats and
• increasing fiberific foods ~ especially the water soluble kind ;)
  
  
   

I read in Prevention Magazine a couple months ago that half a teaspoon a day lowers cholesterol a few points and balances out blood sugar.

The bad news: you ever try to consume half a teaspoon of cinnamon a day?  I did!  In a variation of chai tea.  Blech!  So I add extra cinnamon to my homemade oat bran muffins.  Much much more palatable.

I'd heard shrimp was high in cholesterol but I love them so I couldn't give them up.  I'm so happy to hear that it's "good" cholesterol!  I feel much more relieved about eating them now.

 That part of the Forest Gump movie was my favorite LOL  I like my shrimp as cocktail - don't even have to add the cocktail sauce.  

lol ~ i always liked the "life is like a box of choklits ~ you never know what you're going to get"  


yeah... it evoked visions of choklits for me :)   :::giggles:::

Survived day 2!  Met my saturated fat targets (less than 7% of daily cals) and met my healthy fat targets (eat some) in the form of salmon for dinner.  *yay*

2 important fruits for lowering the cholesterol seems to be citrus and apples (apple pulp, not the skin...

0.2g of fat in skinless white meat Turkey breast, i'm surprised

"The New 8-Week Cholesterol Cure" had infor about "no-flush" niacin products on the market, pg 245

The "non-flushing" niacin might be labeled as time- released niacin.

Cinnamon!!! 

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=food spice&dbid=68

man, it's hard to work in much cinnamon!

I became aware of my cholesterol problems about the same time as you have although I just discovered this thread.

So glad to see the article on shrimp. I've been avoiding it, now I am relieved to find I can have it in moderation and without guilt.

Cinnamon - try "Simply Organic" made by Frontier Natural Products. Sprinkle lots on that oatmeal. Turns a yucky into a yummy. :)

My fav food is cheese. Today, I discovered Cabot's 75% Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar. 1.5g Sat Fat per 1oz svg. and the package comes marked in 1oz increments (sort of like butter does). How cool is that? It's not a creamy as its full fat counterparts, but it has decent flavor and it satisfied my craving. (They also have 50% Reduced Fat w/ 3g Sat Fat per 1oz.)

United - I don't have my copy of the cholesterol book - I bought one in a used book store so it was probably an ancient version LOL -- I gave my copy to a coworker whos son in law is on a liver transplant list but can't have the surgery until he lowers his weight and cholesterol and other things that killed his first one - but I know I can not take the other niacin.  I took it for about a week and was wondering why I was getting hives I mean I was literally itching and breaking out in a red rash on my face arms and trunk.  Thought it was my clothes but after washing them and realized what I actually had changed was my niacin I stopped taking itcuz it was the non flushing stuff and it was miserable efect and I stopped.  I haven't taken any since and my good cholesterol was still very good 6 months later.

I am the poster girl for lowering cholesterol by eating right.  Here's my history...my level of cholesterol was at an all time high early last year of 372!  Yes, my doctor was having a heart attack when he saw those levels.  My mother has had levels of over 400, my aunt had levels of 900!  Can you say it was genetic?  I had my cholesterol checked for the first time in 1972 (because of my aunt) and it was high then (I was only 12 years old.)  Now, at 46, I knew I did not want to go on meds, but my doctor was convinced that if I did not I would have a heart attack and die!  My mom, btw, is almost 80 and still kicken!  My aunt did pass away, but she was 75!

I ate a low fat, no red meat, controlled calorie diet in the last 3 months, and my levels are now at 246!!!! I eat oat meal every morning! My good cholesterol is 60 (I exercise 4 times a week)  My doctor still says that I will not get to normal until I go on meds....well that is a challenge that I want to prove him wrong.

I guess what I am trying to say, is that if you have a good diet, you can drop your cholesterol....No one can believe what I have done...but it is all true!

My father had his FIRST heartattack at age 36!  He wasn't even overweight.  Since then he has had five different heart surgeries - bypass surgery a few times and the balloon surgery twice.

I am now 34, overweight, and the last time I had my levels checked my total cholesterol was above 400.  I was given the Lipitor and tried it, really gave me headaches and made my skin breakout.  I don't have insurance so getting the meds and getting checked is a problem...

I have changed my diet and although I haven't lost all the weight yet (I'm almost half way) I am MUCH healthier!  I can't wait to get my levels checked again, and as soon as I do I will post them.

Good luck to you all! 

Jen & Monica ~ thank you!!! 

That is so encouraging. 

I used to snack on cheese, everyday.  I love it.  I gave it up, and went to low fat or no fat cheese, that is if I eat any.  I also gave up white carbs, sugar, breads and so forth.  Mentally it was like this...I have spent years eating what I wanted, fast food, chips, cheese, butter and so on and so on.  To give up those things at this time (to reduce and get healthy now) was not that big of deal.  When I get to my goal weight, I will relax a bit, but will by no means go back to most of it.  Feeling healthy is way more important than what those foods do to me.  It is a choice, instead of eating those things, do other things, or if you got to eat, snack on good things.

It is that simple and that difficult.

yeah.  cheese.  and hamburgers.  i would be tempted to take the pill instead.  good job.  let us know!

Yes, I have.  My cholesterol used to be about 240.  I took lipitor for a few years and that kept it under control.  Then I got sick and started taking a lot of meds, some of which can cause liver damage.  Lipitor can too, so I stopped taking it to reduce the risk.

This past year my cholesterol dropped to 198, just by changing my diet. 

Making the nutrition changes was hard for me... but I feel like I have the eating stuff down now.  Cheese is a biggie, no doubt.  I miss you, cheese!  Eggs - another biggie, I hate eggbeaters and such.  I miss you, too, eggs!  (do you miss me?)

I don't know if my dietary changes have made a difference because I haven't been in to get bloodwork done yet.  But they must be working, right?!  They must!  The pure slop I was putting in my body was not helping any.  Some of it is genetic but I am doing what I can for the other part.

And I appreciate all the info ya'all put up here re: niacin.  My dad has a little pill bottle of niacin and we've been directed to use it on him "in an emergency" (like if he has a heartattack).  So I never reallly understood what it does, but was thinking it must be like aspirin...   this has been on my mental list of stuff to google for ages but I never looked into it myself.

Positive vibes to you all :)

united2gether:  Try using old fashioned (takes about 3 minutes in a microwave) oatmeal.  It's much more flavorful than instant  or quick-cooking.  Then add a tablespoon of raisins or chopped, dried apricots or a few dried cranberries or some chopped dates or a combination of dried fruits (a couple tablespoons total).  It's quite tasty and good for you!  lkm

Just got my bloodwork back and my total cholesterol has come down from 240 to 182 with diet and exercise. Had taken lipitor before and kept eating like nobodies business - and gaining weight - didn't want to stay on the lipitor...duh, should be able to do this without meds.  So I am proud of the decrease overall - BUT the bad stuff - the LDL was still high 118, and the good stuff HDL was still low 33.  And they told me the better diet (less fat) will help the LDL drop, and the increasd exercise will help the HDL.  Love oatmeal so that's ok, love shredded wheat - changed to whole wheat bread only; tried whole wheat pasta and loves it; eating apples and bananas...hate nuts and dried fruits though...love orange and grape juice.  What about the fish oil capsule stuff - sounds really nasty - but will that help too?