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 ;)
  
  
   

Cholesterol:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cholesterol/ CL00002

Question:  Does anyone know? 

Do the nuts have to be raw to get the benefits? 

Does roasting or toasting reduce or eliminate the heart health benefits? 

I've heard it does with Spanish Peanuts for sure but didn't keep the reference on that.

I didn't catch the whole show, but that doctor who is always on Oprah (Dr Oz?), said that roasting/toast almonds DOES decrease the health benefits.

I haven't done any research to back that up -- but that doctor appears to know what he is talking about.

After searching 85 pages worth of my posts I finally found my message I had posted eons ago about shrimp being good -  its from

http://caloriecount.about.com/forums/post/194 17.html#10 ;

YES I lowered my cholesterol 100 points through diet and changing my food, and suplements. 

Here is how I did it.

My cholesterol got to a high of 184.  At the time I was doing atkins, so I was really strict about carb intake for 3 months, had my doctor recheck and I was 173.  She gave me a perscription for statin drug.  I tried it for 2 weeks, ended up with sever muscle pains and said there has to be a better way.  This is what I did.

I went back to being a vegetarian. Ok that is hard for most people.  But I eat NO meat, no chicken, no fish, nada.  I do eat fat-free cheese occassionally and yogurt.  NO eggs.

I take policosanol supplements
There has been a ton of research on it in Cuba it is derived from cuban sugar cane, and it lowers cholesterol and 10 mg of policosanol is shown to be as efficient as 20mg of lovastatin without all the side effects.

I take Gugulipid supplements  Gugulipid is derived from the resin of the mukul tree which is native to India.  Been used their for 100s of years to control cholesterol, and has gained prescription status in that country.  But heh, you can't patent it here, so no big drug company is going to do that.

I eat a lot of fiber  I eat a high fiber ceral ever morning, and in winter eat oatmeal sprinkled with flaxseed.  High fiber helps lower cholesterol.

Bottom line?  My cholesterol is now 175!!!  All without harmful drugs.  Yes I had to become vegetarian, not a big deal to me. But I tell you what, I have a family history of high cholesterol.  My dads was 400 when he had his heart attack.  My sisters is in the mid 200's so is my brother.  I'm really HAPPY with my cholesterol now. Ginny 

trying cinnamon...

hard to eat much

Hi - I am new to this site - I discovered it last night while I was browsing to see if there would be any info on lowering cholesterol.

 THIS is a wonderful message board.  I am trying to lower my cholesterol by food instead of medication.  My next test date is the first week of December and I have been eating these last 5 weeks fresh vegetables (carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes), fresh fruit (bananas, oranges, and apples) oatmeal (rolling oats) with a small box of raisins in the morning and in the afternoon if I am very hungry and one serving of cottage cheese (2% minimum) mixed with one yogurt (40 cal) and of course drinking water.  I can not believe I have actually lasted this long. 

 AND after reading last night through all the posts and excellent information, this morning I bought a packet of almonds and frozen corn and frozen italian style vegetables - now that I know I just microwave it till al dente.  I will mix it with the cucumbers.

 Like you, I feel that I would rather do without the medication.  I do not want to contemplate the side effects AND I also notice that usually once you start medication you rarely go off it... AND I was curious about what it was that I was eating that made my cholesterol (and blood pressure) so high.

Needless to say my parents were alarmed but I assured them I did not think I would have a heart attack or stroke in the next three months and I have kept this in mind whenever I have wanted to splurge.  I am going to wait until after the blood tests before actually eating one "normal" meal again -- and hopefully the numbers will be down enough that I can do that more often:):)

So I just wanted to say THANK YOU for this post AND THANK YOU for all the information.  I will be reading this site frequently and if I have anything constructive to add, I will:):).

Wishing you an excellent day:):)

I am happy to tell you the results of my blood test:):)  I had the blood tests taken on Friday and ate over the weekend:):) logging everything in.  I did not go as crazy eating as I thought I would:).

Cholesterol   - from 272 - I am now 154

Triglyceride  - from very high - I am now to low

I am so HAPPY:):)   I am now eating the foods I used to eat and logging them in.  I can now see WHICH foods I will NOT be eating again - such as my favorite deli sandwich which is extremely high in sodium - and which foods I CAN eat.

AND I am going to continue to log in my foods to make sure I stay within the cholesterol and sodium parameters - as well as the caloric parameters - I would like to continue losing weight:):) THIS site is wonderful.

I also find that things I have eaten which I have thought were very horrible are not as bad and I can look at it more dispassionately and make a sensible decision as to whether I will be eating them again.

I thought I would be gorging myself on sweets but that is not the case.  Once I knew my levels were good, I just kind of settled down and am systematically eating one thing a day and seeing what that does to my levels.  It is an interesting experience.

AND I went ahead and bought more apples, tangerines and carrots!!  Amazingly enough I missed eating them this weekend and am going to make them part of my permanent eating style:):)

I would like to THANK YOU everyone for their support and interest.