Peaceful Isle Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Okay...so blood work doesn't lie. I need to lower my cholesterol. I've googled ways to lower it, but I wantedto ask the hive. What have you ladies done to lower your cholesterol ? I read contradicting things. One website says stay away from fats, red meats, butter, and milk. Another website says that carbs are the culprit... I just want to be under 200. Any advise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 I found my cholesterol went down a good bit when I reduced my carb intake. I didn't lower my fat intake at that time - if anything I increased it. But there is a huge genetic component too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 My total cholesterol came down 100 points in two months when I did Atkins. I forget the good cholesterol vs bad cholesterol numbers, but my doctor was uber impressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandragood1 Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Last year I lowered my cholesterol significantly by going high fat low carb. I think that research shows that high fat and high carb together raise cholesterol. So lower one or the other, whichever is easier for you, and see what works and what lifestyle you can live with. Personally I find lowering my carbs to be easier. Drop most grains most of the time and drastically reduce sugar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceful Isle Posted January 30, 2015 Author Share Posted January 30, 2015 Did exercise seem to help as well? What about cutting back on coffee and drinking more water? Supplements ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Veganism. It really works. The many and varied choices of food are delicious, too! With regard to triglycerides, eliminate or radically reduce sugars. EDIT: It does not look as if this blog is being updated, however, the books by this author are sound. (not "hippy-dippy" foolishness) http://veganforher.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose in BC Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Low carb, high fat greatly improved my numbers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Did you get a breakdown with VLDL? That's the dense, sticky form of LDL thought to be the most problematic vs. fluffier and more buoyant larger LDL particles. Some labs give you a calculated VLDL by using your triglyceride number, so low tris generally will lend low calculated VLDL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Veganism. It really works. The many and varied choices of food are delicious, too! With regard to triglycerides, eliminate or radically reduce sugars. EDIT: It does not look as if this blog is being updated, however, the books by this author are sound. (not "hippy-dippy" foolishness) http://veganforher.com/ Yup. Also Forks Over Knives Vegan for Her is an excellent book & Ginny Messina is lovely. She & Jack Norris also wrote Vegan for Life. Ginny is blogging at Vegan RD For some people, even eliminating dietary cholesterol completely will not be enough (because our bodies actually do make cholesterol & sometimes that process is broken & we make too much) but for the vast majority, eliminating dietary intake absolutely will fix high blood cholesterol. To learn more about cholesterol, check out NutritionFacts.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Yup. Also Forks Over Knives Vegan for Her is an excellent book & Ginny Messina is lovely. She & Jack Norris also wrote Vegan for Life. Ginny is blogging at Vegan RD For some people, even eliminating dietary cholesterol completely will not be enough (because our bodies actually do make cholesterol & sometimes that process is broken & we make too much) but for the vast majority, eliminating dietary intake absolutely will fix high blood cholesterol. To learn more about cholesterol, check out NutritionFacts.org Double yup. DH's cholesterol went from over 200 to under 140 after dropping meat and eggs from his diet. He still has some dairy, but his results were dramatic. And I second the Forks over Knives recommendation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 {{OP}}This thread is not helping you, I bet. I **personally** believe the science behind the low carb solution. However, I also believe that not every body is the same, and I do believe that some bodies to best with minimal meat and dairy. I think that both low carb and reduce dietary fat work because, if they are done well, junk foods are decreased and vegetables are increased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 I've heard that low-carb helps, and if you go high fat, then organic/grass-fed is best. I also have a friend who takes red rice tablets and swears they have lowered her cholesterol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 {{OP}} This thread is not helping you, I bet. I **personally** believe the science behind the low carb solution. However, I also believe that not every body is the same, and I do believe that some bodies to best with minimal meat and dairy. I think that both low carb and reduce dietary fat work because, if they are done well, junk foods are decreased and vegetables are increased. I agree with you that OP may well be confused by the conflicting suggestions. Every single dietary approach is going to claim scientific support (even "proof") for its benefits. There is good science, there is bad science, there is "non-science" as well. I flinch with strong frustration when I read support for some of the dietary approaches out there, just as their adherents are going to flinch when they read my preferences. Translation, then, is that I strongly believe that a person should do his or her own research on nutrition. The "echo effect" from a message board is not going to be particularly useful, other than to bring to the table things that an enquirer may not have heard of before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceful Isle Posted January 31, 2015 Author Share Posted January 31, 2015 I have to admit I am still as confused in what to do after all you guys' advice. :( Do I do low carb, or only fruits and veggies, or just throw in the towel and eat my favorite Sara lee desserts? Lol (just kidding sorta) I hate this getting older thing. I miss the days that I didn't have to worry about this stuff. My mother warned me it would be coming. Wrinkles too. Not enough retin-a in the world to help with that either. I started a low carb diet today and hopefully will stick with it. We shall see what happens after I get my blood work back in a month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 I have to admit I am still as confused in what to do after all you guys' advice. :( Do I do low carb, or only fruits and veggies, or just throw in the towel and eat my favorite Sara lee desserts? Lol (just kidding sorta) I hate this getting older thing. I started a low carb diet today and hopefully will stick with it. We shall see what happens after I get my blood work back in a month. Be sure that your low-carb diet includes high protein and high fat. And no cheats! :laugh: ETA: And that also means real butter instead of margarine, no bread of any kind, even if it says it's "low-carb," no potatoes of any kind, no rice of any kind, not even brown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 The thing that is easiest for me to get my brain around is - No Sugar. If I remove sugar from my diet, then almost everything awful goes with it. That's when I see improvement all the way around. You're still left with the debate high-fat, low-fat, etc., but removing sugar checks is going to do my body a tremendous amount of good, no matter what other decisions I make. Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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