What has been your single best (natural) method for lowering cholesterol?

[J-rap]

My cholesterol tends to run high, I guess borderline for prescription medication.  I really don't want to do that, so need to change things around!  I don't exercise hard, but I generally get in a good, brisk walk 5 days/week.  (I generally get in my 10,000 steps.)  I'm mostly careful about what I eat.  I don't eat fast food, processed foods.  I eat lots of legumes, I generally have a fruit/veggie smoothie for lunch.  I don't eat much beef (maybe 3x month?), but I do eat chicken probably 3x week.  I use butter, but don't overdo it.  I love peanut butter and peanuts and almonds and avocados and often have those with lunch or as snacks.  I eat lots of veggies at dinner cooked in olive oil.  I don't drink juice, pop, or really not much of any liquid except water (lots), coffee, smoothies, and a glass of wine.  I eat a lot of vegetarian dishes, often flavored with cheese.  I generally eat a protein bar at breakfast.  (I'm otherwise not too hungry in the morning.)  Oh, I also love good thin crackers and cheese and olives as snacks too, and plain nonfat yogurt and bananas.  I do love cheese.  About once/month we have pizza.

I'm thinking I need to cut out cheese.  😩  Nothing else really jumps out at me!

 

 

[Laura Corin]

Oats!  Oatmeal for breakfast every morning and oat milk instead of dairy milk.  I also swapped out my cheese for 'protein cheese', which is dairy but very low fat.  I pretty much cut out butter, and I eat meat in moderation at about four meals a week (Husband likes to cook meat).  I also do pretty much all the other healthy things you mention (walking, home-cooked food, etc). 

At my last doctor's appointment, I had gone from 'should be on statins' to excellent cholesterol ratios and only a 4 percent chance of a cardiac event in the next ten years.

[May]

DH has tried so many things. He has went the supplement route, diet changes, he rarely eats cheese, drinks little milk. We use very little process foods, eat red meat 1-2 month etc. He also does weight training 3x’s weekly, swims 2x weekly and does cardio 5-7xs a week. Despite his strict diet, he still has high cholesterol and finally started taking medication for it. High cholesterol runs in his family so I believe there’s a genetic component, in his case. Good luck in getting it down without medication.😊

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I recommend you take a look at the videos on nutritionfacts.org - just type in the search term cholesterol.  I find all of Dr. Gregor's stuff to be well done. 

[ktgrok]

How is your blood sugar and triglycerides? Vitamin D? Thyroid? Those things can relate to high cholesterol and it may be more important to address those, if there is an issue, and then see what happens with the cholesterol. 

And what are your numbers? What is your HDL to LDL ratio, etc?

[73349]

Switching from dairy to nut products. I ditched cow's milk cheese for nut-based cheeses (mostly Miyoko's), whole milk yogurt for the occasional coconut yogurt, and cow's milk in my coffee for caramel almond creamer.

The next year, poof! All better.

Edited February 18, 2020 by whitehawk

[Bambam]

I tried a variety of things as I was slightly high. Doctor gave me a list of things to do/try, supplements, etc, and told me to come back in 6 months. In 6 months, my numbers were basically the same. Everyone on my side of the family has high cholesterol. I'm actually the one with the lowest high cholesterol, but there it is. Unfortunately one of my kids is running a little high too - but she is doing everything she can to try to get it lower. 

[cjzimmer1]

DH dropped his numbers significantly by doing low/no sugar and significantly reduced carbs (especially tried to eliminate wheat and used whole grain otherwise).  He ate plenty of red meat, butter and eggs for breakfast everyday and the numbers were great while he stuck to that.  Unfortunately, he got stressed out at work and started drinking soda and sugary snacks again and his numbers went back up.  It's not the easiest to maintain but it worked well for him when he did it.

[Stacia]

53 minutes ago, whitehawk said:

Switching from dairy to nut products. I ditched cow's milk cheese for nut-based cheeses (mostly Miyoko's), whole milk yogurt for the occasional coconut yogurt, and cow's milk in my coffee for caramel almond creamer.

The next year, poof! All better.

Similar here.

Stopped dairy. Stopping cheese is not as hard as you think it will be. I was a pizza fiend but learned to save it as a treat and just order a slice or two with just sauce and veggies, no cheese. The hardest adjustment was putting plant milk in my coffee instead of whole milk. Not gonna lie, the adjustment with my coffee took a full month to get used to & was not fun. Now, it seems totally normal.

I eat plenty of natural fats (nuts, avocados), but greatly reduced my added fats by learning to water saute, bake/roast using parchment paper instead of greasing the pan, eat salads with just balsamic vinegar (no oil), reduce processed foods (including protein and granola bars, salad dressing, crackers). With natural nut butters, I tend to pour off excess oil when it separates. Try to find olives in brine instead of oil.

I think reducing sugar also helped.

I also added a lot more oatmeal and chia seeds to my life. And tons more veggies. The added fiber is very beneficial.

Learn to read labels again (even though you don't eat a lot of processed foods).

So, I think my top changes/tips are:

1. Eliminate dairy.

2. Significantly reduce added fats.

3. Increase fiber.

4. Reduce sugars.

These changes made a significant difference for me.

I will second an earlier suggestion to check out Dr. Gregor at nutritionfacts.org .

[Serenade]

Magnesium is a natural statin, and magnesium deficiency is linked to high cholesterol.   If you choose to try this, buy magnesium citrate because it is the most absorbable. Also nicotinic acid (a form of niacin).  Nicotinic acid used to be used to treat high cholesterol before statins became predominant.

Edited February 18, 2020 by Serenade

[Pawz4me]

Mine improved a little by adding fish two or three times a week. For me that's as simple as pouched tuna or salmon, not necessarily fresh seafood, although I do try to eat fresh whenever possible. But I was already eating quite healthfully by most standards--basically a mostly vegetarian, Mediterranean style diet with very little processed food, lots of veggies, whole grains, etc. I think for some people (like my DH and my very health/diet conscious primary care provider) there's a huge genetic factor. And for most of us age is a factor, too. FWIW, my HDL has always been very, very good. But as I've aged my LDL has crept up.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

I read a book (well, I listened to it) that totally changed my thinking about cholesterol and heart disease. First of all, realize that high cholesterol doesn't *cause* heart disease, it is a symptom of other problems. Cholesterol in the blood is part of the inflammation response (your body produces it in to fight against the inflammation). Inflammation is what causes heart disease. Reduce the inflammation in your body, and your body will stop making so much cholesterol. The main thing that causes inflammation in *my* body is sugar, so that's always my first change.  (Eating fat doesn't cause high cholesterol, nor does it cause inflammation -- it is quite essential to our cell structure and brain/nervous system. Don't stop eating fat, especially butter.)

If you have Audible, listen to the audio book, Eat the Yolks, by Liz Wolfe, NTP
Some of her attempts at humor are pretty lame, but she has some really sensible information about food.

 

[Wheres Toto]

6 minutes ago, Serenade said:

Magnesium is a natural statin, and magnesium deficiency is linked to high cholesterol.   If you choose to try this, by magnesium citrate because it is the most absorbable. Also nicotinic acid (a form of niacin).  Nicotinic acid used to be used to treat high cholesterol before statins became predominant.

Will Epsom Salt soaks help cholesterol?   I bought a foot bath after Christmas and dh and I have been using it quite a bit due to aches and pains.  I'm just wondering if it might also help the cholesterol.   I was high with my last blood work.  Not enough to do meds, just enough to recheck in 3 months.   I already ate pretty decent but the holidays were pretty bad, so I'm hoping it's a blip due to that.   I am watching serving sizes of meats, eating more oatmeal (with flax seed, berries), and all the other usual suggestions.

[Katy]

Quit the butter, cheese, and chicken.  Only have fat-free dairy or switch to nut dairy substitutes. I'd be shocked if your cholesterol wasn't below 120 in 90 days, maybe 50.

[Pawz4me]

7 minutes ago, Suzanne in ABQ said:

I read a book (well, I listened to it) that totally changed my thinking about cholesterol and heart disease. First of all, realize that high cholesterol doesn't *cause* heart disease, it is a symptom of other problems. Cholesterol in the blood is part of the inflammation response (your body produces it in to fight against the inflammation). Inflammation is what causes heart disease. Reduce the inflammation in your body, and your body will stop making so much cholesterol. The main thing that causes inflammation in *my* body is sugar, so that's always my first change.  (Eating fat doesn't cause high cholesterol, nor does it cause inflammation -- it is quite essential to our cell structure and brain/nervous system. Don't stop eating fat, especially butter.)

If you have Audible, listen to the audio book, Eat the Yolks, by Liz Wolfe, NTP
Some of her attempts at humor are pretty lame, but she has some really sensible information about food.

 

Totally anecdotal, but -- I have RA, so my inflammation markers (ESR and CRP) are checked every three months. They're always very, very low. Rock bottom. But I still have swollen joints, fatigue, etc. from RA (my rheumy says that isn't particularly unusual). And my LDL has still been creeping up over the years. So either the above isn't true for everyone, or there's some other type of inflammation that medical science can't yet measure that's in play.

[J-rap]

2 hours ago, Ktgrok said:

How is your blood sugar and triglycerides? Vitamin D? Thyroid? Those things can relate to high cholesterol and it may be more important to address those, if there is an issue, and then see what happens with the cholesterol. 

And what are your numbers? What is your HDL to LDL ratio, etc?

For some reason I can't get onto my chart to get those numbers...  I know our clinic changed systems recently.  I'll have to contact the office...  As I recall, my other numbers were good.  (I have no thyroid, but have been on synthroid for 20+ years.)  

[ktgrok]

1 hour ago, Suzanne in ABQ said:

I read a book (well, I listened to it) that totally changed my thinking about cholesterol and heart disease. First of all, realize that high cholesterol doesn't *cause* heart disease, it is a symptom of other problems. Cholesterol in the blood is part of the inflammation response (your body produces it in to fight against the inflammation). Inflammation is what causes heart disease. Reduce the inflammation in your body, and your body will stop making so much cholesterol. The main thing that causes inflammation in *my* body is sugar, so that's always my first change.  (Eating fat doesn't cause high cholesterol, nor does it cause inflammation -- it is quite essential to our cell structure and brain/nervous system. Don't stop eating fat, especially butter.)

If you have Audible, listen to the audio book, Eat the Yolks, by Liz Wolfe, NTP
Some of her attempts at humor are pretty lame, but she has some really sensible information about food.

 

Yes, there is a lot to this. My daughter's recent visit found she has slightly elevated cholesterol and triglycerides (at age 10!) and the pediatrician was very clear that the change we needed to make was less sugar/processed carbohydrates, including things like fruit juice. That in adult medicine they are still focused on fats, but that the pediatric world has shifted it's focus to sugar as the primary culprit, not fat. 

1 hour ago, Pawz4me said:

Totally anecdotal, but -- I have RA, so my inflammation markers (ESR and CRP) are checked every three months. They're always very, very low. Rock bottom. But I still have swollen joints, fatigue, etc. from RA (my rheumy says that isn't particularly unusual). And my LDL has still been creeping up over the years. So either the above isn't true for everyone, or there's some other type of inflammation that medical science can't yet measure that's in play.

Well, yeah, i mean if you have swollen joints then you have inflammation just by definition. Ihtink there are definitely plenty of people for whom lab work isn't going to pick up on inflammation. My son's inflammatory markers were pretty good despite damaged/inflamed intestines, etc. 

I do think I remember reading that the cholesterol in particular was responding to damage/inflammation in the blood vessels themselves, not just say, a sprained ankle or what not. The idea was that things like high blood sugar or blood pressure damage the blood vessels, and cholesterol tires to "bandage" the damage. But of course that causes the blockages. 

 

[PeterPan]

It might be all that cheese is adding up. My cholesterol runs on the low side, unusually low, and I've been wondering about ds'. Cholesterol stabilizes serotonin, etc. so it's not like you want it to go crazy low. But yeah, we don't eat a lot of cheese or dairy. On cruises, when we're eating pig bacon every day, our mood is noticeably better. I'm thinking about trying nitrate free bacon and am looking at labels to find products with more cholesterol to see if it will help ds. But yeah, we eat oatmeal regularly and take magnesium, no cheese, no beef. So we're genetically bent toward low plus have the diet that takes it low, so we're actually a bit too low, lol. For you, maybe trim out the beef and take cheese to once a week, add in oats, see where you're at.

Isn't cholesterol also linked to b12 levels? 

[Pam in CT]

My husband significantly lowered his by 1) going a full 6 months full vegan (which he disliked and didn't feel he could sustain over the long haul, but it seemed to sort of re-set his metabolism); and thereafter adding back fish (probably 3x/week) and occasional chicken (maybe 1-2x/month).  He uses almond milk for cereal now, he's cut out virtually all cheese, and if we have burgers or sausages at home, we now use Impossible or Beyond (which are super high fat and processed/fake, so, pick your poison).

We had always had a pretty low-processed, fruit & veg-heavy, moderate diet before he went this route, so where we ended up NOW is pretty easy and sustainable. The six months vegan interval was hard, though.

(And *I* still eat lamb or beef when we're out at restaurants, or cook it when my college son is home on break.)

[Ellie]

Atkins. My total cholesterol dropped 100 points in two months (and my good cholesterol was high) doing Atkins.

However, Mr. Ellie's cholesterol didn't come down at all. We don't know his family history, but we suspect it's a family thing.

[J-rap]

Everyone's given interesting recs ~  Thank you!  I find I'm the type of person who does much better reaching goals in small steps...  So I think I'll start by eliminating most cheeses 😞, but I'll look into that plant-based one!  Also, changing to oat or almond milk for coffee, oatmeal for breakfast...  I'm not a fish-eater, but I do like canned tuna in water ~ I wonder if that's supposed to be good.  I've cut back a LOT on sweets in the past year, which surprisingly hasn't been hard;  my tastes just seem to be changing more to wanting savory.  But I could pretty easily eliminate more.  I could also eliminate some meat...  Even when I prepare it, I don't eat much.  I probably only eat half portions of it.  My problem with vegetarian meals (which I do love too), is that I generally flavor them with cheese.   Adding magnesium would be simple.

I remember years ago my mother told me that high cholesterol runs in the family, so there's that.

Oh, I just watched a few of those Dr. Greger's videos, and that Eat the Yolks book sounds really interesting.  I'm interesting in learning more about the plant-based diet and intermittent fasting.  (I could probably start with the 12/12 fasting for now, which I know isn't much, but it would be a good start for me I think.)

Still listening!

[Laura Corin]

@J-rap, I recommend finding cooks with other interesting flavours for veggie foods. Dr Rupy Aujla is largely plant based and there are great flavours.

https://thedoctorskitchen.com/

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

1 hour ago, J-rap said:

Everyone's given interesting recs ~  Thank you!  I find I'm the type of person who does much better reaching goals in small steps...  So I think I'll start by eliminating most cheeses 😞, but I'll look into that plant-based one!  Also, changing to oat or almond milk for coffee, oatmeal for breakfast...  I'm not a fish-eater, but I do like canned tuna in water ~ I wonder if that's supposed to be good.  I've cut back a LOT on sweets in the past year, which surprisingly hasn't been hard;  my tastes just seem to be changing more to wanting savory.  But I could pretty easily eliminate more.  I could also eliminate some meat...  Even when I prepare it, I don't eat much.  I probably only eat half portions of it.  My problem with vegetarian meals (which I do love too), is that I generally flavor them with cheese.   Adding magnesium would be simple.

I remember years ago my mother told me that high cholesterol runs in the family, so there's that.

Oh, I just watched a few of those Dr. Greger's videos, and that Eat the Yolks book sounds really interesting.  I'm interesting in learning more about the plant-based diet and intermittent fasting.  (I could probably start with the 12/12 fasting for now, which I know isn't much, but it would be a good start for me I think.)

Still listening!

 

If you want to pursue intermittent fasting, Dr. Gregor also has multiple videos on that topic.  The big take-home is:  Don't eat after the sun goes down.  For weight loss, it doesn't matter if you push your eating window later in the day (say, a 12 hour window of 9am-9pm) or earlier in the day (say, 6am-6pm), but for health, IT DEFINITELY MATTERS.  Read up on early time restricting eating, as this is the type that is most helpful for improving blood numbers.  

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-early-time-restricted-eating/

 

ETA:  One additional video on chronobiology https://nutritionfacts.org/video/breakfast-like-a-king-lunch-like-a-prince-dinner-like-a-pauper/  Note that he links related videos below the main video, so you can fully fall down the rabbit hole.  

Edited February 18, 2020 by Monica_in_Switzerland
incomplete

[Katy]

1 hour ago, PeterPan said:

It might be all that cheese is adding up. My cholesterol runs on the low side, unusually low, and I've been wondering about ds'. Cholesterol stabilizes serotonin, etc. so it's not like you want it to go crazy low. But yeah, we don't eat a lot of cheese or dairy. On cruises, when we're eating pig bacon every day, our mood is noticeably better. I'm thinking about trying nitrate free bacon and am looking at labels to find products with more cholesterol to see if it will help ds. But yeah, we eat oatmeal regularly and take magnesium, no cheese, no beef. So we're genetically bent toward low plus have the diet that takes it low, so we're actually a bit too low, lol. For you, maybe trim out the beef and take cheese to once a week, add in oats, see where you're at.

Isn't cholesterol also linked to b12 levels? 

 

A couple different possibilities there - 1) bacon is high in choline, which your regular diet might be low in, 2) your brain is primarily saturated fat, and 3) eating saturated fat raises both estrogen and testosterone levels, which can definitely affect mood.  There are many anecdotal reports of people who switch to a high saturated fat paleo diet who suddenly have much lower anxiety levels and much higher sex drives.  Years ago I read a book by some doctor who guessed that there is probably a happy medium between brain health and heart health of 1-2 servings of saturated fat in a week, but recommended routine cholesterol tests to find the amount that worked for you.  I'm sorry I don't remember which book, though I could probably make a guess if you're super curious. It was one of those books about how much we really don't know about medicine yet, and much of it is educated guesses.

Cholesterol might not be the main problem, but keeping cholesterol under 110 does have a strong correlation to it being incredibly unlikely to have a heart attack caused by arteriosclerosis. Cardiologists are pretty much unanimous about that. Which isn't to say that if you don't have a family history of heart disease that it should be a goal for you.

[PeterPan]

26 minutes ago, Katy said:

Cholesterol might not be the main problem, but keeping cholesterol under 110 does have a strong correlation to it being incredibly unlikely to have a heart attack caused by arteriosclerosis. Cardiologists are pretty much unanimous about that.

110 is barely in the normal range for the labs I've had. I should google this some. Yeah I'm googling this and I can't figure out what number you mean. (total, triglycerides, HDL, LDL). My HDL was below the normal range two years ago and I got it up into the normal range by eating 5 eggs the night before labs. But I really don't know. Usually when I google it I don't find much.

Edited February 18, 2020 by PeterPan

[PeterPan]

2 hours ago, Ellie said:

Atkins. My total cholesterol dropped 100 points in two months (and my good cholesterol was high) doing Atkins.

However, Mr. Ellie's cholesterol didn't come down at all. We don't know his family history, but we suspect it's a family thing.

Beef is usually high in nutrients, including B vitamins. So maybe you were getting more of some vitamins you were low in and your body could use it better?

[Beth S]

Our ER doc friend recommended "Slo-Niacin" twice a day.
It's widely available OTC.
It's definitely brought dh's cholesterol into the normal range.
But he is 59yo and fit, & has had to adjust to the side effects (rash, itchy skin) so YMMV.

[Ellie]

43 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

Beef is usually high in nutrients, including B vitamins. So maybe you were getting more of some vitamins you were low in and your body could use it better?

Even if that were true, which I don't think it is, I don't know how getting more of some vitamins would cause a 100-point drop in my cholesterol in one month's time. 🙂

[J-rap]

2 hours ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

 

If you want to pursue intermittent fasting, Dr. Gregor also has multiple videos on that topic.  The big take-home is:  Don't eat after the sun goes down.  For weight loss, it doesn't matter if you push your eating window later in the day (say, a 12 hour window of 9am-9pm) or earlier in the day (say, 6am-6pm), but for health, IT DEFINITELY MATTERS.  Read up on early time restricting eating, as this is the type that is most helpful for improving blood numbers.  

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-early-time-restricted-eating/

 

ETA:  One additional video on chronobiology https://nutritionfacts.org/video/breakfast-like-a-king-lunch-like-a-prince-dinner-like-a-pauper/  Note that he links related videos below the main video, so you can fully fall down the rabbit hole.  

That's super interesting....  Also hard for me, because it generally takes a couple hours after I wake up to work up an appetite.  I've always been that way, not sure why.  

[J-rap]

One thing I don't really understand...  Some of you have recommended avoiding all oils, even olive oil.  I always thought olive oil was a "good" oil, and in fact could help elevate the good cholesterol (or whatever the good part of cholesterol is called), kind of like fish oil.  Is that not so?

[ktgrok]

Just now, J-rap said:

One thing I don't really understand...  Some of you have recommended avoiding all oils, even olive oil.  I always thought olive oil was a "good" oil, and in fact could help elevate the good cholesterol (or whatever the good part of cholesterol is called), kind of like fish oil.  Is that not so?

That's my understanding as well. I believe those oils, and nuts, also help with blood pressure. 

[Laura Corin]

4 minutes ago, J-rap said:

One thing I don't really understand...  Some of you have recommended avoiding all oils, even olive oil.  I always thought olive oil was a "good" oil, and in fact could help elevate the good cholesterol (or whatever the good part of cholesterol is called), kind of like fish oil.  Is that not so?

I use olive, rapeseed, sesame, flaxseed.

[Stacia]

From Pritikin (which is pretty close to the way I eat these days): Olive Oil Nutrition – What’s Wrong With Olive Oil?

[Lawana]

Since you are on Synthroid I will add what worked for me.  

I had been on Synthroid for 3 decades and was feeling like crap, so I found a doctor that was good with natural desiccated thyroid and Cytomel, a T3 only med. Changing from 150mcg Synthroid to 90mg Armour plus 20mcg Cytomel reduced my LDL from 200 to 125 with no diet changes. Also dropped 25 pounds. 

[J-rap]

3 hours ago, Stacia said:

From Pritikin (which is pretty close to the way I eat these days): Olive Oil Nutrition – What’s Wrong With Olive Oil?

Well that's something I didn't know!  I do tend to use olive oil quite liberally...

[J-rap]

2 hours ago, Lawana said:

Since you are on Synthroid I will add what worked for me.  

I had been on Synthroid for 3 decades and was feeling like crap, so I found a doctor that was good with natural desiccated thyroid and Cytomel, a T3 only med. Changing from 150mcg Synthroid to 90mg Armour plus 20mcg Cytomel reduced my LDL from 200 to 125 with no diet changes. Also dropped 25 pounds. 

Interesting.  I do feel really good...  So, it wouldn't occur to me to change a routine that seems to work fine for me.  BUT, it's interesting to note that your LDL numbers went down.  Do you still have your thyroid?  

[Lawana]

I do, but it is totally suppressed. The key lab result for me was the reverse T3, which showed I wasn’t converting T4 to T3. It came in line when I switched meds. 

[ThisIsTheDay]

12 hours ago, Suzanne in ABQ said:

I read a book (well, I listened to it) that totally changed my thinking about cholesterol and heart disease. First of all, realize that high cholesterol doesn't *cause* heart disease, it is a symptom of other problems. Cholesterol in the blood is part of the inflammation response (your body produces it in to fight against the inflammation). Inflammation is what causes heart disease. Reduce the inflammation in your body, and your body will stop making so much cholesterol. The main thing that causes inflammation in *my* body is sugar, so that's always my first change.  (Eating fat doesn't cause high cholesterol, nor does it cause inflammation -- it is quite essential to our cell structure and brain/nervous system. Don't stop eating fat, especially butter.)

If you have Audible, listen to the audio book, Eat the Yolks, by Liz Wolfe, NTP
Some of her attempts at humor are pretty lame, but she has some really sensible information about food.

 

Last spring, I read The Obesity Code by Jason Fung, and it has changed my life. I wasn't obese. I began eating low carb-HEALTHY fat. I cut out all snacking and eat no fake sweeteners, and I don't consider "net carbs." I started following an "intermittant fasting" protocol (whatever--basically, I mostly skipped breakfast every day, not difficult). I focused on eating healthy FAT, keeping up my calorie intake, and not overdoing the protein. I eat a LOT of butter, coconut oil, heavy whipping cream, and decent meat, along with vegetables. By eating this way and doing no exercise (let's be real here), I lost 25 pounds (5 more than my goal) and three pants sizes. I'm within 3 pounds of what I weighed before I got pregnant 25 years ago.

I just got my new bloodwork back this month. My good cholesterol rose more than 25 percent. My bad cholesterol stayed the same. My dr. told me I could stop my high blood pressure meds. I'm still waiting on my A1C test results.

I am currently reading The Great Cholesterol Myth by Bowden. It sounds similar to the cholesterol book mentioned by Suzanne. The Great Cholesterol Myth has been helpful in explaining what about cholesterol is bad and why the current standard medical approach is ineffective and does not make you healthier.

[KungFuPanda]

Since you have a lot of smoothies, why not just add oats to those and switch to nut milk?  You might not notice much and it wouldn’t really change your routine. I put oatmeal in my smoothie every day. 

[J-rap]

8 hours ago, ThisIsTheDay said:

Last spring, I read The Obesity Code by Jason Fung, and it has changed my life. I wasn't obese. I began eating low carb-HEALTHY fat. I cut out all snacking and eat no fake sweeteners, and I don't consider "net carbs." I started following an "intermittant fasting" protocol (whatever--basically, I mostly skipped breakfast every day, not difficult). I focused on eating healthy FAT, keeping up my calorie intake, and not overdoing the protein. I eat a LOT of butter, coconut oil, heavy whipping cream, and decent meat, along with vegetables. By eating this way and doing no exercise (let's be real here), I lost 25 pounds (5 more than my goal) and three pants sizes. I'm within 3 pounds of what I weighed before I got pregnant 25 years ago.

I just got my new bloodwork back this month. My good cholesterol rose more than 25 percent. My bad cholesterol stayed the same. My dr. told me I could stop my high blood pressure meds. I'm still waiting on my A1C test results.

I am currently reading The Great Cholesterol Myth by Bowden. It sounds similar to the cholesterol book mentioned by Suzanne. The Great Cholesterol Myth has been helpful in explaining what about cholesterol is bad and why the current standard medical approach is ineffective and does not make you healthier.

This sounds fascinating...  In looking up a quick article on the diet they recommend (on Cooking Light), it's somewhat similar to how I eat now.  Except, I do tend to graze throughout the day, I don't do any intermittant fasting, I eat some sugars, some grains...   (And I mostly stay away from fat, except olive oil and whatever is in an occasional dessert.)  Looks like a good one to read.

[J-rap]

7 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

Since you have a lot of smoothies, why not just add oats to those and switch to nut milk?  You might not notice much and it wouldn’t really change your routine. I put oatmeal in my smoothie every day. 

That's a great idea!  I've added oats to my smoothies from time to time when I'm limited on ingredients, and I actually like it ~  makes it taste a little silkier and nuttier.  It didn't occur to me to add a little every day.