High Cholesterol Remedy?

[nikki]

I'm interested in learning what everyone does to control high cholesterol? My husband already eats oatmeal, more veggies, and less saturated fat. Is there something natural he could add to his diet?

A friend recommended Okinawan spinach, so he eats a couple of leaves a day, but, his recent blood test didn't show a drop in numbers.

I also heard some drink an ounce of apple cider vinegar before meals. I haven't tried that yet.

He also takes flax seed oil capsules, and sometimes fish oil capsules.

Any other tips? Thanks very much!

[Miulang]

Re: High Cholesterol Remedy??

Soy products (soy milk, tofu and edamame...but they may help women more than men) and oily fish (wild (not farmed)salmon, mackerel, herrings and anchovies) have the highest amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids which are supposed to be good for lowering cholesterol (better than taking fish oil), and other fatty fish like tuna also have lesser amounts of Omega-3, but with tuna, you kinda have to watch out because of potentially high levels of mercury (especially bad for women and young children).

Saute foods with canola or safflower oil or light olive oil instead of corn or vegetable oil. Stay away from Crisco. Use real butter (in limited amounts) instead of margarine.

But some people are just born with naturally high cholesterol levels, and for those people, only statins will help. Does he also exercise regularly and is he relatively stress-free?

Miulang

[tutusue]

Re: High Cholesterol Remedy??

High cholesterol has, in general, not been a problem for me. That said, my cholesterol numbers were incredibly good when I was low carbing. Keep in mind the HDL and LDL numbers are more important than the over cholesterol number. I went off low carb and my numbers sky-rocketed (for me) in the wrong direction. I returned to low carb and my numbers returned to better than great. Go figure!

An FYI...low carb does not mean NO carb. Fat was not a problem. Carbs were not a problem. The combination of the 2 was the problem. So, a low fat/high complex carb diet works as does a low carb/high fat diet. Hunger pains were a problem with the former and not the latter!

Just my 2 pennies...

[Miulang]

Re: High Cholesterol Remedy??

High cholesterol has, in general, not been a problem for me. That said, my cholesterol numbers were incredibly good when I was low carbing. Keep in mind the HDL and LDL numbers are more important than the over cholesterol number. I went off low carb and my numbers sky-rocketed (for me) in the wrong direction. I returned to low carb and my numbers returned to better than great. Go figure!

An FYI...low carb does not mean NO carb. Fat was not a problem. Carbs were not a problem. The combination of the 2 was the problem. So, a low fat/high complex carb diet works as does a low carb/high fat diet. Hunger pains were a problem with the former and not the latter!

Just my 2 pennies...

Low carb/high protein diets for long periods of time are bad for the kidneys.

Miulang

[tutusue]

Re: High Cholesterol Remedy??

Low carb/high protein diets for long periods of time are bad for the kidneys.

Miulang

Not when one hits maintenance. It becomes much more balanced. But, like ANY other diet, it's difficult to stick to.

[lavagal]

Re: High Cholesterol Remedy??

My cholesterol was quite high a year ago. I started an exercise plan of walking nearly 3 miles each morning before work, a yoga session and two aerobic sessions a week. Literally not even one day off without some kind of exercise. My numbers went from over 230 to under 190. I still exercise, but more like 3-5 days a week. Work prevents me from doing any more. I also went on Nutri-Systems for about six weks. I dropped forty pounds, and I think I've kept off 30. Clothes fit great, even better than before, but I think it's mostly because I'm more muscular. One of the things I do after my morning walk or ride on the stationary bike trainer is weight training for about 10 minutes. I used to use just five-pound weights, but now I use eights. I do a speed-bag sort of exercise with them up to 100, to work the triceps. I swear I could wave at you like Miss America but I don't have any wiggly wings flapping under my arms anymore.

Sometimes it's really hard to give yourself permisson to acknowledge your exercise-weightloss-health-gaining achievements. It's tough for me, anyway. But sometimes I put on a pair of jeans and a tank top and come out and say to my husband, "I LOOK GOOOOOOOOOOD!" I feel a little funny saying it, but I am just trying to discard all that Catholic guilt stuff!

[Adri]

Re: High Cholesterol Remedy??

I've been told one kind of cholesterol is related to how much exercise we get and that only exercise will produce a good result there. For the other kind of cholesterol (sorry, I get mixed up with HDL, LDL, triglycerides and which does what) I've heard soy is good. I have a few relatives who swear they've been able to get off cholesterol meds by eating a tablespoon of kinako (soy flour) a day. I don't think it counts if you're eating your kinako mixed with sugar and sprinkled on top of fried mochi, though

[Honoruru]

Re: High Cholesterol Remedy??

I was diagnosed with an incredibly high cholesterol count several years ago (close to 400). My doctor said that when it’s this high, it’s not because of the food I eat. It’s because my body is producing too much cholesterol, and only statin will help.

But before going on statin, I wanted to find out what a strict diet and exercise regime would do. I took off about 75 points within three months (and 15 pounds). I then went on statin, while still sticking to my diet and exercise. Result: my total cholesterol count is still high (mid to low 200s), but that is because my good cholesterol count is extremely high (over 100), so I’m good. Other than statin, I really believe exercise is the number one thing you can do to control your cholesterol by raising your good cholesterol count.

[Pomai]

Re: High Cholesterol Remedy?

My friend was diagnosed with high cholesterol about a year ago. The doctor prescribed him Lovastatin and recommended a bowl of Quaker Oats cereal every morning, which he religiously adheres to. Within a few months it went down to a normal count, but he needs to continue taking the Lovastatin to keep it there (according to the doctor).

Then again, he's a major carnivore, so go figure.

Here, have a deep-fried, bacon-wrapped hot dog for lunch.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: High Cholesterol Remedy??

I was diagnosed with an incredibly high cholesterol count several years ago (close to 400). My doctor said that when it’s this high, it’s not because of the food I eat. It’s because my body is producing too much cholesterol, and only statin will help.

But before going on statin, I wanted to find out what a strict diet and exercise regime would do. I took off about 75 points within three months (and 15 pounds). I then went on statin, while still sticking to my diet and exercise. Result: my total cholesterol count is still high (mid to low 200s), but that is because my good cholesterol count is extremely high (over 100), so I’m good. Other than statin, I really believe exercise is the number one thing you can do to control your cholesterol by raising your good cholesterol count.

You know I gotta tell you exercise may not reduce your count. A few years ago a co-worker of mine and I had blood tests done and his was hitting 300 while mine was just under 200. He jogged five miles every day and was pencil thin. I on the other hand am a couch potato who loves french fries while he ate lots of salads.

Diet and exercise? He ate better and exercised, I ate fat and exercise to me was getting off my butt to get the remote control, yet his was higher by a huge difference.

Go figure.

[nikki]

Re: High Cholesterol Remedy?

Thanks everyone! It's so hard to figure out what works and what doesn't. I guess everyone's different, too. I think my husband inherited bad genes. He's tried everything. For a year, he ate 'clean' and exercised diligently, and there was no change in his numbers... so his doctor put him on statins. He keeps switching meds because he can't bring it down.