Bringing down cholesterol (Read 1258 times)

I agree with the oats. I have steel cut oats many mornings. I also eat a lot of fruit. Yogurt? If you buy farm yogurt without flavorants or sweeteners (just plain yogurt) it is usually fine. I make my own. Nuts are great, but don't eat more than about a half cup per day, preferably under a quarter cup. They are loaded with calories.

Thanks for the link on the local harvest Trent, that is really cool. Good news is, I live almost directly on the park that houses a "Countryside Conservancy" so I really have no excuse. Let's see.. I love steel cut oats, so no problem fitting that in a bit more. I have a yogurt maker, so I should probably actually use it. I am allergic to tree-nuts, so can't do walnuts/almonds. Do peanuts have any similar benefits? I am still waiting to hear on the triglycerides, it wasn't written down in my file so when I called the office this morning, all she could give me was the LDL/HDL. Thanks all for weighing in!

T Runner, Yes your HDL is awesome. Your ratio is less than 3.5 which is better than most in this country. Under 3.0 would be better. You have a strong hereditary influence which you can't control. This control probably 80% of your LDL productions. But, you do have some control. Do you have any other risk factors for heart disease? Smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, family history of heart disease????? If high cholesterol is your only risk factor, I don't think you should have huge concern. You definitely need to be aware and try to get that LDL down through better eating and more fiber and less sugar and saturated fat, but the need for a statins at this time with that high HDL.....well, please give it some thought. Eating a lot of omega 3s, raw oats/fiber as mentioned above with fruits and vegetables will help. Also, when I tested cholesterols at my facility, I found a definite correlation to weight/fat loss and cholesterol going down. Do the above, lose 5-10 lbs and you will be fine I believe. Great that you are aware and willing to make a change. Most in this country are not willing to do what it takes to reach optimum health.

Do not eat nuts. Peanuts are not nuts, and are not as beneficial as tree nuts. Do not waste your time with a yogurt maker. Your grandmother (or her grandmother) made yogurt without one. All you need to do is get milk hot to the touch, cool it to warm to the touch and then add yogurt from your last batch (or from store-bought active culture yogurt). Put it in a warm place and the next morning you will have plain yogurt. I use 1 liter glass jars, the kind with the clamp-down lid. But any jar will work. I also use that pasteurized unhomogenized milk. Good yummy stuff!

Heat the milk to hot to the touch, which is 180 degrees. Cool the milk to warm to the touch, which is 120 degrees. Add old yogurt. Place in an oven preheated to ~100 degrees, then turned off. Wrap the jars in a towel. That will keep it warm enough.

With fiber as the sponges and whatnot...I take fiber capsules a couple times a day, does it matter when they are taken?

To the original poster: I eat at least 50g of fiber a day and oatmeal every day as well. Works for me. I don't remember what my exact numbers were the last time they were checked but I do know they were exceptional. I am not as anal about my milk as Trent and I hate eggs.

I lowered mine mostly with the same kind of diet. Whole grains...but minimal amounts of those. Mostly protein, &, tons of veggies and small amounts of fruit & whole grains. I dont drink milk often...not for cholesterol, just got out of the habit and find I sleep better without it. I am a little nervous about repeating my test since now my diet is not as clean and has more sugar and refined carbs. Truthfully for me watching the refined carbs did more for my cholesterol than watching saturated fat. Eggs, meat, cheese...those were ok although I usually went lowfat or lean.