notelaine's Journal, 29 March 2016

Sometimes even the healthiest people have high cholesterol. Same with high blood pressure. If it is genetically programmed, it will happen inevitably. I went through the same thing with high blood pressure. Labs were perfect, healthy weight, exercise 3-4 times a week and eating right - still high blood pressure. I went on meds (reluctantly) but it is now better than normal. If changing his diet and exercise doesn't do it, I'd say go on the meds! At least you are on top of it and are monitoring what to do. That is more than most. Good luck!  

From what I have learned fiber will help. There are a few options. You can try to get it from the diet alone or there are supplements to help such as chewables, gummies, tablet form supplements and stir in powders. "Extracted natural fibers include lignin (a compound found in plant cells), cellulose (a sugar found in plant cells), pectin (a sugar found in fruits and berries), gum (a sugar found in seeds), and psyllium ( from the husk of Plantago plants, its the only supplemental fiber shown to help lower LDL "bad" cholesterol)." --Taken from WEBMD I hope this helps. Getting enough fiber in your life is tricky. Also regular exercise helps the body to produce more HDL the good cholesterol that helps to keep your stats on the positive side. Good luck. 

For my high cholesterol I have started take Red Yeast Rice. It's a supplement that I take once a day. Have him talk to his doctor to see if that is something to consider. Otherwise change to eating leaner meats. I have read that eating more fish is really beneficial, and limiting his red meat intake will help as well. 

Pickles help but I think anything vinegar based work.  

In the end the only thing you can do is decrease red meat and increase whole grains and vegetables. 

Walgreens, CVS has cheap paper simple books on lowering cholesterol / also Internet has ton of free info 

Lean meats, chicken breasts, and fish instead of fatty processed meat and bacon. Avoid saturated fats and fried foods.  

oatmeal, oat bran, oat fiber 

My bad cholesterol used to be high but since I've been on LCHF it is perfect. After talking with the Dr., she thought it was the coconut oil that I use.... 

my cholesterol was high and I started eating a bowl of oatmeal a day ( anytime) I also put some raw in glass of water and drink instead of plain water ( it worked, it went down. but he must cut down on processed foods. not easy but it beats having to take meds that will do great damage. 

I don't think what you eat really determines anything. I have been married to my husband 47 years and we have ate the same food that I cook daily for all this time. My cholesterol is normal and I have normal blood pressure. I take no meds at all. His on the other hand is high. He takes 2 scripts for blood pressure and 2 for cholesterol. He has had a heart attack and has stints in his arteries. So it is just something some have a problem with and some don't, or maybe it is a family thing. Just my opinion. 

Rckc. Remember a few years ago, coconut oil was going to kill us all. 

Rckc. Remember a few years ago, coconut oil was going to kill us all. 

Sometimes high cholesterol is due to what you eat, sometimes it is hereditary. It varies for each person. My cholesterol has been running high, and my doctor recommended fish oil (omega 3). The omega 3 helps counterbalance the omega 6's ingested from protein. If your boyfriend is unwilling to take the big horse pills, you can research foods high in Omega 3's. Off the top of my head, I know salmon is a great source. The pills are a great option for non-seafood eaters. Krill oil is also a good supplement for omega 3 intake. 

I have, kind of the same, problem with my cholesterol being way too high and did some research on what would help me avoid the medications. After everything was said and done, I decided to stick with my own type of smoothie each day and some moderate workout regimen. However, I hated nasty tasting smoothies and had to play with the mix. It worked for me over a period of a few months last couple of years from my start in 2013. I can't say that he will get the same results but it was an all natural way vs. medication. I can't post a pdf but have copied below in text format: I normally have two of these a day instead of meals and make the meal as healthy as possible too (i.e. salmon, spinach and grilled chicken salad, wraps, etc.) Eat an apple for any snacks! I use the Magic Bullet blender big cup which is about 18 or 20 oz (not too sure). Ingredients: Banana – 1 Black berries – 4 Blueberries (frozen) – 6 Black cherries (pitted and frozen) – 4 to 5 Grapes (purple seedless) – 6 to 8 Raspberries (frozen) – 3 to 4 Strawberries (pending size and cut up a little) – 3 to 4 1 pineapple slice (cut up a fresh pineapple long ways and store the rest for later use) ½ Apple (cut into slices or cubes) 1 heaping table spoon Flax seed (ground or milled) See picture below I have both and can be found at Vitamin World 2 to 3 tablespoons of plain oats Soy Milk – Fill cup or blender about half way according to your level of food Non-fat Greek Yogurt - 3 heaping tablespoons from a big container Or 1 entire individual container laver of your choice (strawberry, blueberry, peach, raspberry, etc.) 1 to 2 stems of kale leaves (discard the stem and wash leaves) 1 hand full of spinach (wash and crush with hand to fit) I listed the items above in the order I put them into the cup before blending. I stop adding after adding the Soy Milk to blend. After it is blended pretty well, I then add the kale, spinach, and yogurt. Continue to blend again and that is it. Note: Sometimes I run out of stuff but I still use as much as possible and substitute with adding more of the other items. A picture or two of the stuff I use: Some research on the foods used above and other smoothie recipes that I like: http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Research/Harvard-names-11-cholesterol-cutting-foods http://www.livestrong.com/article/34893-foods-cut-cholesterol/ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2272401/The-foods-cut-cholesterol-just-months--dont-cheese-chocolate-breakfast-egg.html http://www.thedoctorstv.com/main/content/bethesda_maryland http://www.livestrong.com/article/253541-smoothies-to-reduce-cholesterol/ http://www.everydayhealth.com/high-cholesterol-pictures/heart-smart-smoothies-and-juices.aspx#/slide-1 Hope it wasn't too long and maybe it will help. 

I have high cholesterol and so does my mom. We are both fit and eat very healthy. For me a good diet keeps my numbers on the high normal border (total 205) as opposed to crazy high. Exercise raises my HDL which helps with the ratio. I think the addition of fiber in the form of plants - fruits and veges, oatmeal, legumes because they have 2 kinds of fiber - soluble and insoluble is super helpful. I'm not sure about eggs. I just eat moderate amounts. Unlimited egg whites (but I don't like them as much) But I stay clear of breads (because I don't like them) and fatty meat and butter and stuff that is obviously high in fat (Fried food etc). My protein mostly comes from chicken, turkey, fish, nonfat dairy, and nuts and seeds. Good luck!! I hope it helps! 

Things to lower cholesterol - Cut back simple carbs, refined carbs. Increase fiber consumption. Eating whole oats can help. Loose some lbs if overweight. Exercise, be more active. Red yeast rice can help. Coconut oil can help raise HDL (good) cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol consumed often does not have a big impact on blood cholesterol levels. High cholesterol in and of itself may not be too bad, it's refined carbs/sugars and the inflammation it causes that's the big problem. Vegetable oils high in Omega 6 amino acids are also bad, as well as hydrogenated oils. Cholesterol ratio (total cholesterol divided by HDL cholesterol) is a better measure of possible risk - optimal is 3.5 or lower, the lower the better. There is controversy over whether high cholesterol is a bad thing, best advice is to research it yourself. But eating large amounts of processed meats is definitely not a healthy thing to do. 

I attribute my good cholesterol numbers to consumption of healthy fats from nuts and natural peanut butter.  

Increase fiber and including more monounsaturated fats are said to help. Olive and avocado oil are good sources on monounsaturated fats.  

If he cuts down on red meat (bacon,pork,sausage) and cheese for the next few months .Have him eat bit of almonds or pistachios for snacking .Drink lot of water. Cholesterol levels should improve.Also whole oats in the morning ,cutting down egg yolks (this has a ton of cholesterol)would also improve if he is a big egg eater.