LDL Cholesterol - Diet & Nutrition Message Board

golden039 · 12-01-2008, 05:01 PM

My LDL Cholesterol is 430 and I'm 61 years old. My doctor is mailing me meds
for it. She said to lower my carobs. She didn't say anything about weight,
celeries, fats, etc. So I really don't want to die and I'm a good candate
for a heart attack or a stroke. I got the info tonight and I'm even afraid
to eat. So I guess I should change my diet big time like eat fresh fruits
and veggies for a month and nothing else. I don't think much of doctors when
it comes to things like this but I do know I can't go to taco bell or eat
Sundays anymore. No bread, pasta, rice, or potatoes. Any advice would be
appreciated.

Richard

auntjudyg · 12-02-2008, 12:59 PM

Well, your cholesterol level is high, but I do not think extreme measures are the answer . . . plus, one generally cannot stick with them.

The American Heart Association guidelines for a heart-healthy diet are widely available. Why not assess what sustainable changes you can make in your diet to move towards the guidelines?

It would be best to double check with your doctor, but generally when a recommendation is made to cut out carbs, what is meant are white bread, white rice, white pasta, mashed potatoes and fries. Usually whole grain breads and pasta, brown rice and other whole grains, baked potatoes with skins are okay.

It would be a great idea to find alternatives to Taco Bell, though. But a regime of nothing but fruits and vegetables is not good either. You need balance.

rudiraven · 12-02-2008, 03:29 PM

AuntJudy is right. Don't panic and just start eating more healthy. A bowl of oatmeal everyday will help lower your LDL. Use olive oil for cooking and take a good quality fish oil capsule a few times a day. If you research you will find many alternatives to medication to help you get nutritionally on the right track. Exercise is good for helping to raise your HDL (so called "good" cholesterol). Good luck

tjlhb · 01-03-2009, 11:50 PM

For reducing LDL cholesterol, generally you want to avoid trans fats (from partially hydrogenated oil used in many processed foods and fast food restaurants) and saturated fat (found mostly in fat from red meat and dairy products, but also in coconut and palm oil).

If you are in the unlucky minority whose blood cholesterol levels are sensitive to dietary cholesterol, you may also have to avoid high cholesterol foods like eggs and squid.

Monounsaturated fats like those found in olive and canola oils and peanuts and almonds tend to be more favorable to lowering LDL levels. So do polyunsaturated fats found in many other non-hydrogenated vegetable oils, although they may also reduce HDL levels. Fish with its omega-3 polyunsaturated fats is also generally considered to be favorable (but check which types of fish have the least mercury and other pollutant contamination).

Among carbohydrates, try to get them from less refined sources like vegetables, whole fruits, beans and lentils, and whole grains, while avoiding added sugars and limiting refined grains.

Exercise is also typically improves your blood cholesterol levels.

If you have excess body fat, then losing it is also likely to help your blood cholesterol levels.