esiegel

I have worked in cardiology for the past 6 years and did not know that birth control could cause an increase in cholesterol! I just found this out today when I talked to one of our nurse practitioners who told me about it. I have had high LDL cholesterol and high triglycerides!

I was able to stay on birth control and decrease my LDL significantly however, my triglycerides continue to increase at an alarming rate! I have made the decision to go off of birth control for at least 3 months and have my cholesterol re-checked.

I will tell you that if you are watching your diet (total fat and saturated fat) and exercising, then your LDL should decrease. Mine did with simple diet changes and moderate exercise. And this was on top of eating unhealthy things once in a while over the holiday season.

Some good things you can do for yourself include eliminating white, enriched-flour breads...I have been buying Sara Lee Multigrain bread. It is low-carb, low-fat and heart-healthy and it isn't outrageously expensive. You can get a loaf of it for about $2.00 at Wal-Mart.

Try switching to whole wheat pasta. Stick to white cheeses...mozzarella, swiss, etc. Those are the ones with the lowest fat content. For things with a lot of fat that I liked, I replaced it with lower-fat versions because the nonfat was too terrible to eat! Things such as low-fat cream cheese, low-fat sour cream and even lower fat chips are some of the things that I buy. Pringles makes a light chip and if you like Doritos or Cheetos puffs, try the natural chips...they are low in fat and have no added preservatives, additives or artificial flavorings. And they taste wonderful!

And if you will watch sugar intake, there are so many things out there now days with Splenda in them! Blue Bunny makes yogurt and ice cream with Splenda. The ice cream is really good...I like the Rocky Road.

Eating more fish will certainly help and eliminating red meat (if you must have red meat, eat sirloin) and increasing lean meats, such as turkey, chicken, etc. will help. It is also important to increase fruits and vegetables. Alcohol should be consumed in moderation or not at all.

The one VERY important thing that I did that I think helped the most was that I had a packet of oatmeal for breakfast nearly every day! And Quaker Oats now makes a low-sugar oatmeal (it comes in apple cinnamon and maple and brown sugar). Watching sugar and carbs is important even if you don't have high triglycerides, because as the body metabolizes sugar and carbs, it turns into fat...fat results in high LDL levels.

If you love baking, try baking with Splenda. I made pumpkin pies for Xmas with Splenda and no one could taste the difference.

Try some of these things and add a little exercise and I promise that you will see results in your LDL!