19 and have high cholestrol. need help on what to eat

[bonitabrazilian]

hey guys,
i just wanted to know what should i eat, to help me lower my cholestrol. i am very scared that i am not going to survive. my mom has diabetes and high cholestrol. and i dont know what to do.
now i am watching what to eat. but i need help. what is the best food to eat .

[scribbles]

For many people, foods rich in saturated (eg. fatty red meat, whole-fat dairy products) and trans fats (eg. fried food, commercial cookies/crackers, stick margarine) will raise LDL cholesterol (and/or lower HDL).

Though less harmful than saturated fat, it's a good idea to also limit foods high in cholesterol (eg. shrimp, eggs, whole milk/dairy).

Foods that have been shown to lower cholesterol include soluble fiber (eg. flax seeds, legumes, apples, oat bran) and plant sterols. Monounsaturated and omega-3 fats should also be included in the diet (eg. fatty fish, canola oil, walnuts).

Check out the American Heart Association's main page on cholesterol, which has links to information about healthy lifestyle habits to manage cholesterol levels.

Keep in mind that diet is only one of the factors that can lead to high cholesterol levels. There are other controllable risk factors like, carrying extra weight, having high blood pressure, lacking physical activity, or certain medications.

There are also risk factors that you can't control, such as age and gender, certain medical conditions, and heredity (eg. genetics determining how well your body processes cholesterol can mean you are genetically predisposed to having high cholesterol no matter how well you eat).

[jblondi]

Not much to add to the above post as far as what to eat etc, but another thing to consider is stress. I have the same fears you do about elevated cholesterol, although my numbers were, and have been much worse. One thing I do know is that worrying about it will not make it better, it will in fact make things worse. A few things that I suggest. One is to team up with your mother and work together on improving your diets, and lifestyle. Working as a team will always help because you can keep each other on par. The second thing that I like to do is when I worry about things, I excercise. By excercising your body releases endorphins into your body giving you a high that makes you feel better. And by doing so you will also reduce your cholesterol. I hope these things help. Good Luck.