I got the official results of my cholesterol test today, and, well, it’s high. (I anticipated it would be; this definitely wasn’t a shock).
I wanted to pose the question to everyone else, though: Has anyone else dealt with this? What have you eaten that you think has helped lower your cholesterol? Anyone?
I’m open to any suggestions.
And now I’m off to eat some oatmeal! 
Hi Anne - my dad has genetically high cholesterol. He actually did a program called protein power many years ago that lowered his. He stopped the diet though and is now on meds.
It’s strange but the “expert” opinions on this differ so much. I know that programs like Atkins, Protein Power, Schwartzbien Principle and South Beach claim to lower cholesterol and I believe three of these were designed by cardiologists. All of these are very similar in concept with a few subtle differences….yes, I’ve read EVERY one of these books lol.
Hope this helps some
Comment by Blair — January 9, 2007 @ 7:05 am
I have had high cholesterol since my early 20s and have staved it and reduced by three basic things…
1. You have to exercise - no way around it.
2. You have to eat fruits and vegetables and whole grains - fiber is the key here - no white or fatty foods will do.
3. Oatmeal and oat bran and things with oats in it - I make bread and put oatmeal in it. I eat granola (without the coconut flakes). I eat oatmeal for breakfast. I substitute oatmeal when breadcrumbs are listed in a recipe a great deal.
Losing weight WILL bring it down. Once you are healthy your body functions better. There are some rare cases, like with a friend of our family, where no matter how small and in shape you are your body will continue to make the stuff but those are not the majority of cases. Much of our cholesterol can be controlled by the means I listed.
Blair mentioned the low carb diets and how they have proven effective. The vegetarian and Dean Ornish plans have actually been shown to reverse the effects of cholesterol and heart disease. I am not sold on the “low carb” thing with high fatty meats (basically Atkins). If you eat meats I think it is much safer to eat low fat, fish and fowl. South Beach and Sonoma Diet are MUCH healthier than Atkins. The difference in SB and Sonoma is that SB restricts bread (even whole grains) at the beginning but Sonoma does not. Fiber is VERY important and you cannot get fiber from meat. You can get fiber from other protein sources which are on the Ornish or vegetarian side of dieting such as nuts and seeds and combinations such as beans and rice (brown rice is preferable) or other bean and grain combinations which might include couscous, quinoa, barley etc…
Hope this helps…
Comment by Leann — January 9, 2007 @ 11:40 am