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Ok, this is a bit personal. The red stuff is supposed to raise cholesterol levels. My Dr. said that most people would be thrilled with my HDL level, but my LDL is also a bit too high. At last testing, my total number was 212. I know the medical profession is now on a kick to get everyone on cholesterol controlling meds. The reason I feel this way is that DH's number is 192 and Dr. wants him on it.
I realize that it can be related to family history, but a sibling who is not a vegetarian has a very low cholesterol level.
I do exercise regularly, which of course is supposed to help keep it down. I'm not personally alarmed by that number, but it's much higher then it used to be and Dr. was frantic about it. I definitely have a sweet tooth so is that my main problem? I'm not into meds and am also a bit leary of some herbal solutions. What should I eat to bring it down?
Sometimes it is genetic and stays high regardless of diet and/or exercise. My wife, although an omnivore, eats very little meat and lots of veg (plus works out like a fiend) has had high cholesterol levels. He doc chaulks it up hereditary factors.
Stress is also a factor in this.
You might try eating some oatmeal, as this is supposed to lower cholesterol levels. Also if you use a lot of dairy, try substituting, such as soy/rice or almond milk for regular milk and using earth balance instead of butter (no hydrogenated oils in there).
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The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. ~Henry David Thoreau
I was going to bring up the dairy factor. Somedays it seems too easy for me to make meals centering on dairy than veggies (having a young picky eater may pay a role in this too, though).
Stress and exercise can be linked, though. Exercise can reduce your stress level, hence the perverbial "killing two birds with one stone." Even an easy evening walk could help.
Dairy was my first thought. Many vegetarians, especially new vegetarians, make cheese and eggs their main source of protein. That will shoot your cholesterol up big time. If this sounds like you, try cutting back on these foods - substitute olive oil for butter, tofu for eggs, sautee things in vegetable broth rather than oil, etc - there are many easy substitutions for these high cholesterol foods. Also, make sure you're getting enough fiber - someone suggested oatmeal. I've found that fiber is the thing I personally need to watch to keep my cholesterol controlled.
Yea, it's probably the cheese and sweets that do me in. I do eat a lot of cheese because I don't feel guilty about it. Growing up on a farm, I know that cows were relieved to be milked and there's no life lost cause there was always enough for their calves, too.
As far as exercise~I used to jog 45 minutes every day, but I have disc problems and Dr. has banned me from jogging. So now I walk 3 to 4 miles every morning. My job is also physical so that helps. I have been told that in order to actually get the cholesterol down, I have to get my heart rate up there for over 20 minutes at a time. There was a chart to gauge how high it needs to be sustained~factored in age, etc~and I believe my rate was 122. Maybe I just need to speed up that walking a bit.
Jammie,
The only other thing I've seen diet-wise is that going all the way vegan can reduce your LDLs to about the same degree as taking the meds (which can have unknown side effects and cost $200-270 per month).
Jammie,
The only other thing I've seen diet-wise is that going all the way vegan can reduce your LDLs to about the same degree as taking the meds (which can have unknown side effects and cost $200-270 per month).
Hope this helps,
Kiran
Thank you. It does help. Actually, I didn't have any intention of going on the meds cause I don't do drugs well. I personally don't think half of them are helpful or healthy either. In the past, I have been on two different meds that had recalls and severe health issues for their users. BOTH times I refused to take them after a couple months and I'm so glad I did. My Dr. doesn't like me, but that's another story.
But actually, I really would like to get that number below the 200 range because it'd just be a good thing to do healthwise.
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The red stuff is supposed to raise cholesterol levels. My Dr. said that most people would be thrilled with my HDL level, but my LDL is also a bit too high. At last testing, my total number was 212. I know the medical profession is now on a kick to get everyone on cholesterol controlling meds. The reason I feel this way is that DH's number is 192 and Dr. wants him on it. 
I do eat a lot of cheese because I don't feel guilty about it. Growing up on a farm, I know that cows were relieved to be milked and there's no life lost cause there was always enough for their calves, too.
