DH has been told he needs to lower his cholesterol. Anyone have any easy ideas for how I can change the way I cook? Foods to avoid, etc? Thanks!
Avoid fried foods and high fat foods. Eat healthy oils like olive oil. Eat high fiber foods and exercise. Lots of fruits and veggies. Eat fresh foods, not processed.
DH had that problem a few years back and i got a great cookbook, it helped me to learn to change the way we cook and he hasn't had a problem since then. Will see if i can find it and if so , it is yours.
Do not want to discourage a better diet, but when I was younger I cut my Cholesterol by 1/3 by riding my bike 4 days a week (about 20 miles a day). Because of my current job I can no longer do that and eating in restaurants ever evening has made me a mess. I found that Statins are safe and effective.
I wish you could see my DH. He's in better shape than any man his age than I know. He lifts about 3 times a week, but it sounds like he needs good old fashioned walking/running/etc. I don't fry anything! We eat a lot of pan seared foods, but with low fat oils like olive or canola. Would appreciate looking at the cookbook Kaci, and thanks for the other suggestions you guys.
My husbands whole family has this problem. He was under 30, had a very active job, ate pretty good and had cholesterol of 250! Not good for a man his age. He was not overweight at all either. He eats fruit everyday for b'fast, salads, wraps, or sandwiches for lunch (every single day, I kid you not!) and a normal dinner of meat, potato, pasta (olive oil or red sauce, no cheese) and tons of veggies, exersices almost every day, and still has to take meds to keep his down. It's just genetic, and it drives him crazy!! Don't fry foods, bake or grill everything, eat as many fruits and veggies as possible, olive oil is good, no butter or other types of oils. Smart balance is good. Red meat, eggs, none of that is good, except in moderation (once a week?) Eat only lean meats, white meat poultry. I buy lean pork only, chicken breasts and fish for my husband. He might eat beef once a month, and hardly ever a hot dog, sausage, anything like that. Saturated fat is your worst enemy. Non saturated is fine, I believe but it gets confusing. I think non- and poly-unsaturated fats is what it's called that are the "good" fats? Red wine is good as well!
There is some evidence that garlic can reduce it was well at oatmeal. DH goes for a check-up next month. I may be on here looking for the same advice.
I suggest taking fish oil supplements. It has really helped me when medicine, byt itself, is not good enough for me. I have to take medicine, exercise, take fish oil and eat a balanced diet just to keep mine under 200. I started at 400 so I guess it could be worse.
Increase dietary fiber because any dietary cholesterol you might eat will bind to it and not be absorbed as much. Exercise dialates blood vessels so that the fats that are lining the vessels don't block them as much...really good for those small heart vessels!
Mine was always high, for over 20 years, then I started taking Lipitor which brought it down to 101. But after reading some things linking some of the statins to possible ALS, I stopped. When mine went back up again, started drinking 2 oz shot of GENTLEMAN JACK every night before bed. Cholesterol went down 30 points in 3 months, and I never have a cough anymore!!
I was on Lipitor and I was getting really bad headaches b/c I was having real bad pains in the back of my neck. So we switched to Crestor. I am having pains again in my back so next visit gonna bring that up to the Dr. I am not liking what I read about statins either.
Neither my husband or his mom can take Lipitor, they both take Zocor. Not sure what the difference is, or why they can't take it. No side effects from the zocor, he's been on that for 2 or 3 years at least.
When you get a chance ask him why he can't take Lipitor. That is what my DH is on and not having any side effects.
The Dr said it's not bad enough to put him on meds, so we're not really having to look at that yet, thank goodness. Kdc, I put garlic in EVERYTHING. I love me some garlic. PRM-If that's what it takes to lower it, he will surely need meds soon.
A real interesting read: 'THE GREAT CHOLESTEROL CON" by Dr. Malcolm Kendrick If you've ever had a side effect from a statin drug,will make your eyes pop out a little bit.
I started on Lipitor and had really bad aches and pains. I am now on Vytorin and I am not having any side effects.
Jen, Here's a good site http://www.all-about-lowering-cholesterol.com/high-cholesterol-foods.html. My cholesterol is high, but not high enough for meds. I can control mine usually with diet/exercise, but it is never normal. It's genetic (hereditary). My Mom's has always been over 300 until she was put on a certain arthritis medicine and now it is normal. My DH is high and he is on meds and my 14 yo's has been high since about age 8. She is not on meds, but we do go to Duke once a year for testing. They do not like children to be on meds if at all possible.
Thanks SB I've been reading up today and I don't think we'll be making huge changes. I already do a lot of what they say to do. Sounds like he needs to take DD#1 and go for a run in the afternoon..... while I sit on the back deck with a glass of wine, lol...
