I'm in the same boat. I think flax seeds are supposed to help. I've been eating cereal or granola every morning that has flax seed, and I've switched to mostly whole grains, including whole wheat and brown rice. I've found some WW pasta that I like as well. When I do use refine flour or grain, I try to mix it half and half with whole grains. When cooking rice, I will start with enough water for the full amount of rice and start simmering brown rice for 20 minutes. Then I add an equal amount of white rice and cook for 25 minutes more.

Fatty fish like salmon and herring are the best. I always keep a few cans of kippers on hand for snacks. For recipes, I recommend the book Cooking With Gourmet Grains.

Lars

Shellfish is high in cholesterol. Adding more fiber to your diet will help the 'good' cholesterol but the best is exercise. Even just going for a brisk walk 5-6 times/week is enough to really help. Oatmeal is touted as being good for lowering cholesterol but not the instant type. Steel cut oats are best (higher fiber, more intact nutrients).

Salmon & snapper are 'good for you' types of fish. Omega 3 Fatty Acids aren't manufactured by our bodies & are good for the heart.

The phrase "high cholesterol foods" doesn't tell the whole story. What you should pay attention to, is foods high in saturated fats or foods high in triglycerides. Our bodies make all the cholesterol we need so all you'll miss by reducing your intake is taste :(.

/tricia

load up on fruit and vegetables - especially apples, citrus (although when you do take meds, you shouldn't eat grapefruit), berries, prunes, sweet potatoes dates, carrots, apricots and cabbage.

lima, kidney, black beans are a great source of soluble fiber

nuts help to lower levels too but then again they are a tad fattening if not eaten in moderation

oatmeal, cheerios, barley, rice bran, tofu and soy

fish, but not shellfish
raw garlic
good luck, linda.
maryanne

Linda, DH did this with a daily serving of oatmeal and an apple, fish oil and a glass of wine (not taken together), walking to work (50-minutes) and now competitive table tennis.

Now, getting the good cholesterol up at the same time is hard - but eggs will do it. I got DH some plant sterol pills, which he takes before an egg or meat meal. Eating eggs like that upped his good cholesterol into normal range. Fools the body into thinking it has all the cholesterol it can ingest right now, thank you.

We generally followed the advice of this book, but didn't do the niacin. I believe the exercise played a big part in the reduction. And I don't think 20-minutes, 3x a week is going to do it. I think it has to be almost daily and at least an hour's worth of medium exertion altogether.

Most of DH's problem is hereditary - he makes more cholesterol. But his folks are both in their healthy 80s, so it's controllable/maintainable.

We also bought a home tester machine and test strips found on Amazon, so that DH could test daily or weekly in the beginning. That helps you see your progress - then you can confirm with a doctor/lab visit.

We've been sticking to mainly whole foods - vegs, fruit, beans (another good soluble fiber), whole grains (he eats little grains), fish, lean meat. We like hummus!

Sigh.............me too.

I am SO in denial. Waaahhhhhhh........
I don't wanna.....

Deanna

Unfortunately, shellfish have a bad rap from old data which have been misproved. Shellfish are actually OK.

Low fat is the key which will cut out your fatty meats and other high cholesterol foods.

I have been trying for years to lower my cholesterol with diet and exercise...I now take Lipitor which is the only thing that has helped me. Genetics play a huge role :-(

Thanks for all the great advice! I wasn't sure where to begin.

I do eat whole grain breads, have been eating whole wheat pastas, eat lots of black beans, take fish oil capsules daily, walk 30 minutes a day 4-5 days a week, avoid many saturated fats and nearly all trans-fats.

So it appears that I am doing a few things right, just have to do a little more. I tried eating bran flakes each morning for breakfast but since my colon surgery, cereal and me don't get along too well.

When I get back from Charleston I am going to work very hard on this, and hopefully drop a few pounds, too!

Anyone wanna go on a "virtual diet" with me? LOL

Linda

My mother has been battling high cholesterol for 20+ years, if not longer.

Cut out chocolate, shrimps, baked goods, limit your eggs, no fried foods, etc.

Because heart disease is hereditary in my mother's family, I recently got checked for my cholesterol. I'm okay so far. My doctor (we have the same doctor) told me that, unfortunately, no foods will get your good cholesterol up, only exercise. In my case with RA, it's difficult to do so.

Oat bran and oatmeal are very good choices to eat. So are carrot and beet juices.

My mother got a reaction when she took Niacin and had to stop. She's tried all the meds available to get fewer side effects but Doc now says he doesn't know what else to try. She's really watching what she eats and is physical every day (she's 77). Her last cholesterol test was very, very good. The best its been in years!

There is good advise above. Try those measures.
Also attempt to reduce stress. Limit caffeine. Drink more water. Exercise.
Take a look at your family; some folks live to be quite old with high cholesterol. BF Jane's mom lived to 98 with numbers in the 220 range.
if all else fails, meds work. DH is on Lipitor. His liver function is monitored quarterly. His cholesterol has been 120 for 2 years now. It's a combo of diet and meds.

Bubbe

Linda, it sounds like you're on the right track. Best thing for raising HDL levels is exercise, at least 30 minutes 5 times per week if possible. Moderate exercise is fine, no need to push yourself to exhaustion. Walking, swimming, doing yoga and/or pilates are all good, low impact choices.

Eating lots of simple carbs (i.e., "white" pasta, bread, cereals) raises triglycerides, so substitute with whole grains whenever possible. Stay away from transfat - it is deadly. Foods with soluble fiber help lower blood cholesterol. Those foods include oats, barley, apples (with peel), beans and most legumes. Lars nailed it - flax seeds are excellent for lowering cholesterol, and they are being put into practically everything these days, for example, I enjoy the South Beach multi grain tortillas, and they have 8 grams of fiber in each one. Fatty fish, like salmon, have high levels of omega 3's, which will lower overall cholesterol too. If you don't eat fish, taking the fish oil supplements is a good idea.

If all else fails, talk to your doctor about some of the new cholesterol lowering meds. They are improving them all the time, and they don't have nearly as many side effects as they used to.

Does anyone know anything about red rice yeast, which is supposed to help lower cholesterol? I am intrigued by it, but haven't done any research. I don't have high cholesterol, but there is high cholesterol in my family, so I'm always trying to be careful. Linda, you are taking a very important step in making your good health even better. I'm cheering you on!! (((Linda)))
DONNA

Funny...I used to eat salmon 3 times a week and rarely ate red meat. Not sure how/when that changed, but I think I have to get back to that pattern!

I could be oe of those that lives to a ripe old age with higher than average cholesterol, who knows. There is no history of heart disease, heart attack, or any of those things on either side of my family. But I don't know that I want to take a chance like that.

Besides, I really do have to lose at least 15-20lb. I know I would feel better if I did.

Linda

Donna,

I've never heard of the South Beach multi-grain tortillas but I'd like to try them. Are they in the refrigerator case, with the diet foods, or on the Mexican isle? The 8 grams of fiber per tortilla is great. I try for 20 grams of fiber/day & it's hard without resorting to the fiber drinks which I positively detest. Since I'll be eating bread products again soon...these tortillas sound like something I should have in the house.

At my last test, last fall, my cholesteral was 147 so I'm not too concerned for that reason; but I need more than an average amount of fiber in my diet to counter the effects of the meds I take.

Linda, my DH has serious heart disease in his family. DH's doctor has told him that consistency with exercise is more important than how strenuously he goes about it. DH tends to do everything with great gusto & can't maintain the level over the long haul. Now, he's exercising 30 minutes 3-4 times/week & his HDL has improved slightly. He still needs to work on diet thing. DH loves almonds, pistachios, cashews, & peanuts...all good in moderation but he has trouble with the 1-2 ounce serving sizes. lol

I'd be willing to share ideas with you for low-fat meals. Our favorite for the past 2-3 years is a huge salad with lots of different greens but mostly baby spinach, cucumbers, thin apple slice (w/peel), red onion, grapes, cherry tomatoes, a few almonds, & topped with a piece of broiled salmon. The fish & fruit provide enough moisture to the salad that we don't even use a dressing other than a spritz of lemon juice over the salmon. We have homemade multi-grain bread with the salad (usually 3/4 whole grain & 1/4 unbleached bread flour). I put flax seeds, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, and/or sesame seeds in the dough. Also, most always use oats in my breads along with wheat bran. It's a good dinner with lots of Omega 3 fatty acids, fiber, & healthy fats.

Tricia

My BIL (will be 46 in May) had a quadruple bypass in November 2006. He was scheduled for a triple bypass but once they opened him up, they did a fourth. His arteries were very blocked, 100%, 95%, 70%, and 80%. Doctors said it was a miracle that he didn't just drop. He had 4-5 heart attacks previously. Two within 2 weeks of his surgery.

He still smokes and doesn't really watch what he eats. He's in denial! He says he can't stop living! He just can't accept that he has to change his lifestyle.

Yes, smoking causes blockage! So quit!! I smoked for 20 years and quit cold turkey... been 11 years. My friend tried the patch... didn't work. She then tried the pills, that didn't work. Then one day, a year later, she made up her mind to quit and it's been almost 5 years now. Patches and pills won't work if you don't really want to quit. You have to WANT to quit. It's the only way!

You've gotten some advice that I got about a month ago, after my husband had a heart attack. We still aren't really sure how his cholesterol count was BEFORE the heart attack - his 2005 count was "average". But his left artery in his heart was quite blocked - an angioplasty opened it up, a stent was put in, and now he's on a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet.

My husband was told by the cardiologist: 3 servings of fish per WEEK, "a pound of vegetables per day". My husband about passed out at THAT thought - until I translated that to "6 servings, or 3 cups, and it includes fruit and fruit juices." (He doesn't like a lot of vegetables, never has!)

Because fiber is supposed to be so good for the cholesterol levels, each of us has taken to a serving of oatmeal or cream of wheat for breakfast every morning. I add Benifiber to mine - not sure if he ever remembers or not.

I've included a link that was especially helpful to me - AHA.

DonnaR/CA

Here is a link that might be useful: American Heart Association

Donna, the red rice yeast extract has a lot of anecdotal support, but it didn't work for me. My cholesterol was down to 260 with Lipitor, my ex and I were running the health food store at that point. I quit the Lipitor and tried the red rice yeast for 3 months. My cholesterol shot up nearly 200 points in those three months, clearly not a success story. The apple pectin didn't work well enough either, and neither did niacin (which should not be taken in mega-doses without a doctor's supervision, it causes hot flashes, heart palpitations, all kinds of things).

My cholesterol was WAY up there, 510 total. I became a vegetarian, I walked every day, I lost a bunch of weight. I quit eggs, whole fat dairy, ate beans, oatmeal, apples. After 6 months my cholesterol was down to 502. Sigh.

Lipitor keeps it at about 260, my doc calls it familiar hyperlipidemia. At least my blood pressure is low!

So now I raise my own grass fed beef, it's as low in fat as venison or buffalo. A burger will stick to the pan, I have to add olive oil to make it stick together. Eggs have also gotten a bad rap, my doc says one a day won't affect my cholesterol at all and it hasn't seemed to. Shellfish have cholesterol, but they don't raise the blood levels, apparently. Shrimp is good, eat it!

Butter is bad, but don't switch to margarine, it's even worse. There are blends out there now that are based with healthy fats. I hate 'em all, and have learned to eat toast with just jam. I'd rather have a tiny bit of butter than a cup full of margarine.

So beef isn't bad, just fat beef. Sirloin is OK, prime rib isn't. Chicken skin is bad (boy am I glad I don't care for chicken wings!), fish and salmon are good, but not deep fried.

Watch for saturated fat. That's in cookies, crackers, salad dressings, they sneak it into all kinds of stuff. Yeah, ice cream, whole milk, cheese, all high in saturated fat.

Truthfully, most of us know exactly what is good for us and what isn't, but I've managed to "low fat" a lot of my favorite recipes and still enjoy them. I no longer put cream in cream soups, they get milk and it's 1/2 percent to boot. Ann T's Scones are still wonderful made with milk instead of cream and I'm working on cutting down the butter too.

Good luck, two of my favorite recipes sites have become cookinglight.com and eatingwell.com.

Annie

Khandi -
Interesting what you said about smoking. DH's number was above 310. He stopped smoking for three years. Yes, there were other changes, most notably he was doing long hours at a very physical job, but his total dropped to 200. He started smoking again (don't ask...I'm still furios about that) and within a year (still doing the physical labor) he was back to 285. I can't explain it any other way but that the smoking has something to do with the numbers.

His MD tried to put him on Lipitor. Didn't do anything for him. And if you read the patient info from Lipitor, they admit that a lot of it is hereditary, that diet is responsibel for only a small amount. Whole grains, lots of veggies, and exercise seem to offer the most hope. (And, I suspect, laying off the smokes.)

It sounds like you are doing a lot of good things already. My BP went up and cholesterol borderline bad when I got close to 50. That was a real wake-up call. The HBP was a bigger problem than cholesterol and I was really more focused on that but knew I had to pay attention to cholesterol too with my family history of heart disease.
I started exercising religiously 4-5x per week - not sure if you'd benefit by doing anything more "rigorous" than walking. I try pretty hard not to consume things that are "bad" for me though I don't completely abstain from chocolate, etc. I do try to avoid refined carbs - eat whole grains only, lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, very little red meat, no eggs (I use eggbeaters in cooking), etc. I try to use healthier oils - no longer use any hydrogentated oils - and use butter sparingly. Never eat anything like bacon, sausage, pepperoni, etc. - though I do eat some cheese but I don't load up on it.

When I started exercising seriously, I lost about 12 lbs. I had improved my eating too but not that much as my eating habits weren't horrible before. With the exercise and weight loss, my cholesterol plummeted - all my numbers, ratios, etc. are good now. I was surprised - didn't realize it would respond so well to lifestyle changes - figured I was destined to take some kind of medication. I do take some fish oil capsules occasionally and have consumed a fair amount of flax meal - though I'm out of it right now.

It would be helpful to know the breakdown of your total cholesterol: LDL, HDL, Triglycerides.

Lots of fiber - apples, oats, bran, beans, veggies, popcorn (!) makes a great snack, adding ground flax seed to cereal or baked goods.

Limit saturated fats, obviously. Increase monounsaturated fats like Olive Oil, avocados.

Things like Red Rice Yeast and Niacin have similar properties to Statin drugs, and can cause similar side effects, especially on the liver.

Supplements like high potency Fish Oil (360/240 DHA/EPA) have been proven to reduce triglycerides (taking 3 to 6 grams a day). Obviously eating lots of fatty fish as well. PhytoSterols (plant sterols) taken before a meal have also shown good results in reducing LDL somewhat. Other supplements have mixed results (policosonal, from sugar cane) but I do take it.

Regular vigorous cardio exercise is the best way to increase HDL.

Bonnie

Linda, definitely go back to eating the salmon as often as you can, if you enjoy it. I think the canned salmon is just as good as fresh, maybe someone can confirm that statement. If you lose 10% of your body weight, you'll see a change in those cholesterol numbers. I agree with what others have said, moderate exercise, 5 times a week is better than running yourself ragged twice a week. Frequency seems to trump intensity, I think.

Tricia, I find the South Beach Tortillas in Publix, on the aisle where they have the tortillas, taco shells, jarred salsas, etc. Let me know if you can't find them, I'd be happy to send you some.

Annie, welcome back!!!! So the red rice yeast not only didn't help, but it made your cholesterol worse? Not good. I've heard about niacin too, but other than fish oil capsules and plant sterols, I wouldn't try those things without running it by the doctor first. I've heard that red rice yeast performs the way statin drugs do, but it obviously isn't for everyone.

Gibby, a LITTLE dark chocolate every day is good for you - it's packed with antioxidants. No need to abstain:-)

My dad's cardiologist told him that olive oil acts like a scouring brush in your arteries. My dad is from Southern Italy, where the Mediterranean diet is still alive and well. I only ever remember olive oil being used in our house growing up, butter was for "restaurants". Dad's cholesterol levels are great, but on my mom's side of the family, they are not. Hence my own vigilance.

DONNA

Like Annie i am one of those people that inherited the bad stuff.I can control my cholesterol level slightly but not enough so I must take Lipitor.

Low fat, high fiber (oatmeal is excellent), lots of Omega 3 fats (salmon, omega 3 eggs, flax, walnuts, halibut, shrimp) no trans fats and regular exercise is the best you can do.

Oh and don't forget the red wine, great at increasing HDL!

Geez, Sharon, I drink enough red wine that my numbers should be single digits! LOL

Cream of whet, huh? I love that stuff, knew it was high in iron, but never thought about it as high fiber. I'll start eating that for breakfast!

Khandi, I am not a smoker so that is in my favor. I wish Tim would quit, but I am not about to start nagging him about it.

I do like to use butter as I can't stand any of the margarines and I know how terrible they are for you. I use olive oil almost exclusively in cooking. A bottle of canola oil lasts a looong time around here.

Don't eat a ton of eggs, but I do like them on occasion. Rarely eat packaged crackers or cookies, but I do use bottled salad dressings. That's about to change. Very little dairy, I hate milk so only use it in cooking, rarely eat ice cream. I do use cream, will have to wean myself off that starting with half-n-half, then maybe milk... I eat cheese, love it, in fact. So that's an area I can cut back.

I think it will help that summer is on it's way and more fresh vegetables will be available soon. Plus I am going to try to find a place for a small vegetable garden this year. I think I can find a patch of sunshine somewhere in the yard!

I don't really know what the numbers are or what they mean, but they were 268 and 167. she said they should be under 200 and 160, respectively. I suppose I should educate myself on that part, huh?

Linda

Linda, ya, that cream is probably not good. I can say nothing but skim milk has passed my lips in years - probably enough to make you gag, huh. I drink coffee black so don't have to deal with it there. As I was reading others' suggestions I was also reminded that I do now snack on unsalted walnuts and almonds - vs. microwave popcorn (seems poisonous to me now) or tortilla chips. Quit all that more because of the salt but there is some unsavory fat in that stuff as well - even the lower fat versions.

I'm probably weird but I've found making this kind of lifestyle change to be kind of an interesting "project". It's been over two years and it's just a way of life now - one that I really like. Here's a link to some info I found to educate myself on cholesterol.

Here is a link that might be useful: cholesterol info

Linda, I'll do it with you. I am reading your posts and nodding my head - we are so similar (except the salmon 3x a week - lol) I got the book Gina recommended out of the library last year - both dh and mine 220 two years ago - I have the breakdown - I have to go look - and he has no fat on him and is very active. I'm going to go buy it now. Haven't had them checked since with pregnancy but you are motivating me and I plan to make an appointment. I have to wait for a Saturday so may take a while to get me in so I can work on the numbers a little...

You know I clip a lot of the recipes you post and they are always what would be considered low-fat or heart healthy! I eat like you do and had the higher number so have to really work at it to make a change. I lost all the weight after the baby and more and now have been putting it on and weigh more now 5 months later! I know it all has to do with activity. So I want to loose 20-25.

Alas, like Annie and others (smooches - miss you!) say sometimes it is just heredity. It is hard for me to accept that we may have to choose medication but have to come to terms with that as well if it comes to that. In my case, we do have heart disease in the family. My son had his cholesterol checked at 3 and it was moderately high and his diet is excellent. I cried! Nutrition is so important to me and I felt like such a failure. Will be getting it checked again at his next annual. I will say that we are not vegetarians - I take the boy to McDonald's on occasion - hey where else can you have a playdate in winter - and I do bake treats (almost always with applesauce in place of fat or egg beaters). The doctor told me not to worry about him - it may be just incidental but with my family history I worry. But sometimes not - sometimes butter and oil. Lots of oatmeal based cookies and bars. Just like you the canola oil last forever here - or not - anytime I do need it for baking it is usually rancid and I am running to the store. Olive oil I go through by the gallons and never goes bad. I already do whole grains, flax seed, oatmeal, etc. Fish is really the biggest challenge for us. I'm down with the wine. It will be a sacrifice.

So, yes I am in! I love to walk and be active but the winter is hard! I do have a treadmill (which I hate - boring) but I will find the time to do 30-60 minutes a day. We just don't care for fatty fish but I do try to get some salmon in - what brand fish supplements to people take? and what plant sterols?

What should we do? I think maybe I will sign up for weight watchers online. We can motivate each other on the exercise.

Who else is in ?

Oh - wanted to add -

Skim Plus is excellent. It actually makes your coffee look creamy and not gray like regular skim and it doesn't have added sugar like fat free half and half does.

We had oysters last night for dinner. Yum.....

My boyfriend brought home a pint of extra-small shucked oysters. They are low in cholesterol, but not the way I cooked them.

Lynn

Here is a link that might be useful: Umpqua Oysters

First off, I don't want to step on any toes but... Although there is some good advice here some of it is only good for some people and some of it may be misconstrued.. ( my box of Cream of Wheat says it only has 1 gm of fiber per serving )

Linda, if the doctor has put you on any meds ask the pharmacist or doctor BEFORE trying any herbs or supplements... Some of them can cause very detrimental side effects when taken with prescribed medicines... There are even some vitamins you shouldn't take with certain drugs.

Everything I've read on high cholesterol says to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, limit saturated & trans fats, exercise and eat a balanced diet... ( Some of it is easier said than done. )

You don't smoke so that's good... You're going to try to lose weight so that will help... If you're married good luck on reducing the stress ( lol )... Limiting bad fats: read the labels, two or three times; for types of fat in the nutrition facts and the ingredients, the amount in each serving and the serving size... ( if a can of cooking spray says fat free and the main ingredient is fat and a serving is a 3 second burst and you count to 9 when you spray you're actually getting 1.5 gm of bad fats. ) Exercise: Any type is good... I've heard that everything from a slow 30 minute walk a day to aerobics three times a week will increase your HDL's..

Bottom line... It all comes down to what works for you and how well you stick to it... Good luck!

Rita

Hey, this is what I do for a living! The above is mostly good advice, but with a few minor misconceptions.

The basic rule of thumb is to cut out saturated fats. Saturated fats are "trans fats" from chemically altered vegetable oils and land animal fats. You can eat the fat from anything that swims in the ocean (including shellfish), but avoid fats from anything that walks around on the ground -- chicken has less fat than beef, but it's still the bad (saturated) kind of fat. The fat from milk and cheese is also bad fat and "whole" milk is only 3.8-4% fat, so 2% isn't much better. Vegetable oils are fine, as are avocados and nuts, but beware of the word "hydrogenated" on packaged food. That process turns neutral fat into bad fat. Inexpensive restaurants and fast food places use a lot of hydrogenated oils.

Hints for reducing LDL -- the bad stuff:
1) Cut way down on saturated, partially-hydrogenated, and hydrogenated fats. Way, way down.
2) Lose weight, even the all-bacon Atkins diet will decrease your LDL, but the healthier South Beach type diet or Weight Watchers, etc. would be a better choice.
3) Include more soluble fibers in your diet. Rich sources are oatmeal, apples, okra (blech), eggplant. Metamucil/Benefiber/Citrucel will also work. In fact a nice T. of Metamucil with three meals a day will drop your LDL about 10%.
4) Eat a few vegan meals -- or ovo-non-fat lacto vegetarian meals per week. You don't need meat in every meal or even any meals to be healthy.
5) Red rice yeast is a source of the drug "Lovastatin". Lovastatin is not dangerous for your liver, but it should be monitored (just once per year after you start, is fine). RRY is more expensive than pharmaceutical grade lova.

Hints for increasing HDL -- good, protective cholesterol
1) Exercise. The American Diabetes Association and American Heart Association say walk briskly at least 2 miles per day, "most days of the week". More won't hurt. Use exercise equipment, mall walk, walk your dog, dance, bicycle, climb stairs at lunch at work, whatever. Just move around and keep it going for 30 minutes or so everyday. If you aim for everyday and miss an occasional session, fine, if you aim for 3 days/week and miss an occasional session, not so good.
2) Increase omega-3 fats in your diet. The best source is fish or fish oil capsules. Other sources include nuts, particularly walnut, almond, and Brazil, flaxseeds, (escargot which are inedible without butter), and eggs from hens fed a high omega-3 diet. The Omega-3 eggs are easy to find in California, but I don't know about the rest of the country. Read the labels.
3) If you smoke, stop. OTOH, small amounts of alcohol, if not a problem for you, will raise your HDL.
4) Niacin is difficult to take, but will raise your HDL. The "no-flush" kind doesn't work. The yucky kind is very effective, but you have to monitor liver toxicity as it is much more toxic than the low-toxicity statins. Pharmaceutical controlled release niacin is supposed to have fewer side effects. My DH's HDL went from 34 to 51 with Niaspan.

Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats (vegetable oils other than palm kernel or coconut) will not effect cholesterol or will slightly lower LDL. Chocolate, olive oil, and other tasty oils are fine. Walnut oil, of course, is a good source of omega-3s. Read the labels of your salad dressing bottles. You can probably keep using them.

My favorite breakfast is a sliced (Pink Lady!) apple smeared with almond butter. That's a nice combo of LDL lowering soluble fiber and HDL raising omega 3 nuts. It's tasty too. Healthy eating doesn't mean sacrificing taste, it just means changing your habits.

Here is a link that might be useful: American Heart Association

Maggie -

I'm the one who wrote earlier about fish oil and other supplements, as well as a high fiber diet.

For some frame of reference, I am a fitness instructor, 110 pounds, and have genetic cholesterol and heart disease in my family. When I was diagnosed with (moderately) high cholesterol, I was hell bent on not doing the drug route.

So on the advice of a retired MD friend of mine, I started a series of supplements (after doing lots of research) that amazingly have enabled me to get my cholesterol to a healthier level.

I take 4-6 grams of high potency fish oil. The thing with fish oil is you want to make sure it's been tested for purity. See the link I've provided for helpful info (fyi - Costco brand is on the list).

I also take 2 grams of Mega Strength Beta Sterol, 40 mg of Policosonal (from sugar cane, not wheat), and 2 grams of Vitamin D, which is believed to help increase HDL, and help with LDL and triglycerides as well.

This has worked for me. YMMV. I also have a tendency for high liver enzymes (for no apparent reason) so I stay away from anything that might increase my liver enzymes.

What Your Dr is Not Telling you about cholesterol: Have you ever wondered why some people with healthy cholesterol have heart attacks, and some with high cholesterol don't. It's because the world of cholesterol is more complex that just adding up your LDL, HDL, and Trigs. It's the breakdown of those components that really help diagnose the risk for heart disease. Small LDL particles vs large LDL particles, Small HDL vs large, Lipoprotein(a) cholesterol (a different kind of genetic cholesterol), etc.... There is still a lot that is not understood about cholesterol.

Next time you go for a cholesterol screening, ask for a VAP blood test. This will give your Dr way more info to help understand your risks. Drs know this. The test is not much more expensive than a regular cholesterol test. I don't know why so many Drs don't routinely use this test. It's easier to give prescriptions?? Even though those drugs may not address the real problems.

Be your own advocate.

OK - I'm off my soapbox now :-)

Bonnie

Here is a link that might be useful: Tested Fish Oils

There is some great info in this thread! Copying and pasting. My cholesterol has been stellar, but DH has a familial issue. He's been on Lipitor for years, now just switched to Vytorin. We'll see with the next blood test if it had any results.
I'm another one who cooks only with EVOO or a bit of canola or grapeseed when absolutely necessary. You know that I don't add butter to any recipe that I'll be eating, nor do we use much butter or margarine here. DH give up eating cheese, but he prefers the harder types such as swiss or manchego as opposed to Brie. He likes it as a lo-carb/hi protein snack. He drinks his coffee black and uses 1% milk with his oatmeal. He primarily eats skinless white meat chicken, lean cuts of beef or salmon most of the time. Apples, he could do w/o but maybe spread with almond butter. One thing that we don't do w/o transfats is peanut butter. We buy the lower fat variety, but it has to be Skippy!
What I haven't seen mentioned here, and Linda, this would be beneficial for you, is that the statin drugs--Lipitor in particular--may have some effect in reducing tumors of the colon. If that's the case, it may not be such a bad drug to take. Sometimes, I think we fight taking a pill, just because we want to do it "naturally" with niacin etc. but it's not the best choice. I definitely believe in diet and exercise, but in many cases like Annie's or DH's or Sharon's, it's genetics, plain and simple. So fight it with the entire arsenal!

Donna, the red rice yeast didn't increase my cholesterol more than it had been originally, but it was brought down by Lipitor and as soon as I quit the Lipitor and tried the RRY, it soared. Quickly it was nearly at the beginning levels.

Truthfully, most of us know what's good for us and what isn't. I read labels and many times will put something back on the shelf. Moderation in all things, Grandma used to tell me. So, I want chocolate, I eat chocolate, but I eat a tiny square, not a whole pound. LOL I was fortunate in that my insurance paid for me to see a nutritionist. Twice. (grin)

And I keep trying to like red wine. I do like beans a lot, so that's a help. They are full of fiber and good antioxidants, low in fat and fill you up. Yummy. Hummus is really good with celery sticks, incidentally, I don't even need crackers!

Annie

Hang in there everybody.... help is on the way to eliminate cholesterol problems for those of us who have it!!

FYI......Scientist are working on a miracle drug called ApoA-I Milano which may be available in the very near future. It has already been demonstrated in a small trial to significantly reduce cholesterol and to actually "unclog" artery plaque. That's right.... this new drug can remove the plaque that is already in your arteries. Accordingly, this drug has the potential to drastically reduce the incident of heart attacks and strokes in humans. These may even become a thing of the past. Are you ready to live into your 100's??

This is very exciting research that you may not have heard about. Last I heard, scientist were supposed to conduct exhaustive clinical trials for this new drug in the latter part of 2007. I haven't heard or read anything about it lately......the press seems to miss these "good news" stories.

I've attached a link below if anyone is interested in reading.

Dan

Here is a link that might be useful: ApoA-I Milano drug research

jxbrown's posting is excellent. One note: transfats do naturally occur in butter, meat, and other foods. What is recommended is that you reduce your intake of ARTIFICIAL transfats as much as possible. Snack foods, cheap bakery foodstuffs, and frozen food often have high amounts of transfats, as does a lot of fast food.

In another posting elsewhere in this forum I added a recipe for Black Bottom Cupcakes which is a pretty luscious dessert that uses no butter or eggs. Use non-fat cream cheese for the filling and it's about as good a dessert as you can get, plus there's portion control in making cupcakes instead of a layer cake!

The recipe I added is near the bottom of the discussion thread.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jean's Black Bottom Cupcakes

bump

Wow! You guys are great! There is so much good info here, I am saving the entire thread!

Maggie, I'd be happy to join forces with you to try to get in shape. I do walk 4 days a week or more, and recently took a Zumba (latin dance) class, but that turned out to be more like the old aerobics classes of the 90's. I think I may just crank up the tunes and dance around the house! LOL

Weight Watchers ahs always seemed the most sensible "diet plan" to me so I may just go back to following that. My sister recently joined and said the now have yet another option. Let's talk after I get back from my vacation. Then I will be ready to tackle this thing head on!

Linda

Linda -

look up Jazzercise in your area and try a class. I've been doing it for 20 years (17 years as an instructor). A long time program that has kept up with the times (current music, current moves) and is a lot of fun (or I wouldn't have been doing it for so long! LOL

Finding something fun definitely helps.

Bonnie

Here is a link that might be useful: Find a Class

Okay, Linda - it's a deal!

Linda, I have had high chlosterol for years. I tried cutting out all the chlosterol laden foods and oils and all to no avail because I have the inherited kind. Finally I gave up, take the meds and eat pretty much what I want. Especially since I had denied myself all of that good food for so long and still had to have two stents. I decided life is short, so just enjoy what time of it I have left.

Good luck with yours!

Beverly

What Beverly said. The drugs are really nothing to fear. I know that the TV ads make them sound as if your liver will turn to pate or something, but the truth of the matter is that they are used widely throughout the world with not even one case of liver failure reported. They are such non-toxic drugs that the UK has even considered making them an over-the-counter product.

OTOH, eating a healthy (and tasty!!) diet, exercising and losing weight are good goals anyway. If eating a healthy diet seems like "sacrifice" to you, you're doing something wrong.

Some of you may want to check out the DASH diet (Dietary Actions to Stop Hypertension) which works as well as medication for controlling BP. It can more or less be summarized as noted up-thread as eating "a pound of vegetables per day".

P.S. I'd also like to respectfully disagree about "natural" trans-fats vs. the man-made kind. Although the natural ones are far ;) tastier, the liver treats them all pretty much equally when it comes to generating cholesterol.