High cholesterol

I just got back from the doctor and found out that my cholesterol is too high. The doc wants to try and control it by diet. He just said not to eat red meat , butter and fats. And basically any food that I love. Do any of you have any tasty recipes that help lower cholesterol? If I am not able to lower it when my next blood test is taken in 2 months, I will have to go on medication. I take enough meds for my high BP and do not want to take any more meds.

Any help would be appreciated.

Oatmeal has been proven to lower cholesterol as part of a healthy diet. I applaud you for being so enthusiastic about making dietary changes, as this will surely be effective in getting your cholesterol down! I have a genetic predisposition for high cholesterol and am vegan, yet mine is well above 200.

My hubby had that prolem and he was told to control it with 6 almonds and 2 castrol oil pills a day. - it worked

I have to second the oatmeal suggestion. This really works! How is your "good cholesterol" Hummus is a good snack to benefit your good cholesterol.

Oatmeal and HoneyNut Cheerios!! As for real recipies.. I have no idea.

Higher cholesterol reading runs in DH family so he has been on Lipitor for a few years now. If its genetic its harder to control by diet alone. In fact we have a male friend who is very physically active and eats well and he had to go on Lipitor also.
To reduce fat in your diet(the saturated kind) switch to a lower fat milk-you may have to step it down to get used to the taste. Use olive oil/canola oil instead of butter when cooking (not baking)Grill/broil rather than fry. Use seasonings more to add flavor rather than fat. Remove skin from poultry, cut excess fat off of say pork chops. Switch to ground chuck/ground round instead of regular ground beef. These however will dry out faster due to less fat so watch when cooking.
If you can-make an appointment with a dietician that could recommend some cookbooks and reading for you. Perhaps you could check out the American Heart Association website for advice too.

Gail has given some excellent advice here. That's basically what we do now for my husband's high cholesterol. I tried introducing tofu as an alternative to animal protein, that was met with much resistence however. He does like fried marinated tofu strips though!
Basically, cut out animal fats as much as possible and use the healthy oils like olive and sunflower and grapeseed. I do thing like make my own salad dressing instead of using store bought ones. Little things can add up quickly when you're battling cholesterol.

I'm in love with dairy products - at least a 1/4 inch of butter on a slice of bread, lots of cream in coffee, etc.

One of the best things you can have to help keep cholesterol low is vinegar. I love pickles and used to have them at every meal (not so much anymore). My cholesterol has been good. My friend was advised by her doctor to have a tablespoon of vinegar a day. It's certainly not something that could do you any harm and may do a lot of good.

If you do end up getting the pills, make sure you take all the blood tests after. My hubby can't take the pills as they damage his liver for some reason. Make sure you keep an eye on that.

Ugh! I sympathize with you. I found out that I have high cholesterol last fall. I changed my diet, started eating low-cholesterol and low-fat (and oatmeal every day), lost 60 lbs, and my cholesterol actually went UP! I guess my rampant family history of high cholesterol was just too much to battle with diet alone. I started taking Vytorin last week. (And have my first liver test in a few months.)

When I started with the diet changes, I was able to pick up some good low-fat cookbooks to get me started. I was able to adapt a lot of my favorite recipes by using a healthy oil like olive or canola instead of shortening or butter and using a lot less of it. You'd be surprised what you can cook in just a few teaspoons of oil in a nonstick pan. I also pretty much stopped eating butter completely. I use the "buttery spray" stuff now. (I CAN believe it's not butter...but you get used to it.)

They tried to have me change my diet as well to lower my cholesterol. It didn't work very well. High cholesterol runs in my family. I take lipitor now. So far it's not giving my liver any problems. I wish you the best of luck!!!!

Shredded wheat is good for it too!

Originally Posted by AbbysMom

I have to second the oatmeal suggestion. This really works! How is your "good cholesterol" Hummus is a good snack to benefit your good cholesterol.

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My good cholesterol was ok. My overall cholesterol lever was 202, which is just above the cut off. He didn't say what my bad cholesterol was, just that it is not good and I have to lose the weight and lower it. I do like oatmeal an I love boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Thanks for all the ideas.

Does it matter if you put 1 cup of cream and 6 tbsp. of brown sugar on the oatmeal porridge? That's how I like mine. Oh, plus I like a bit of butter in it too.

Or oatmeal chocolate chip cookies?