I am a slim 26 yr old so never thought I had to worry about my cholesterol just yet.
However, I was called in to see my doctor because he was worried about how high my cholesterol was (I can’t remember the exact number). Heart problems run in my family and so I’m quite worried about it. The doctor has said he will check it again in 6 month and of it hasn’t lowered, he wants to put me on medication.
To be fair, I never exercise and eat rubbish.
I have recently started running & I am trying to change my diet but I’m struggling with it.
Any tips on a healthy, interesting diet? Or any tips in general for lowering my cholesterol?
Thanks!
Written by
Laurajane92
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Welcome to the Cholesterol Forum. You don't need to panic, you are young and have time on your side if you make dietary and lifestyle changes now. Statins (cholesterol medication) are a band-aid solution - it treats the symptoms, not the cause. They have terrible side-effects for many people and should be avoided if possible.
Read my Pinned Post to the right of this page titled - "How I conquered heart disease and what I have learned in the process".
Elevated cholesterol is a sign of an inflammatory condition in your body. To reduce inflammation you should adopt the 'Mediterranean Diet', which is a whole-foods (no processed foods), plant-based (you can have moderate amounts of organic, grass-fed or pasture-raised, animal protein) diet.
Dietary fiber is essential to the proper functioning of your digestive tract which will also help to balance your gut microbiome, allow your endocrine system (hormones) to work effectively, AND lower LDL cholesterol.
Generally speaking:
- grilled or baked fish (salmon, trout, or arctic char) 2-3 meals per week;
- lots of greens in your diet which are high in Folic Acid (B6) which reduce risk of blood clots; they are also high in fiber - rapini, arugula, spinach, kale, broccoli, swiss chard, dandelion greens (saute greens in some extra virgin olive oil with garlic, salt and pepper - except for arugula which you should have in a salad);
- eliminate or limit to once per month - sugar, artificial sweeteners, simple carbohydrates (white bread, white rice, white pizza dough, white potatoes);
- fill up with vegetables, fruits (blueberries, blackberries and apples are best), nuts and seeds;
- fill up with legumes - green peas, beans, chick peas, lentils;
- Get a Mediterranean Diet cookbook or Greek cookbook and you will have lots of good recipes;
As far as exercise is concerned, if you enjoy running that's fine, but you don't need to run, you can simply go for brisk walks as long as they are for at least 20 minutes per day and ideally up to 60 minutes per day, even if broken up throughout the day.
Resistance training with either free weights or your own body-weight should be done 3 days per week so you maintain your muscle mass and increase your metabolism to help you burn fat.
Good luck.
P.S. In future post your detailed blood work to get more detailed feedback from forum contributors.
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