how do I lower my bad cholestrol and keep my good chol. up where it is? Any diet suggestions?

Question

41 year old female.....good cholestrol is what is making my overall count high. I eat mostly moose meat which has no fat. I eat egg beaters when I have them. Live 130 miles from nearest supermarket! I do have access to limited fresh veggies when I run out from the supermarket supply!

Answer 1

Oatmeal, oatmeal, oatmeal. Ongoing research makes a pretty strong case that regular oatmeal consumption helps lower bad cholesterol (LDL), without decreasing the "good" HDL cholesterol from the blood. This is also the case for oat bran.

Researchers believe the soluable fiber in oatmeal "binds" with the fats/cholesterol in your food during digestion (probably in the lower intestine), prevents it from being absorbed and carries the bad stuff out as body waste.

In a 2005 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, cholesterol-lowering drugs were tested against cholesterol lowering foods (including oatmeal) with a group of thirty four adults with high blood cholesterol levels. The diet actually reduced the cholesterol equally as well as the drugs.

There are other benefits to oats, especially for someone who doesn't always have easy access to the supermarket. For one, oats are exteremely inexpensive. You can get a large two pound container for around $3. They store well and they are easy to prepare -- especially the Quick version. Dress them up with dried fruit, cinnamon, healthy nuts like almonds, walnuts or pecans. If you need a little sweetener, add a tablespoon of maple syrup (the real stuff) or some honey (also easy to store -- it's the only food that never spoils).

By adding the nuts, you also boost the cholesterol fighting properties of the oatmeal, since additional research shows that a cholesterol lowering diet that includes 20% of the diet from walnuts, may reduce LDL levels by 12%.

If you don't care for the texture of traditional oatmeal, try some of the other versions, such as Scottish oats (groats) or even the thick rolled oats. The nutritional benefits are the same.

To get the 3 grams recommended to lower cholesterol, you basically need to eat 1.5 cups of cooked oats a day.

Because the soluble fiber appears to be one of the main mechanisms for lower cholesterol, adding additional soluble fiber to your diet in other forms can be beneficial as well. Some other high soluble fiber sources include:

- Kidney Beans
- Pinto Beans
- Brussle Sprouts
- Oranges
- Apples
- Broccoli
- Grapefruit

There are a couple other foods that you'll want to include in your diet. And luckily they both "travel" well and are fairly inexpensive and easy to find (once you get to the supermarket): extra virgin olive oil and fish or flaxseed oil capsules. These foods have been shown to either lower triglycerides and bad cholesterol or raise LDL levels or both.

Best of luck and I wish I had access to all that moose!

Answer 2

Cannibalistic??? I am totally against the practice of cannibalism which I agree is filthy as humans are so prone to so many social diseases! That Asian girls are beautiful I have to wholeheartedly agree; but then so are Mexican, Native American, Indian, White and Black women. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and generally speaking women simply are... Beautiful! As far as meat-eating I must confess that I am a Total Vegetarian! However I have a system: I get my greens vicariously. I let the cow process the veggies for me and then I eat the cow! Works very well! Cholesterol? What do you think the human brain is made of? It is almost totally cholesterol as are all major body organs! Seriously, there is nothing wrong with eating meat. Some meats are healthier than others but all are good to eat. I met a gorgeous lady about to retire as an airline stewardess. She asked me to guess her age. I said not older than 26; she was 41. Then she asked me if I wanted to know why she was so youthful looking. She proceeded to tell me that the only kind of meat she ate was buffalo (American Bison). You mentioned Asians who eat a lot of seafood. Fish is also meat as is poultry and venison and all these are healthy. Most fat men I know are fat because we ingest grain: Beer is made from hops and barley: Grain! The real culprit in obesity is bread and other starchy food, not meat. A man I knew broke his arm and it would not mend. After a year his doctor finally learned that the man was a vegetarian and therefore lacked the necessary nutrients in his diet to allow his broken arm to mend and heal. True story. So what is your beef? H