Cooking to bring cholesterol down

chaliepud

butterfly72 wrote: »

Chameleon, I'd be interested to know what you think about the differences in using olive oil v rapeseed oil in cooking, considering they are both monosaturates. Which is the better for cooking. Thanks.

Olive Oil is anti-infammatory and Rapeseed Oil is inflammatory.. Olive Oil has a relatively low smoke point compared to rapeseed to best not used at extremely high temps as that will make it less good for you.. Coconut Oil is fab and almost certainly very very good for you!

chaliepud

sjbm45 wrote: »

You should really cut out the coconut milk as this is full of saturated fat. It is advisable to cut out red meat altogether for the same reason. There are good second hand books available on amazon to give you a food list to work to. Good luck.

Good quality saturated fats such as coconut oil (the pure virgin variety) are very good for you, it's the processed rubbish that is bad. Grass fed organic meats are good for you and contain things we need (if you're not veggie obviously). If you can, buy as good a quality ingredients as you can afford, cook natural products from scratch, read up on what is actually good for you, don't rely on adverts to tell you what is good for you, that is how they make their money.

I never buy diet or low fat products (unless you count skimmed milk which i don't), I don't eat huge meals but I eat well and often and rarely feel hungry.. I avoid wheat preferring more natural carbs, I eat fruit but not large amounts as there is sugar in there too. I was 8.5 stone before having 3 children and a few pounds heavier now.. I walk quite a bit with school runs and dogs walks, run around at dog agility but I don't go to the gym or do any other sports - I don't have the time sadly..

Just remember 80% food, 20% exercise is the proportions that affect your weight..

Read Read Read!!

Good luck!

~Chameleon~

butterfly72 wrote: »

Chameleon, I'd be interested to know what you think about the differences in using olive oil v rapeseed oil in cooking, considering they are both monosaturates. Which is the better for cooking. Thanks.

I rarely use olive oil in cooking, but have no problem using it for salad dressings, especially EV olive oil. Most other oils produce trans fats when heated which can be extremely harmful, especially to those already indicated to have cholesterol problems.

Tiglath

maman wrote: »

Absolutely right. My DH tried various ones and all had side effects mainly extreme fatigue or huge muscle aches especially in his legs. In the end the GP told him not to bother.

I still have concerns that the goalposts seem to keep moving. Is there a cholesterol level that's considered generally OK or does it vary from person to person or is it area to area or GP to GP?

My cholesterol was 5.9 at the last test (getting new results on Tuesday) and the GP's pushing me to take statins, but I absolutely refuse because of the potential side-effects. Every single person I know who's taken them has had horrendous experiences, so it's got to be a personal decision. My elderly Mum has had readings of 14 in the past (currently 8) and no doctors have ever mentioned statins to her, so maybe it does vary by area.

Where do you buy coconut oil?

chaliepud

I got mine from Costco, but have seen it in Holland & Barratt. Big supermarkets may sell it, just make sure it is the pure, virgin variety..

Tiglath

Ooh ta - Costco it is then

dandy-candy

Please don't let people discourage you from the statins route. My DH has the inherited for of high cholesterol, and for people like him it is the only option. Yes for the first few months he had tiredness and terrible aching in his body, but they don't have that effect on him anymore.

He inherited this condition from his mother. When he was 25 he went to visit her at the family home and didn't get a reply from the bell, so he walked a few streets away to his sisters for the spare key. When he got back and went in he found his mother lying dead but still warm on the lounge floor. The autopsy said a bit of the fatty build up in an artery had broken away and blocked her heart. She was 51 years old.

My DH doesn't want me or any of the kids to come home and find him the way he found his mum. He's happy to take the statins.

Cottage_Economy

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

I'd be very wary of taking statins as they have some very unpleasant side effects and new studies reveal they're not very effective at reducing LDL cholesterol in most people.

One of the most unpleasant side effects I have seen with my 70 year old father, who has been taking statins for a year, is he now thinks he is invincible and stuffs his face with even more fattening foods than he did before and claims he isn't. 16 stone on a 5ft 10 frame and a huge gut gives it away though.

Contrast that with my MIL, who has an inherited disease and is on drugs to lower her cholesterol and blood pressure, not to mention warfarin for another condition. At 80 she is stick thin (a size 8/10) and eats so healthy she is like a walking growbag.

peachyprice

maman wrote: »

I still have concerns that the goalposts seem to keep moving. Is there a cholesterol level that's considered generally OK or does it vary from person to person or is it area to area or GP to GP?

dandy-candy wrote: »

Please don't let people discourage you from the statins route. My DH has the inherited for of high cholesterol, and for people like him it is the only option. Yes for the first few months he had tiredness and terrible aching in his body, but they don't have that effect on him anymore.

He inherited this condition from his mother. When he was 25 he went to visit her at the family home and didn't get a reply from the bell, so he walked a few streets away to his sisters for the spare key. When he got back and went in he found his mother lying dead but still warm on the lounge floor. The autopsy said a bit of the fatty build up in an artery had broken away and blocked her heart. She was 51 years old.

My DH doesn't want me or any of the kids to come home and find him the way he found his mum. He's happy to take the statins.

The problem is that too many GP's don't look at the whole picture before prescribing statins.

In dandy candy's OH instance it's absolutely the right choice, but GP's are too ready to prescribe them for people who have zero other indications of heart disease other than raised cholesterol.

A person with a result of say 7 that does not smoke or drink, is within their weight range and and has no family history of heart disease will be prescribed just the same as a person with a result of 7 who is a smoker, drinker, overweight and a family history of heart disease.

Statins aren't necessary for everyone.

THIRZAH

An underactive thyroid can cause raised cholesterol and make you feel tired all the time-has your DH had his thyroid function tested ?