low carb and low cholesterol breakfats

[UsedToBeAPaxmanFan]

I'm aiming to do a low carb diet to try to shift 2 stone. I've seen some good ideas on here as to meals I can eat, but am struggling regarding breakfast.

I've got high cholesterol which I'm trying to get under control, so want to avoid red meat, butter, cream etc. However a lot of breakfast recipes include those items. I also don't want to have eggs every day. Normally when trying to lose weight I eat porridge for breakfast, but obviously that's out if I'm low carbing.

I don't have a huge amount of time in the morning to prepare breakfast, so it's got to be something relatively easy or prepared the night before. And I can't stand avocado, so that's out.

Any ideas?

[Artandco]

Hmm it's will be harder if avoiding eggs and avocado and butter/ cream/ cheese..

How about:

• Greek yogurt and berries and nuts ( is yogurt allowed on your cholesterol thing?)
  

• banana and nuts ( fast food on the go)
  

• salmon and spinach

[FavadiCacao]

I often enjoy a salad or leftover veg with plently of olive oil and/or whatever leftovers from dinner!

I'm not sure why you are trying to avoid cholesterol or saturated fat: the dietdoctor has some very interesting articles about cholesterol, some explain how a low carb/high fat diet works on cholesterol levels and types.
A few years back my husband was told he needed statins for high cholesterol but the side effects were horrible. He changed his diet to low fat and white meat but the numbers didn't change. Since he changed to High fat (including cheese and red meat) his cholesterol went back to normal and he hasn't seen a doctor in 3yrs. :)

This story is one of many inspirational recounts from marksdailyapple.

[Wombatinabathhat]

There is a low carb recipe thread which has some fab stuff. Breakfast doesn't have to be what we are conditioned to think of such as cereal etc.
I take slices of a ham joint with home made mayo. Lovely and filling, or left overs from a meal the night before.
You don't need to avoid butter or cream imo.
There will be a new boot camp starting mid January. Come over and join us
Good luck

[UsedToBeAPaxmanFan]

Thats interesting, Favadi. My GP is holding off from prescribing statins at the moment, but has said I should try to avoid animal fats as much as possible. So I've ruled out bacon, cream etc. I'll have a look at those links.

I'm happy to eat non-traditional breakfast items but am a bit stuck for inspiration, so thanks for the ideas. I'll definitely think about salad for breakfast. And yes, I might well join in the next bootcamp, although don't know if I can completely cut out carbs. .....

[guineapig1]

Not sure if it would work for you but this morning I had a couple of handfuls of roasted vine tomatoes on a slice of rye toast with Philadelphia light and a splash of balsamic vinegar. It was delicious and surprisingly filling!

[dementedma]

When low carbing I go with a hard boiled egg for breakfast, but see you want to cut down on these. My other options are Greek yoghurt and berries, smoothie, fruit or cold meat. Note low carb, not no carb. Some of these would be out if doing Bootcamp, but it works for me.

[BIWI]

Bootcamp isn't about cutting out carbs!

iTs a low carb diet and you should be looking to get the majority of your carbs from vegetables and salad.

You should find, OP, that after you've been doing LCHF (low carb high fat) for a few weeks, that your cholesterol levels improve. But also, make sure you have a proper breakdown of your cholesterol - LDL and HDL levels, not just one number.

Avoid statins if you possibly can - or at the very least read up on their side effects, and ponder that they're the most profitable drug on the planet and wonder why they're recommended so routinely ...

[BIWI]

Guineapig - that does sound lovely, but it won't have been low carb! All those ingredients - especially the bread and vinegar - are very carby.

[FavadiCacao]

Good to hear your GP's approach to life style change before prescribing. :)
The low fat approach is, sadly, still the default advice; however more and more doctors are realising that it's wrong. Dr Malcolm Kendrick explains what happens to the carbs and how cholesterol is made in the body.
There are also many articles written by dr Aseem Malhorta, a leading British cardiologist.

I understand it seems a bit daunting but as Biwi says, you'll will not be completely cutting out carbs. Here are some good lists to use as a guide. You can eat as much as you want from the green list without worrying about ''the carb'' but it pays to be mindful about foods on the orange list.
Getting your head round eating fat, can feel counterintuitive but it works and the food is so delicious that you will not feel deprived or hungry. :)

[trinity0097]

My cholesterol has improved since eating proper fats, e.g. Butter, double cream etc, whilst also following a low carb diet. Try it and I bet you don't need to cut the fat!

[UsedToBeAPaxmanFan]

I'm liking the sound of eating butter and cream, but am worried that my cholesterol won't go down. I have an ok amount of "good" cholesterol but far too much "bad". I'm really trying to avoid having to take statins so am very nervous about animal fats. Not sure I want to take the risk, as all the advice from the GP and NHS is to cut them out as much as possible.

[BIWI]

Do you have a genetic condition or are you just worried about your cholesterol levels? If the latter then I really recommend that you give low carb/high fat a chance and see what happens. Also it's worth reading Dr Malcolm Kendrick and Zoe Harcombe on cholesterol. Low cholesterol levels are actually bad for women especially as we get older.

[UsedToBeAPaxmanFan]

No genetic condition as far as I know, but both my parents have serious heart conditions. My mum is petite, never been over weight, eats fairly healthily but has high cholesterol (now on statins).

My "bad" cholesterol is high, hence needing to avoid animal fats. And I'm 2 stone overweight which is why I want to do the low car diet as I think it could work. I'm just struggling to combine the two.

[FavadiCacao]

I'm sorry to hear about your parents. I appreciate the worry as my dh's lost two members of his family (plus two survivors) to heart conditions.


I'm just struggling to combine the two
Are you trying to combine low carb/low fat (1), or low carb/high fat where animal fat is low (2)?
Is it any animal fat that is acceptable to you (eg. fish oil)?

(1) This combination is difficult to attain without falling into a calorie and nutrient deficient diet, which would put strain on the heart.

(2) This is achievable (ideally avoiding the highly processed fats such as margarine, spreads, chemically extracted oils...).

[UsedToBeAPaxmanFan]

Hi
Thanks for replying. I guess I'm trying to do low carb combined wirh low animal fat. I'm planning to eat oily fish such as salmon and mackerel, and some nuts occasionally, plus chicken. Eggs in moderation. My worry about the cream, butter, mayo etc route is that (a) I won't lose weight and (b) my cholesterol will remain high. Maybe I need to do some reading up on the subject?

My big fear is that if I do eat red meat, cream etc, I'll go back to the GP for my nexr lot of tests, my cholesterol will still be high, and he'll start me on statins. I really dont want that.

[BIWI]

No need to moderate egg consumption either. Linking eggs with high cholesterol is outdated thinking.

Definitely read up on low carb and cholesterol. I'll see if I can find you some links to get you started.

[BIWI]

Here's a really good interview with an American writer called Gary Taubes.

He wrote a brilliant book called The Diet Delusion, in which he talks a lot about cholesterol - it's a weighty tome though!

This interview talks about some of the bad science (and politics) behind measuring cholesterol. It's just shy of 8 minutes but is worth a watch.

[BIWI]

And a really good arrives of blog articles on cholesterol.

[BIWI]

Arrives?! Series, obviously!

[FavadiCacao]

Maybe I need to do some reading up on the subject?
It's a fascinating subject. There is soooo much to read: the links Biwi and I have posted are just the beggining. :)

fish such as salmon and mackerel, and some nuts occasionally, plus chicken. Eggs in moderation.
Eggs are one of the most complete food: it contains pretty much all the vitamins, minerals and co-factors we require. The rest sounds a good start but you will need to supplement with extra fat such as olive oil, olives, coconut oil, coconut milk... Homemade pesto is super easy to make, keeps well in the fridge and is delicious on salmon. I know you mentioned no mayo but you could make it at home with light olive oil (I like it with extra virgin but might be a bit strong), so it'll be rich in monounsaturated fat and virtually carb free.

[JollyXmasJumper]

When low carbing my breakfast consists of a mashed banana with some lemon juice, sometimes add chia seeds, leave in the fridge overnight. In the morning I add fresh berries, and half an apple diced up if I am really hungry. You can also mix in soy milk yogurt. It is as filling as porridge for roughly the same amount of calories.

[BIWI]

How on earth is that low carbing?! Banana, berries and apple will add up to a lot of carbs!

[JollyXmasJumper]

Yeah not exactly low carbing in the classic ham/egg/cheese sense but it manages to dodge the cereals (toast/porridge) and be low fat so.. I find it a good compromise

[BIWI]

No need to do low fat either.

[UsedToBeAPaxmanFan]

That's what is confusing about the low carbing - there's so much conflicting advice on what you can eat. I thought bananas weren't allowed, but if i can have a banana for breakfast that would help a lot.