Nice recipes to lower cholesterol

[Uwila]

Anyone have any? I'm on a mission to reduce my cholesterol, which is WAY too high. I now eat porridge every morning, lots of beans, lentils, etc. But, I'm getting tired of the same old recipes. Though someone might have some tasty new ones I could try, especially if I can make them in a slow cooker.

how high is way too high? did they measure your good and bad cholesterol?

my dad has hypercholesterolaemia (prob spelt that wrong - fancy word for v high cholesterol!) so I get mine checked every few years

he had to follow a strict diet based on info from a heart charity - I'll look it up for you but essentially, very few animal fats (like red meat, butter) and lots of lean meats, pulses etc.

Well, I haven't had it checked in a few years now. And only remember that last time I did the total was 9.5.... and can't remember the breakdown but it was basically off the scale. There's a bit more to the story. I get mild but very frequent "migraines" that last for a few days 2-3 times a month. And, it's really really getting to me. No doc can seem to figure them out. They just say, oh you get migraines. But, no one else in my family gets migraines, I can't find anything that triggers them... andyway they don't really fit the migraine pattern and as I do know that I have high cholesterol I just thought maybe I should sort that out and see if it helps the headaches. Fingers crossed!!!

So, just thought someone might have some tasty recipes. I know the general rules. Soluable fibre. Low fats, easpecially saturated, and so on.

Just hoping for recipes I'mnot already bored with.

Do you eat the plant sterol drinks/butter stuff?

Flora do them amongst others

They acutally reduce cholestoral

eg benecol

\link{http://www.bhf.org.uk/questions/index.asp?secondlevel=1164&thirdlevel=1341\here}

\link{ www.annecollins.com/low-cholesterol-diet.htm\some tips here}

bugger
\link{http://www.annecollins.com/low-cholesterol-diet.htm\try again}

Yep, I have benecol yughurt and flora margarine/butter/spread/whatever it is.

And I bought a bag of pearl barley for the first time. So that will probably go into this Sunday's weekly cooking session.

crikey, 9.5 is high - I'm amazed they didn't do further investigations

I have a bean casserole recipe but it's not particularly exciting!

1 can of butter beans
1 can of flageolet beans
1 can of red kidney beans
1 onion chopped
1 clove of garlic chopped
Tin of plum tomatoes or 5 or 6 tomatoes chopped up with all the juice

For interests sake, you can add a chopped up red chilli and then serve with brown rice (it's like a chilli con carne without the meat!). Also, you can get the beans dried or in a can but look for the healthy range ones if you get the canned beans (less salt).

in fact, I'm not one to say 'go to the doctor' lightly but I really would be tempted to go to the doctor again and ask for further investigations just to find out if there are reasons for that high cholesterol and whether the migraines are linked (have you done a migraine diary - tedious I know).

No, I haven't thought of GI diet. I also have a blood sugar problem. So that's probably ideal for me. Can anyone recommend a cook book for GI Diet?

Well, you know the NHS. I'm not a man. I'm not over 55. I don't have diabetes. So, I don't qualify for statin medication on the NHS. It's bloody stupid. You would think that 9.5 would be enough to convince them. But NO! However, I have since moved and have a different GP. So I was going to give diet a try for a couple months, then go ask her for a blood test, then is it's still high I'll ask her for some statins.

Can't you buy it over the counter now? Statin meds that is

\link{http://www.pharmacy2u.co.uk/product.asp?id=ZOCT4&AffiliateID=81866680101062&gcid=S16304x001-spalzocor&KEYWORD=buy%20zocor%20online&MATCHTYPE=search\Here you go 4 months supply for £29 cheaper than script I bet}

\link{http://www.techmedica.com/cholestasys.html\here is a natural verion}

Thanks guys for all the drug info. Will come back to this in a couple of months or so. I want to see if I can get it down with Diet. And, to be fair, that 9.5 ressult was just after my first pregnancy when I ate every sausage roll and pastry in sight! And I don't normally eat like that. So the level probably isn't quite that high.

Also, I'm dirt poor so would deffiniately prefer to get drugs from the NHS than pay for them myself, if possible. My GO currently forks out a lot of triptans (migraine meds) for me and they are similar in price to the triptans. So if I can demonstrate to her that lowering cholestrol helps, then maybe she'll let me have them.

Anyway, some good recipes on the GI thread. I may see if I can find a GI cookbook on Amazon as well.