So my cholestrol is 4.9 and I'm being sent some diet sheets to help lower it

[Curiousmama]

I've been to the docs about meds and they took some bloods as I'm new to that surgery having moved. My cholestrol is 4.9 and they say they'd like it under 4. Everything else is fine although I'm a bit overweight. My bmi is 26.something?? Not sure how bad that is tbh?

I've started on skimmed milk and am eating more fruit although I do eat a lot of veg anyway. Plus we usually cook from scratch.

Does anyone else have problems with cholestrol and if so what do you do?

I don't have problems but know that saturated fats are bad (you probably know that!). Oats are good. So porridge is very good. Add a oats to muffins etc. Also almonds are supposed to be good.

And those Benecol things are supposed to work.

Cheers BudaisintheZONE I have oats in and love porridge.

The flora drinks worked for me HTH

Thank you, how high was yours if you don't mind me asking?

4.9 is brilliant. but BMI shouldnt go over 24-25

Replace butter by flora and cook with sunflower oil.
cut down on cheeses, creams, pork, no sausages, no deep fry things, no sauces.
Only lean meat and not very often. Chicken without the skin is fine.
eat a lot of fish: salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, tuna are especially good.

thats quite a low BMI. You can work out your BMI from the calculations on this pagewww.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

Mine was 5.1 probably caused by a medication I was on briefly and when i stopped it it stayed up.Now its 4 although I think 4.9 is ok with my docs

Mine was 5.7 when I had it tested last year. My doctor wasn't concerned about it because I have no other risk factors, (I'm still young, low BMI, low BP, don't smoke).

Obviously I would still like to reduce it so the doctor told me to eat porridge every day, have 5-7 portions of fruit or veg each day including pulses like beans or lentils, eat oily fish 3 times a week e.g salmon or mackerel. He told me to avoid red meat as much as possible so I try to only have it twice a week now. Also, he recommended a 30 min brisk walk each day.

Thank everyone, I walk a lot, cook with olive oil, eat low fat spreads but I think I do eat too much red meat. I love fish and chicken so will try to eat more of this and also veggie food. I make a mean veggie cottage pie and love to cook so this has given me a kick up the bum. I think it's the red meat that could be doing it?

I prefer healthier foods to fatty tbh but dp does like his meat and i tend to eat more of it because of this. He also likes fish, veggy etc.. and will support me. He cooks more than me anyway. Dss both love healthy food, they prefer home cooked to mcds so that's good.

If I can lose a stone then my BMI is 24.5 so that's my goal for now.

There's alot to be said for a low Glycemic index diet when keeping cholesterol levels and weight in check. The sugars are released slowly into your blood so that the spikes don't cause a) metabolic changes that lead to increased cholesterol and b) crashes that make you crave sweet food.

Porridge made with milk and topped with nuts is a good breaky
Wholemeal bread with hummus/ham and some raw veggies for lunch, a sugar free yoghurt for dessert
And any meat/veg and wholegrain/unrefined starch combo is good as a dinner option to keep blood sugars steady.
Apples, nuts, milky drinks and veggies are all good snacks.

jajas
breakfast porridge with small orange juice and a hand full of berries (2 portion of fruits)

lunch lean meat/pasta plus green salad, fruit for dessert (2 portions)

Diner: small soup (veg), fish and some veggie/rice , plain yogurt (plus berries)

That already 7 or 8 portions of fruits and veg (and you haven't snacked yet!)

fish is 3 times a week

How old are you, curiousmama? If you're pre-menopausal then your GP is worrying unnecessarily. The arbitrary reduction over the last few years in the "preferred" level of cholesterol is making a bit of a joke of the whole thing - 4.9 should not be a problem at your age.

Even post-menopausally, you still use cholesterol to make the steroid hormones (oestrogen etc.) but in lower quantities.

The best way to reduce your cholesterol is to get moving - do more exercise, even if it's only a brisk 20 minutes walk a day. Increasing fruit and veg, especially from different colour groups, reducing meat and dairy but not to silly levels will all help - but aerobic exercise is going to help a lot more. It will help with your weight/BMI too.

Thanks all. thumbwitch I'm pre-menopausal.

I walk a lot sometimes up and down cliffs too.

I've had oats with skimmed milk and an apple for breakfast

How much red meat do you both eat at mealtimes? It should be no bigger than a cigarette packet- not a good comparison, I know, but you get my drift.
Often, it is portion size that people forget.

There are some good images online which show you that carbs should be the size of a closed fist, hard cheese the size of a matchbox etc etc.

Yes purplepeony we eat the wrong size portions. I do have a very good appetite...really I should be a lot bigger than I am but I am active.

Jajas do you have a lot of energy? I'd be shattered with only those amounts. My 'ickle mate hardly eats but she does get very tired at times. She's only 4ft 11" though but weighs more than you?

I've had rye bread today with cottage cheese. I love rye bread although I know it's not to everyone's taste

gawd 4.9 sounds really low

mine is normally around 6ish and no-one seems that bothered about it lol

Blimey. Mine was 5.1 last time I checked, and they were totally fine with it at GP surgery. I'm not overweight, don't smoke or drink, etc, and BMI is 19. I'm probably older than you though, and I think they allow for more as you get older?

Good luck reducing it!

It is also about the ratio of good to bad cholesterol too as there are 2 types that make up the figures and if the good one is higher then |I don't think they treat it

This does seem excessive - isn't the level for women 5. something.....
Also it can be genetic (mine is over 5 as are both my brothers, despite the fact the oldest one has the healthest diet ever - me and my middle brother dispair at ever getting ours down if he can't). Some doctors are too quick (like mine) to prescribe satins, really should be related to your risk level...