hubby told to reduce cholesterol - what diet changes required?

[div22c]

I have done some internet research, but wanted some more advice.
His normal routine is:
Breakfast - glass of whole milk with sugar (will change to semi skim) and a banana
Lunch - salad sandwiches (4 slices of wholegrain bread with olive spread and cucumber/ tomatoes)
Dinner - Vegetarian, lots of wholemeal, veg and lentils
Not sure what else I can change, we dont use alot of fat in our food. Could the banana or olive spread be culprits? He has recently taken up playing badminton as well to incorporate some exercise into his diet.

Wow, doesn't sound like much that would raise cholesterol there. Was going to list cheese, sausages/chorizo/salami, bacon, that type of thing
The British Heart Foundaton have a lot of info here

HTH

Cocoa and red wine. Could you introduce these into his diet?

thanks ImeldaM that link really seems useful. chrchrch - really? i thought they were both bad for health (alcohol and chocolate). shows how much I need to learn!

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/10/011024073452.htm
and
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/09/030909070840.htm

Being scared of the side effects of statins and inclined to a sedentary lifestyle often helps in the search for more palatable aids.

Just been reading an interesting article that says that sugar and fructose/glucose sweeteners contribute more to high cholesterol that fats, in fact fats in moderation are good for you as they provide important fat soluble vits. WOuldn't change milk, but would cut down on sugar.

Carb overload (esp wheat) prob not as healthy as it seems if you are vegeterian, esp if he is overweight(?), carbs convert to fat faster than diet fat and that fat is then harder to shift.

If he has any sugary/soft drinks/snacks then make sure you cut down on anything containing sugar/fructose/glucose (commercially produced from corn).

nightcat - he is actually underweight, but quite sedentary in his habits, and has a bit of a paunch. shitmagnet - that's food for thought - I never thought of increasing good fat
yes he is indeed vegetarian, so wheat and rice is the base for many a meal. maybe i need to rethink the meals then!

It's not just about diet- he needs to exercise too- 5 times a week for at least 30 minutes.

On the diet front, he should have olive oil, and omega 3 oils- not omega 6s.

His diet seems very limited and not especially healthy.

Ditch the semi skimmed milk for skimmed, and cut out the sugar- why does he need sugar? and cut out the marg in sarnies- no need- use a scraping of humous or mashed avocado.

he's also not eating very many fruit and veg- for anyone, let alone a vegetarian!

Is he a vegan - presumably not- so start the day with a bigger breakfast- milk and a banana is not enough. What about scrambled eggs and wholemeal toast? Or a mushroom omlette? Or porridge with beries and plain 0% fat yoghurt?

He should also be eating green veg daily- such as broccoli- and more fruit like berries, apples, citrus fruits etc.

Also, and his GP will probably have explained this, some people have a genetic tendency to higher cholesterol & sometimes diet changes can make little difference.

Flora make a marg that reduces cholesterol, v expensive though.

Thanks Ladies, lots of great suggestions there! Sugar - I agree not a must, and maybe I am wrong but I feel it is an excusable indulgence as he has exactly 3 spoonfulls a day - one each in morning/ evening tea, and one in his glass of milk. Good idea about the marg - will def try the avocado/ hummus suggested, and also try greek yoghurt (had been racking my brains to think of a substitute!). Will start putting in a small tub of fruit/ veg alongwith the sarnies. Omelette in the morning - guess it will have to be an egg white omelette, as presumably the yolk will only make the cholesterol worse?
Yes genetic tendency is there - heart related niggles common in his family, so yes more exercise definitely needed. Flora marg hmmm may be worth a shot.

is that really all he is eating? It does not seem enough for an adult male. Is he perhaps making up the calories by snacking or in wine and beer. If so it is probably best for him to drop these by eating a larger breakfast - porridge and a more filling lunch

The Mediterranean diet works for me - lots of tomatoes (tinned tomatoes are really good) and add olives, peppers, fresh basil and garlic, all sorts of fruit, herbs and veg can be chucked in, all served on a bowl of rice or pasta. You can add chicken or lentils.

No sugar, except that found in wine!

That sounds really good Linerunner, would make a great family meal. WWATT - no wine or beer (doesn't drink), but he has a muller yoghurt and piece of fruit in the afternoon.
Think from everything on here, the consensus is - no need to remove anything from current diet, better breakfast, more fruits and veg to be incorporated, move to skim milk. Try alternatives to marg on sandwiches. More exercise.
Thanks ladies!

Egg is fine, just don't make the scrambled eggs with lots of marg/butter.

How about oats to help increase the good cholesterol? Has the doc talked about statins or does he want to start diet first.

I had mine tested at 5.7 seven months ago. was told to 'tweak' diet and come back for another test, just had done and it's now 4.9 (govt guideline highest level is 5)

I cut out full fat milk, changed butter to benecol spread (it tastes fine) cut out excess salt, eat porridge with oat bran sprinkled in, and grated apple in, eat more pulses, less cheese.

Excercise is next on the list! I defn think it can be done without statins, or it is certainly worth a shot. Good luck

My DH has high cholesterol, despite being very active, not at all overweight, and eating pretty healthily. However, his good cholesterol is high aswell as his bad cholesterol - the GP told him this is probably down to the fact that he does a lot of exercise (mostly cycling).

Dietary changes can only do so much.