High cholesterol

[SummersBreeze]

My mom had a blood test at the doctors and it identified high cholesterol. The doctor would like to put her on medicine but she is refusing the medicine and saying she will adopt lifestyle changes to lower it. Her diet is usually very simple - cereal and tea for breakfast, more tea mid morning, lunch is different but it's usually tuna or a boiled egg sandwich. Dinner is usually very small and simple for her too. She doesn't make big meals for herself. Dinner might be some mashed potatoes with some fish fingers and beans. It's all very simple.

I think the high cholesterol was identified before the pandemic for her too and I tied to get her to change the butter to the spreads that is marketed towards lowering cholesterol but she doesn't like them. She's very fussy about her food stuffs.

Any ideas to help her reduce cholesterol?

If she doesn't like the spreads she can take plant sterols in capsules. I think you need 2-3g a day (box will show it in thousands 2000 -3000). Not cheap though.

The British Heart Foundation is a good resource for changing diet but that doesn't sound likely for her.

Exercise is important too, movement helps a lot even just walking everyday.

How high is high OP?

@PragmaticWench

If she doesn't like the spreads she can take plant sterols in capsules. I think you need 2-3g a day (box will show it in thousands 2000 -3000). Not cheap though.

The British Heart Foundation is a good resource for changing diet but that doesn't sound likely for her.

Exercise is important too, movement helps a lot even just walking everyday.

She doesn't like the spreads because they are usually expensive. She usually buys whatever spread she's most familiar with that's also on offer. It's hard to get her to change her ways. I did a search on mumsnet and oats and oat milk was recommended. It will be impossible to get her to adopt these. I have alternative milks now and I love oat milk but she refuses to try it.

She likes exercising and she walks every day. She doesn't drive either so she has to walk to get to places too.

@Birdfooddirect

How high is high OP?

I don't know how high. My mom doesn't have an email so the GP couldn't send on the blood report but it must be high for the doctor to ring with the results and highlight the high cholesterol.

What is her cholesterol?

Sorry cross posted

Switching from cereal in the morning to porridge (oats lower cholesterol) would be a start.

@milkyaqua

Switching from cereal in the morning to porridge (oats lower cholesterol) would be a start.

I will mention oats to her.

Its possible her cholesterol is genetic and wont respond to diet. Exercise and stress reduction are two big things to focus on also.

She mentioned the cholesterol to me before. I think before the pandemic or during the pandemic. It was identified before from the doctors. She was adamant then not to take medicines from the GP then too. She wanted to reduce it through lifestyle changes.

She could have a secret chocolate addiction! Seriously, it's easy to say you rat healthily and munch in unhealthy foods in the evenings or when no-one is around.

As someone has said, it is also possible it is genetic, and in that case that would be useful for the OP to know if this tendency runs in the family.

Honestly, I think some people just produce higher cholesterol than others. I don't know if that's ever been proven but I do believe it. I know a couple of people who eat really healthy diets and their cholesterol has been rising gradually. And others, like me, have an awful diet but reasonable cholesterol levels. I think for the former group, statins are the only answer.

High cholesterol was identified from a blood test last year or the year before. My mom got me to check online for ways rlto reduce cholesterol. I mentioned some things like spreads and oils. Mentioned oats as a good food that helps lower cholesterol. Mentioned exercise.

My mom's diet is not bad per SE. It's limited and simple. It's not filled with fastfoods and takeaways and cooking oils.

I'm thinking if the cholesterol was going to come down it would be down by now. My mom said she doesn't want to take any more medication from the doctor and she wants to lower it through diet.

I find this highly negligent of her GP to let her out the door without an Information booklet or a referral to a dietitian and how it's nearly expected for somebody to search online for an answer.

I'm in a difficult place with my mom too. She's hellbent not to take any supplements but she does want to try a supplement that will lower cholesterol but she's not open to adapting her already small and limited diet. I recommended a change from the full fat diary milk to an alternative milk like oat milk. I'm already drinking oat milk and I asked my mom to try it but she's not interested. An excuse was made up against it. I just feel, if a professional like a dietitian was to tell her what's involved, to take several different approaches, to lowering the cholesterol, she may listen but she's not taking it seriously the fact it's coming from me.

For example, high blood pressure was identified in me earlier this year. My doctor wanted to try lifestyle changes. So I met it from different angles - adding more good foods, limiting alcohol and exercising more. I did not pick and choose what aspect I agreed with or not and I met it from different angles.

My mom isn't seeing this bit.

Then my mom managed to take a few minutes out while she was getting me to search the net for a magic bottle of oil, to tell me it's hereditary and that her mother had it.

If it's hereditary will a supplement even help?

I think you need to find out what it was, especially the good versus the bad and what her blood pressure is like.

@pilates

I think you need to find out what it was, especially the good versus the bad and what her blood pressure is like.

My mom doesn't have an email address so there's no email address for the doctors to email the report to. They probably won't share it with me. I could ask my mom to ask for the figures next time she is there.

She has high blood pressure but it's being controlled with medicine and I am hoping she is she taking them as prescribed. I don't know what the blood pressure is too.

My mom has shot down every idea for tweaking her diet to lower the cholesterol.

I will get my mom to get a print out of her cholesterol levels so we can have a look.

I suggested oat milk to my mom but she doesn't like it. I think at one stage or another, she talked about her cholesterol levels before now and that was prompted by her GP too. It was probably 2020. I can't remember. I checked google then too and I think I tried to get her to move from full fat milk to low fat milk but she wasn't interested in that either.

I'm in a difficult place with her to be honest. I feel if the advice came from a professional like a doctor or a dietitian, she would beore open to change whereas she's not taking it seriously coming from Google/me. She's also hellbent at not taking on any prescribed medication from the GP.

I browsed last night on online pharmacys for cholesterol lowering supplements and there isn't a hope in hell she's going to take any of it. Even though she wants to do it by taking a supplement. Some of these supplements contain garlic and she hates garlic not to mention the price of them. Yet she's expecting me to find her the magic solution online.

I had high blood pressure recently and I wasn't keen on medication but it was a different scenario. I'm under 40. I work hard for a wage that doesn't show much for it and I don't have the funds for a monthly prescription. Especially so young. I was eager to sort it through diet and lifestyle changes and I worked on it from a few different angles and there's something working for me because it is coming down.

Earlier this year I was borderline hypertension and it's down to normal now but I came at it from different angles.

My family has the genetic disposition to high cholesterol. I've got my good/ bad cholesterol levels to a really healthy place through diet, and not supplements. OP you stress that your mum has a very 'simple' diet but I see hardly any whole foods in there or fresh fruit and vegetables. Can you encourage her to add a couple of servings to each of her meals? Pulses are also good to add to the diet (I'm not sure whether the beans she has with her fish fingers are green beans or the baked variety from a tin!?!) As are whole grains. You've already mentioned swapping to oat milk but from what you've said of your mum's reaction I'd save your breath on that one and the spreads try a different tack. The fact that she's active and walks a lot is really good.

@Daisydoesnt

My family has the genetic disposition to high cholesterol. I've got my good/ bad cholesterol levels to a really healthy place through diet, and not supplements. OP you stress that your mum has a very 'simple' diet but I see hardly any whole foods in there or fresh fruit and vegetables. Can you encourage her to add a couple of servings to each of her meals? Pulses are also good to add to the diet (I'm not sure whether the beans she has with her fish fingers are green beans or the baked variety from a tin!?!) As are whole grains. You've already mentioned swapping to oat milk but from what you've said of your mum's reaction I'd save your breath on that one and the spreads try a different tack. The fact that she's active and walks a lot is really good.

When I day simple, it's limited to the foods that she likes and is used to. The most in fruit and vegetables that she would have is a banana 1 to 3 times a week and carrots 1/2 times a month.

I love vegetables and some fruits and I am always encouraging her to try more and to try some of stuff I like, like spinach and beetroot and cauliflower and other vegetables. My mom is very fussy and refuses nearly everything. She actually reminds me of a little kid, the way is she with food.
When I wrote about beans above - it's the canned beans but that is marketing for you. My mom thinks she's doing plenty with the beans in the can marketed as part of your 1 in 5 servings of fruit and vegetables.

I think it's going to be impossible to get her to take this journey of lowering her cholesterol seriously while she turns around and puts so much on my back and expects me to find a magic cholesterol bullet for her.