Took advice from my GP from 3rd June to lower my cholesterol. More as a matter of principle I wanted to see how I could lower my cholesterol in 3 months – when I will be tested again. And I want to show that there’s no need to get into the statin discussion.
So, I’ve based a diet on what I could glean via Google (bless!). Some of the accounts are confusing, claiming the same effect twice or seem to be statements of faith – which I’ve only taken into account if I like the food, as long as they don’t appear to do any harm.
Principles
It looks like there are 4 areas to attack cholesterol
· Don’t eat saturated fats.
· Eat soluble fibre that soaks up saturated fat in the gut
· Eat foods that prevent re-absorption of cholesterol and bile from the intestine
· Eat foods that produce “good” cholesterol or other chemicals (possibly anti-oxidants?) that wash away “bad” cholesterol from the bloodstream.
Plant sterols are ok. They are what’s produced by soluble fibre to dissolve saturated fat (I think). But it looks as if they are better taken with food(?) so swigging a pseudo yoghurt on the way to work probably isn’t too helpful.
To get rid of cholesterol you REALLY need to eat a LOT of soluble fibre – so some sort of plant sterol is going to be helpful to most people.
Hard Rules
| What | Why |
| Eat oats 1-2 times a day Eat brown rice 1-2 times a day Eat chick peas with every savoury meal Eat 1-2 apples every day Eat 1-2 raw carrots every day | Very good for soluble fibre that disposes of saturated fat when it’s in gut. There might be something else in oats that works in the bloodstream too. Like oats this is a great source of soluble fibre. And there is probably something else in brown rice that works in the bloodstream All pulses have loads of soluble fibre, but chick peas are one of the best, and they do appear to have something else in them that works in the bloodstream One of the best sources of soluble fibre, especially the peel Apart from being another first rate source of soluble fibre they also have something in them to work in the bloodstream. |
Snack Rules
| What | Why |
| Eat 1-2 handfuls of almonds per day Eat 1-2 handfuls of walnuts per day Eat apricots Enjoy any other fruit | Soluble fibre and Omega 3 Soluble fibre and Omega 3 (fortunately I don’t have to worry about calories) Possibly have something that works in bloodstream |
| What | Why |
| Eat 2 cloves of raw garlic with savoury meals Use cinnamon with cereal etc Eat/take antioxidants/vitamin c Drink green tea | Garlic does loads of things in the blood system Cinnamon does loads of things in the blood system May help clear blood system Antioxidants |
My weight has dropped by 10 lbs in just over 4 weeks. BMI is now 25 JAnd I seem to have done this by eating constantly – trying to get enough soluble fibre.
I’ve learned to be a lot more creative with food – thinking about will help things to taste nice – and have been having a very varied diet – with lots more nutrients in it. If you ask yourself “what makes brown rice taste nice?” the answer tends to be green vegetables and balsamic vinegar not a pork pie J
Someone asked me if the diet was boring. I haven’t found it so. More interesting than my usual Panini.
If you eat a lot of soluble fibre then you eat a lot of insoluble fibre too. I’m guessing but I think maybe this has meant that my colon has had to do a lot more work – and if you think of this as a muscle then maybe it’s had a good workout – as I just feel stronger in my abdomen and that I’m standing better without slouching.
Skin tone seems to have improved too – I think because I’m eating a lot more good grain
Another 2 months before my next blood test – so it’s going to be interesting.
One thing I’m worried about is that I don’t want to lose much more weight. I might need to start eating something bad for me just to keep the weight on. Interesting.
And my poo has changed a bit. If I do eat a larger quantity of saturated fat then it might be a bit slimy (?) I'm not sure. Otherwise very satisfying and regular :)
What I haven’t eaten this month
While being so healthy and eating so much – there are quite a lot of things I haven’t eaten, so here’s an approximation of what I’ve missed out on (hence the weight loss I suppose).
25 Croissants, 15 Lattes, 3 lbs cheese,15 yoghurts, 2 Pork Pies, ½ lb Bacon, 3 bars of Chocolate, 1 litre Ben and Jerry’s, 3 packets of biscuits, 20 Coffee Bar Sandwiches, 1 Fish and Chips, 2 large Packets of Crisps, 10 bowls of Pasta, 2 Pizzas
And I don’t really seem to miss it.Geoff Hogan
3rd July 2011
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