Confused about cholesterol diet

[simon43]

I won't be buying dumbbells any time soon..

 

Dumbbells are for muscle work.  What you need is cardio work, to get your heart pumping faster and burning off the fat, whilst increasing your stamina and overall health of your heart.

 

Building a garden wall is good for your muscles, but it does little to get your heart pumping faster.

[4MyEgo]

9 hours ago, robblok said:

Prawns always have been high in cholesterol.

Eggs like you said have been proven healthy. 

Chicken without the skin is good

 

Why don't you go out and buy some fish oil capsules (would be best to buy on ebay) these help with your healthy fat levels. 

Lard has been proven not as bad as sugar.. but that was more for weight loss / gain.. not so sure if it has been proven ok for cholesterol. 

Cut your sugar.. eat more veggies and things will change. Also *kuch kuch* exercise would help  (but hard at your age)

Wouldn't be a bad idea to also add a Centrum 50 plus vitamin a day as I do with the fish oil tablets 2 x 2000mg a day, a little pricey here at 750 baht for 100 Centrum 50 plus tablets, but hey, what price do you put on your health.

 

I have a friend back in Australia that sends them to me as I buy fish oil tablets and Centrum 50 plus tablets when they are on special through Chemist Warehouse, and orders over $100 have a free delivery within Australia, and that's when my friend comes into the picture and sends them over here to me.

 

Just an example, the Centrum 50 plus tablets are half the price they are here, and the fish oil tablets are even cheaper by a mile....

[Laza 45]

23 minutes ago, cooked said:

Thanks for the advice which I will consider seriously.

However: Exercise: sorry, BS. You may have read that I just finished 140 metres of garden wall and (consequently) I won't be buying any dumbbells any time soon, I really, quite earnestly, believe that this whole "take some exercise" business, in my case at least, is a load of B***s. I actually do believe that physical work is good for you. I do go swimming, the best exercise available, now and then

Getting exercise isn't b********  ... it actually does a whole lot of good things for you..  physically demanding things are good for you.. but it is important to get exercise that is aerobic... that is raising you heart beat level ..."

Aerobic exercise includes any type of exercise, typically those performed at moderate levels of intensity for extended periods of time, that maintains an increased heart rate.

In such exercise, oxygen is used to "burn" fats and glucose in order to produce adenosine triphosphate, the basic energy carrier for all cells.

Initially during aerobic exercise, glycogen is broken down to produce glucose, but in its absence, fat metabolism is initiated instead."... Swimming is good... so is bike riding... jogging is too if you are fit enough and don't have any knee or back problems..   swimming and bike riding are best because they are low impact on your body..  Thinking that getting exercise is b********* is just a story you tell yourself to justify not doing it..  A trainer once told me that the whole exercise thing is 90% mental.. and 10% physical...  first you have to decide to do it... you have to maintain the commitment.. you have to monitor your progress.. you have to overcome the little voices in your head that  would undermine your best intentions..  you have to learn to ignore the little voices and and stick with your commitment..    Saying it is b******** is a cop out... 

Edited May 14, 2017 by Laza 45

[Laza 45]

15 minutes ago, simon43 said:

 

 

 

Dumbbells are for muscle work.  What you need is cardio work, to get your heart pumping faster and burning off the fat, whilst increasing your stamina and overall health of your heart.

 

Building a garden wall is good for your muscles, but it does little to get your heart pumping faster.

True....   https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/aerobic_exercise.htm

[sirineou]

I tried the diet route .

I am 5ft  9 inch Tall and weight 170 lb.  I  consumed close to ZERO cholesterol for a year and went to the gym four times a week,  My cholesterol did not move one way or an other. 

For some people it is simply genetic.

Now I take Atovostatin,  my cholesterol levels an proportions is good, and I eat what ever I want.

[cooked]

14 minutes ago, simon43 said:

 

 

 

Dumbbells are for muscle work.  What you need is cardio work, to get your heart pumping faster and burning off the fat, whilst increasing your stamina and overall health of your heart.

 

Building a garden wall is good for your muscles, but it does little to get your heart pumping faster.

Jeez, are you aware of how much a concrete block weighs, and how much sand, cement and water has to be mixed to build a wall? My pump was hearting, believe me. Try it.

 

[Laza 45]

1 hour ago, cooked said:

Jeez, are you aware of how much a concrete block weighs, and how much sand, cement and water has to be mixed to build a wall? My pump was hearting, believe me. Try it.

 

...your maximum heart rate for aerobic exercise is 220 less your age..  for me at 72 that is 148..   depending on your fitness you should work to 80 or 90% of that for at least 20 min to achieve an aerobic level..  difficult to do unless you are walking on a treadmill,  riding a bike.. swimming at a pretty good rate or jogging..   I work to about 130 or 135.. occasionally pushing it to 140  ... manual labor as strenuous as it may seem is hard to achieve these levels..   

[kokopelli]

Interesting discussion so far. If you really want to lower cholesterol then meds (Lipitor = Atorvastatin/generic) is the way to go.

 

The reason to lower cholesterol levels in the blood is to prevent buildup on the walls of the coronary arteries which supply blood to the heart muscle. This buildup causes blockages which prevent blood from getting to the heart muscles and you can experience a "heart attack" or other symptoms.

 

If you really want to know the condition of your coronary arteries you will need a Cardiac CAT scan which is easily done and very quick at any good hospital. This will identify any potential blockages in which case meds/statins are warranted. 

As I recall the cost for this scan was about 12,000 Baht. There will be those who scoff at this but it saved my life.

 

There are more invasive tests such as cardiac catheterizatiion but that is expensive and only warranted if the Cardiac CAT scan shows blockages.

 

You can be in good physical shape and feel well but your coronary arteries can be blocked.

 Likewise you could be a couch potato, eat an unhealthy diet, have high cholesterol and high blood pressure and your coronary arteries are clean with little  or no blockages.

 

See a cardiologist and go from there or live in the dark so to say.

 

 

Edited May 14, 2017 by kokopelli

[carlyai]

"Building a garden wall is good for your muscles, but it does little to get your heart pumping faster."

Must be something wrong with me, as building a wall (lifting, shovelling, mixing etc) get my heart rate up big mobs.

Sent from my SM-J700F using Tapatalk

[simon43]

Must be something wrong with me, as building a wall (lifting, shovelling, mixing etc) get my heart rate up big mobs.

 

May I politely suggest that if your heart rate is high during such activity, then it is either because you have a heart problem, (see your doctor!) or you are very unfit.

[lopburi3]

24 minutes ago, simon43 said:

 

 

 

May I politely suggest that if your heart rate is high during such activity, then it is either because you have a heart problem, (see your doctor!) or you are very unfit.

But then again not everyone is an hourly worker - expect doing for himself he can be very active.

[JungleBiker]

20 hours ago, SOUTHERNSTAR said:

The bottom line is eat a bowl of oats every morning

 

+1

[simon43]

But then again not everyone is an hourly worker - expect doing for himself he can be very active.

 

I agree, but even a lot of strenuous garden work will not raise the heart rate to a high enough level to burn fat for a continuous period of time, (unless there is maybe some problem with the heart).  You need to cycle fast, swim fast, jog/run to get your heart rate up.

 

Anyway, this is going off-topic from the OP, better to discuss this under sport and fitness perhaps.

[oldcarguy]

and add garlic to keep the vampires away......

 

but are there really any vitamins you do not get enough of ?  even with a poor diet ?

 

Some of the multivitamins have 10x the amount recommended by USDA of certain vitamins

[Sheryl]

From what the OP describes his level of physical activity is already quiet adequate.

 

And for elevations this mild medication would not be indicated.

 

Try dietary changes first as I previously described - plus, as I forgot to mention but others did, more fiber. Oatmeal is good.  Give it a month or so then repeat the labs.

[chilli42]

17 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Wouldn't be a bad idea to also add a Centrum 50 plus vitamin a day as I do with the fish oil tablets 2 x 2000mg a day, a little pricey here at 750 baht for 100 Centrum 50 plus tablets, but hey, what price do you put on your health.

 

I have a friend back in Australia that sends them to me as I buy fish oil tablets and Centrum 50 plus tablets when they are on special through Chemist Warehouse, and orders over $100 have a free delivery within Australia, and that's when my friend comes into the picture and sends them over here to me.

 

Just an example, the Centrum 50 plus tablets are half the price they are here, and the fish oil tablets are even cheaper by a mile....

Fish oil is a great supplement to take, it does so many good things for us.  Quality does matter a great deal.  You need to avoid fish oil that is rancid, does not contain the EPA/DHA levels they claim and does not contain toxic products from processing.  Compare EPA/DHA levels ... this is what you are paying for.  Suggest you google "fish oil law suits" as a place to start for brands to avoid.  

[chilli42]

2 hours ago, oldcarguy said:

and add garlic to keep the vampires away......

 

but are there really any vitamins you do not get enough of ?  even with a poor diet ?

 

Some of the multivitamins have 10x the amount recommended by USDA of certain vitamins

I am with you, multi vitamins are not the way to go.  I am not sure getting more of a vitamin than you need is a problem but it is wasteful as it just disappears down the toilet if not used by the body.  Three supplements that we are likely not getting enough of: omega3/fish oil (unless you are eating loads of salmon and mackerel), magnesium (just no way you are getting enough because as we age the body gets less efficient at e tracking), vit D3 (unless you are out in the sun a lot which is a whole different set of problems).   Have added Alpha Lipoic Acid for myself since the research scientists at the company I worked for had very clear evidence that mammals fed this supplement live longer.  The problem in Thailand is to find quality versions of these supplements.  The chief buying criteria seems to be cheap.  This is not going to get you anywhere with supplements.  

[4MyEgo]

30 minutes ago, chilli42 said:

Fish oil is a great supplement to take, it does so many good things for us.  Quality does matter a great deal.  You need to avoid fish oil that is rancid, does not contain the EPA/DHA levels they claim and does not contain toxic products from processing.  Compare EPA/DHA levels ... this is what you are paying for.  Suggest you google "fish oil law suits" as a place to start for brands to avoid.  

Funny you should mention that, Natures Own 1500mg that I take has EPA + DHA 450mg, I am assuming that is combined as there is no break down, and Healthy Care 2000mg for when I run out of Natures Own has EPA 360mg and DHA 240mg.

 

As I said, I buy them on special, from memory the Healthy Car 2000mg 400 capsules cost me around 459 baht or $18AUS, buying 1000mg capsules here from a Denmark company at the pharmacy with 100 capsules costs me about 300 baht, much more expensive here.

 

Hopefully they are good enough as I know Australia has some strict laws, both being Australian companies.

[collingwood]

Hi , first off don't take heed of the replies go on line and Google( ask Doctor John Bergman) very interesting and informative, should answer all you questions. I had been on blood pressure/high cholesterol tabs for most of my life. have now stopped taking them, I have monitored my  blood pressure everyday ..It is now the best it has been, feeling much healthier now that I have stopped taking those meds that make the Pharm companies millions.

Regard

Pete.

[catman20]

On 5/14/2017 at 1:06 PM, SOUTHERNSTAR said:

OP step 1 walk at a brisk pace for 30 minutes a day 5 days a week and then increase the time to a hour each day as your body tells you it is getting stronger. Get small dumb bells and do a routine with them. Do some stomach routines to avoid back problems. Start to listen to your body, it tells you what is good for you and what is bad for you. If you eat fatty food and get heart burn you know to avoid it. If you walk for too long you would not feel well etc. To get cholesterol under control by diet alone is not going to work, you need to get fit. Try to get a fitness buddy, it makes it easier. Take 2 days off every week to give your body chance to recover, you are not 30 anymore.

 

As for your diet, moderation and balance is key. Eat as many as possible fresh fruit and veggies. Increase your protein in take as a percentage of your total diet. This increase should be through plant protein, beans etc. As for pork, it has very little fat in the muscle (meat). The fat on pork is easy to remove compared to beef. Start to eat steamed food and eat more soup type dishes. Avoid deep fried food. Avoid processed food. Avoid marinates or any additive of which the contents is unclear (normally loaded with sugar or salt). When you eat eggs eat them boiled or poached. Use olive oil, not cheap oils. Watch your water in take, you are starting to sweat more thus need more water and even mineral replacements (no energy drinks). Start to make your own food from scratch instead of buying take away. When you have finished a week and have kept to your diet and fitness routine, spoil yourself with something you like to eat.

 

There was a program on BBC called Trust me I am a doctor. In one of these programs they did a test on the effect of oats and almonds on cholesterol (you can watch it on the internet). The bottom line is eat a bowl of oats every morning with a handful of almonds and the effect maybe as great as that of statins. There is something in oats that binds cholesterol and prevent it from entering the bloodstream. I add raw linseeds and roasted sunflower seeds, with 3 bananas, milk and a teaspoon of pure honey.

 

Good luck.

hi my bad cholesterol was 211 when checked at the hospital i changed my diet for a year went back and it was down to 158 doctor said i need pills i said i dont like pills he said do exercise 30 minutes every day which i did for a year cross trainer burned 450 calories a day. went back to the hospital a year later cholesterol still 158 i was cutted.

[xylophone]

On the subject of which oils are healthy, certainly coconut oil and olive oil are the pick of the bunches whereas all (most of) of the others have to go through a huge amount of processing, deodorising and so on and many can contain trans-fats which are extremely bad for you..............

 

"Take for instance, the common Canola oil, the beauty queen of the vegetable oil industry. It was developed by making a hybrid version of the rapeseed, and it was given its name in the 1980s as part of a marketing effort organized by a conference on mono-saturates.

Rapeseed oil contains high amounts of the toxic erucic acid, which is poisonous to the body. Canola oil is an altered version, also called Low Erucic Acid Rapeseed (LEAR) and it is commonly genetically modified and treated with high levels of pesticides.

Canola (modified rapeseed oil) is produced by heating the rapeseed and processing with a petroleum solvent to extract the oil. Then another process of heat and addition of acid is used to remove nasty solids (wax) that occur during the first processing.

At this point, the newly created canola oil must be treated with more chemicals to improve color and separate the different parts of the oil. Finally, since the chemical process has created a harsh smelling oil, it must be chemically deodorized to be palatable.

If the vegetable oil is going to be made into shortening or margarine, is undergoes an additional process called hydrogenation to make it solid at cold temperatures. Unlike saturated fats (butter, coconut oil, etc.) vegetable oils are not naturally solid at these temperatures and must be hydrogenated to accomplish this. During this process of hydrogenation, those lovely trans fats we’ve heard so much about are created".

 

AND.....

 

Modern oil processing is a different thing entirely. The oil is removed by a combination of high temperature mechanical pressing and solvent extraction. Traces of the solvent (usually hexane) remain in the oil, even after considerable refining. Like all modern vegetable oils, canola oil goes through the process of caustic refining, bleaching and degumming–all of which involve high temperatures or chemicals of questionable safety. And because canola oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which easily become rancid and foul-smelling when subjected to oxygen and high temperatures, it must be deodorized.

 

The standard deodorization process removes a large portion of the omega-3 fatty acids by turning them into trans fatty acids. Although the Canadian government lists the trans content of canola at a minimal 0.2 percent, research at the University of Florida at Gainesville, found trans levels as high as 4.6 percent in commercial liquid oil. The consumer has no clue about the presence of trans fatty acids in canola oil because they are not listed on the label.

 

A large portion of canola oil used in processed food has been hardened through the hydrogenation process, which introduces levels of trans fatty acids into the final product as high as 40 percent. In fact, canola oil hydrogenates beautifully, better than corn oil or soybean oil, because modern hydrogenation methods hydrogenate omega-3 fatty acids preferentially and canola oil is very high in omega-3s. Higher levels of trans mean longer shelf life for processed foods, a crisper texture in cookies and crackers–and more dangers of chronic disease for the consumer.

 

These days I use mainly olive oil for salad dressing and cooking and just occasionally a little coconut oil. A little butter sometimes doesn't go amiss for some special dishes, especially those which require a sauce to go with them.

[tonray]

32 minutes ago, xylophone said:

On the subject of which oils are healthy, certainly coconut oil and olive oil are the pick of the bunches whereas all (most of) of the others have to go through a huge amount of processing, deodorising and so on and many can contain trans-fats which are extremely bad for you..............

 

"Take for instance, the common Canola oil, the beauty queen of the vegetable oil industry. It was developed by making a hybrid version of the rapeseed, and it was given its name in the 1980s as part of a marketing effort organized by a conference on mono-saturates.

Rapeseed oil contains high amounts of the toxic erucic acid, which is poisonous to the body. Canola oil is an altered version, also called Low Erucic Acid Rapeseed (LEAR) and it is commonly genetically modified and treated with high levels of pesticides.

Canola (modified rapeseed oil) is produced by heating the rapeseed and processing with a petroleum solvent to extract the oil. Then another process of heat and addition of acid is used to remove nasty solids (wax) that occur during the first processing.

At this point, the newly created canola oil must be treated with more chemicals to improve color and separate the different parts of the oil. Finally, since the chemical process has created a harsh smelling oil, it must be chemically deodorized to be palatable.

If the vegetable oil is going to be made into shortening or margarine, is undergoes an additional process called hydrogenation to make it solid at cold temperatures. Unlike saturated fats (butter, coconut oil, etc.) vegetable oils are not naturally solid at these temperatures and must be hydrogenated to accomplish this. During this process of hydrogenation, those lovely trans fats we’ve heard so much about are created".

 

AND.....

 

Modern oil processing is a different thing entirely. The oil is removed by a combination of high temperature mechanical pressing and solvent extraction. Traces of the solvent (usually hexane) remain in the oil, even after considerable refining. Like all modern vegetable oils, canola oil goes through the process of caustic refining, bleaching and degumming–all of which involve high temperatures or chemicals of questionable safety. And because canola oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which easily become rancid and foul-smelling when subjected to oxygen and high temperatures, it must be deodorized.

 

The standard deodorization process removes a large portion of the omega-3 fatty acids by turning them into trans fatty acids. Although the Canadian government lists the trans content of canola at a minimal 0.2 percent, research at the University of Florida at Gainesville, found trans levels as high as 4.6 percent in commercial liquid oil. The consumer has no clue about the presence of trans fatty acids in canola oil because they are not listed on the label.

 

A large portion of canola oil used in processed food has been hardened through the hydrogenation process, which introduces levels of trans fatty acids into the final product as high as 40 percent. In fact, canola oil hydrogenates beautifully, better than corn oil or soybean oil, because modern hydrogenation methods hydrogenate omega-3 fatty acids preferentially and canola oil is very high in omega-3s. Higher levels of trans mean longer shelf life for processed foods, a crisper texture in cookies and crackers–and more dangers of chronic disease for the consumer.

 

These days I use mainly olive oil for salad dressing and cooking and just occasionally a little coconut oil. A little butter sometimes doesn't go amiss for some special dishes, especially those which require a sauce to go with them.

From the Harvard School of Public Health on Coconut Oil and Cholesterol:

 

http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/coconut-oil

 

Summary:

 

"

But, for now, I'd use coconut oil sparingly. Most of the research so far has consisted of short-term studies to examine its effect on cholesterol levels. We don't really know how coconut oil affects heart disease. And I don't think coconut oil is as healthful as vegetable oils like olive oil and soybean oil, which are mainly unsaturated fat and therefore both lower LDLand increase HDL. Coconut oil's special HDL-boosting effect may make it "less bad" than the high saturated fat content would indicate, but it's still probably not the best choice among the many available oils to reduce the risk of heart disease.

— Walter C. Willett, M.D.
Harvard School of Public Health
Department of Nutrition
Harvard Health Letter Editorial Board"

[xylophone]

4 minutes ago, tonray said:

Summary:

 

"

But, for now, I'd use coconut oil sparingly. Most of the research so far has consisted of short-term studies to examine its effect on cholesterol levels. We don't really know how coconut oil affects heart disease. And I don't think coconut oil is as healthful as vegetable oils like olive oil and soybean oil, which are mainly unsaturated fat and therefore both lower LDLand increase HDL. Coconut oil's special HDL-boosting effect may make it "less bad" than the high saturated fat content would indicate, but it's still probably not the best choice among the many available oils to reduce the risk of heart disease.

— Walter C. Willett, M.D.
Harvard School of Public Health
Department of Nutrition
Harvard Health Letter Editorial Board"

Yep, I use very little and then mainly in Thai cooking, with sometimes just a splash in the rice cooker...........olive oil is the only other oil I use now.

[collingwood]

Jonnysunshine is on the money with this subject, as I mentioned earlier Google ask Dr John Bergman and you will see what a scam the medical profession is. the biggest killers are the MEDS. 

[tonray]

42 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Yep, I use very little and then mainly in Thai cooking, with sometimes just a splash in the rice cooker...........olive oil is the only other oil I use now.

Same...I found it much better for baking than shortening or butter but no so good for stir fry (too strong a flavor)....coconut milk actually quite a bit better for savory dishes. But try some brownies with coconut oil....oh man ...like heaven.

[scoutman360]

I used to stress and research about what food is good and what is bad, then one guy on the internet made it simple. Eat like a caveman. If a caveman cannot find it and eat it, don't. Our bodies were not designs for the foods we eat today.

 

My cholesterol has always been slightly high, and honestly, everything I did never changed it. On the other hand, my dad eats garbage food all day and his is very low. I don't listen much to the cholesterol prophets anymore. The advice is good, but mild. We are born with the bodies we were born with.