Ah Bollocks...high cholesterol

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Pie

I've had high cholesterol since I was 14, when I was eating a 95% vegetarian diet. My grandmother, who is a life-long strict vegetarian, has a cholesterol level above 300.

She's 83 and doing just fine. No meds.

I, on the other hand, am on 8 drugs + supplements each day. <sigh> Thankfully, only one of them is still under patent -- the rest have generics available. I've been on Simvastatin (Zocor) since I was 24.

What about the generation in between? I don't know which Grandmother. They probably never tested your Great Grandparents, but if this is a hereditary thing, and Grandma in doing fine, wouldn't all those drugs be a big a threat?

[Stormieweather]

My partner went to the doctor 6 months ago (first time in years!!) and his cholesterol (and blood sugar and blood pressure) was sky high. 3 months later, the doctor was utterly amazed at the difference. All three were close to or at normal range. Here is how it was done:

Cut out almost all animal products. No more pork, very rare ground beef, no steak, no bacon, no eggs, no cheese, no milk. Instead, he uses Eggstirs, turkey bacon, veggie cheese, Silk soy milk, and mixes veggie crumbles with beef when he uses it. No fast food and no white carbs. Added olive oil, almonds, fish, mushrooms and tons of fiber (mostly veggies) to his diet. He eats mostly boneless, skinless chicken for protein. He also takes fish oil every day. Extremely limited saturated fats and we avoid all trans fats. We joined a gym and work out 3-5 times a week.

HUGE lifestyle change for him. But you get used to it, and you feel a LOT better. Good luck Monster!