Low cholesterol/ Heart Healthy Foods

Lifestyle Health & Fitness
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So for someone who has family history of hypertension, high cholesterol, heart disease, and was diagnosed at one point to have high cholesterol but has been on medications that have controlled it for several years, what would be a recommended diet?

Both hubby and I come from very strong family histories and are therefore very likely to develop these conditions if we don’t take care. Luckily, my cholesterol levels have been low (HDLs high, LDLs and triglycerides low) so meds have been needed. Hubby did have high cholesterol at one point but regular meds have brought it down to good levels and have stayed steady. Plus, we’ve maintained a healthy weight and moderate physical activity.

We don’t eat a whole lot of junk, and on a regular day, try to consume balanced meals with limited quantities of red meats and lower fat than what desis normal have. However, we do get carried away once in a while.

What would be a good desi diet for people like us?

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Re: Low cholesterol/ Heart Healthy Foods

A balance diet with exercise and yoplait yogurt ... thats what tv told me

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Re: Low cholesterol/ Heart Healthy Foods

I respect you very much for asking this question. It shows you care. :)

Everyone needs to understand that heart problem comes from many factors including the worst of all the hereditary factors. One just cannot change it obviously.

Also, heart attack risk is not 100% and can never be reduced to 0%.

Modifiable factors like diet, weight, cholesterol. activity level etc. needs motivation from a person.

Good exercise, healthy diet and avoiding smoking with taking medictions as prescribed etc. are all one can do to minimize the risk of heart attack.

1- Eat more white meat than red meat.

2- Never ever eat at fast food place.

3- Fast food = Fast /quick death. Another piece for "Make your own quote" thread. :)

4- Be in ideal weight range. BMI (Body mass Index) less than or equal to 25.

5- Exercise moderately and more importantly regularly.

6- Pizza, Lazaania, mexican food, Greek food, British food like fish (fried) and chips, burger/ french fries etc. all have high cholesterol.

Coming to your questuon.

Avoid food with large amount of cholesterol.

Use more white meat such as lean beaf, white meat.

Do not buy ground beef from the shelf, but have it made with lean beef yourself.

Use low cholesteol oil. Check the ingredients yourself.

Canola oil or Olive oil have good ingredients than other oil products.

Eat red meat with no fat attached to it.

You may have to clean meat yourself or ask the butcher (maybe after paying extra) to clean excess fat from meat.

Avoid Nali Nihari, maghaz, fried food etc.

Hope this helped.

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Re: Low cholesterol/ Heart Healthy Foods

well if you've had to go on medication to bring down chol numbers, you probably shouldn't be having red meat more than once a month. cut down/substitute all foods high in saturated fats with as much of mono-unsaturated fats as possible. eat more whole grains and vegetables - especially leafy greens and vegs with soluble fiber, snack on a handful of raw untoasted nuts daily, eat oily fish like herrings and sardines atleast twice a week, wild salmon and cod are almost as good too.

mostly, it all boils down to staying off rich foods, and eating well like a peasant on most days.

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Re: Low cholesterol/ Heart Healthy Foods

I had a typo in my original post. I've never had to go on meds but hubby has been on Crestor since the past 6-7 years and his cholesterol levels are now ideal. His BMI is definitely less than 25 as he maintains a healthy weight and does get moderate exercise on a daily basis.

The red meat is an issue though as we do make mutton at least 2 times a week. Got to cut down there for sure.

Which part of chicken is white other than the breast?

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Re: Low cholesterol/ Heart Healthy Foods

^ Wings.

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Re: Low cholesterol/ Heart Healthy Foods

chicken wings are loaded with fat. especially if you keep the skin on. and good luck skinning chicken wings..

if you want saturated fat out of your diet, there isn't a lot you can do without cutting down your meat intake, including poultry. substitute with fish as much as you can.

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Re: Low cholesterol/ Heart Healthy Foods

Right. I guess fish is the way to go.

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Re: Low cholesterol/ Heart Healthy Foods

I agree with Diwana and Queer. Like Queer said eat more fish and not just any fish but the ones that are high in omega-3. Such as mackerel, trout, tuna and salmon. Other sources of omega-3 are flax seed and nuts. A great way to consume flax seed is buy them whole and grind a small amount at a time and add to your normal roti flour or anything else. Don't grind it up all it once because it goes bad due to the high content of unsaturated fats.

Just to give you the range of healthy BMI it is 18.4-24.9 and another measure that's important is waist circumference less than 90cm in men and 80cm in women (even lower for south asians is preferred).

One last thing vegetable based oils don't have cholesterol to start off so dont get fooled by no cholesterol on the container :p so sunflower, corn, vegetable, canola oils are all good to use. Although I agree with Diwana canola oil has the best combination of sat and unsat fats.

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Re: Low cholesterol/ Heart Healthy Foods

What about roti and rice? I hear that it's good to control the carb intake as well?

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Re: Low cholesterol/ Heart Healthy Foods

yes, you should keep your blood sugar levels in check as well. Being desi we can't avoid carbs but we can definitely reduce from lets say 6 rotis to 4 and eat whole wheat flour instead of white, avoid naan as well. Basmati rice compared to white rice is a better option as it has a smaller glycemic index meaning it doesnt cause a spike in blood sugar as much as white rice. Another way to avoid spike in blood sugar levels is to eat smaller meals and high fiber foods. Flax seed is not only a good source of omega-3 but also fiber.

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Re: Low cholesterol/ Heart Healthy Foods

the whole anti-carb thing is corporate nonsense. no registered dietician will ever recommend a carb elimination or a diet low on carbs, this is the job of fad-mongers and commercial diet-plan vendors. your body runs on carbs as fuel. protein is primarily for repairs and enyzme activity. fats are for energy storage in times of need. like CDG says, glycemic load is key. simple refined sugars are bad for you. but whole grains and fruits are absolutely necessary for your body to function without fatigue. even white rice or plain flour rotis when mixed with salaans and dahi and such have significant glycemic indices. don't give up on roti chawal. just combine them with sufficient sabziyaaN.

i have reservations against flax seed though - this stuff wasnt considered food until a few years ago - its oil is almost impossible to extract without spoilage, and was used as paint thinner. the form of omega-3 acids in flax is ALA - which while being omega-3, hasn't been proven to be usable by human bodies. you need the EPA or DHA form of omega-3s.

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Re: Low cholesterol/ Heart Healthy Foods

And those omegas you get from fish and walnuts?

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Re: Low cholesterol/ Heart Healthy Foods

walnuts is ALA. fish is mostly DHA.

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Re: Low cholesterol/ Heart Healthy Foods

absolutely agree with queer PLEASE PLEASE don't consider a carb free diet ever. Our brains function best with glucose as the form of energy and I would recommend you follow the food guide for that, the Canadian food guide recommends 6-7 servings for women and 8 servings for men. So the best way to consume your carbs are to eat high fiber sources.

I'm wondering if any of you have tried looking into omega-3 supplements. They come in a capsule form so gelatin is used in them. Does anyone know if there are supplements of omega-3 without gelatin?

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Re: Low cholesterol/ Heart Healthy Foods

The gelatin is usually in the coating, so just poke a hole and squeeze the oil out.

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Re: Low cholesterol/ Heart Healthy Foods

Yea that's a possibility, I wanted to get some for my dad.