High cholesterol-what would you do?

live4today, RN · Sep 7, 2002

Hello Cargal! :)

The only thing you can do is take care of yourself and your minor child who is 17.....you probably don't have much time before she turns 18, so now is the time to make a difference in her world.

How? Well....who does the grocery shopping and cooking in your home? If it is you and only you......buy what you know is healthy to eat, and leave the junkfoods and high cholesterol foods at the grocers. Just change the way you grocery shop, and cook family meals that are heart-healthy!

Will the family bulk and have tantrums? Well.....what family wouldn't! Do you really care as long as you know you are feeding them healthier food? Of course NOT!

Women tend to cater to their loved ones......we call it making our family happy! I say.....BULLCRAP!!! Grab that 'BULL' by the horns and stomp the 'CRAP' out of it......the 'BULL' being the cholesterol-laden foods that you and your family love to eat.....and the 'CRAP' being the change you make in what you buy for your family to eat. :lol2:

Exercise: Okay.....get up every morning.....don't like mornings....try noontime or during the day....don't like that schedule....go evenings.....just get up and get moving with the family that wants to participate in the family runs several days a week. Take that 17 year old on some runs with you. Do you give her an option? Well......ask yourself this question to answer that question: Do you want your 17 year old to be healthy or not???

What about the rest of the family? Well.....I've never really known many family members to turn down a well-cooked meal. You don't have to let them watch what you cook....or how you cook it (use pure olive oil to cook when oil is needed....or olive oil spray for just a basting on the pan or veggies even). Make it a rule that when you are in the kitchen cooking, you want NO COMPANY until the meal is on the table. If they ask how you prepared something, say....."You don't know do you".....wink....and keep eating. :chuckle

Exercise and good eating are NOT.....I repeat....NOT....necessarily going to keep you and your family from dying an early death, or even developing heart problems.......there are NO GUARANTEES to anything in life...DEATH is going to visit us all one day......it doesn't need a reason.....it just comes and forces us to leave Earth......many people die of NATURAL CAUSES. HOWEVER.....eating healthier and exercising as a family will mean you did your human best to make your family as healthy as possible, and the rest is in the hands of our fate on earth.

I, myself, HAD high cholesterol. I am now on Zocor. I have ALWAYS eaten healthy.....exercised.....laughed a lot......but my main downfall is "family heart disease"......plus I use to be a MAJOR EATER OF CHEESE....I love cheese.....but I cut my cheese eating waaaaayyyyy down, but not out.

Since I'm allergic to MILK.....I need to get my calcium in other ways, so some cheeses in moderation, orange juice with added calcium in it....other foods with calcium in it.....but I do not take calcium pills....doctor says no for now on that one.

It's not easy to change the way one lives, eats, drinks, or cares for him/herself. Nothing worth having is easy to obtain. So....it will require a lot of discipline on your part to get your family in "ship shape".

As for the kids older than you are legally responsible for now....pray for them.....we moms of older kids have no recourse but to pray for our older younguns. Share with them how much you love them.....why you want to see them eat better, exercise more, and take all around better care of their health because of the genetic tree they have fallen from. Then....let it go. The more you insist they change.....the longer the change will take to occur. Kids......even grown kids.....love to rebel against their MOMS especially. They want MOM to butt out....and let them "die a slower death" on their own. :chuckle :kiss

renerian, BSN, RN · Sep 7, 2002

I wondered are any of you on a low fat diet or high carb diet? I ask that as it has been linked to increased cholestrol and heart disease. What happens is the body responds to a restricted fat diet if you don't get enough cholestrol and it starts manufacturing it but it goes overboard. Also the high carb diet has been linked to heart disease as increased insulin levels cause more fats to stay in the bloodstream and adhere to the blood vessel walls. I just did a research project for school on that. I was on a low fat diet for five years, vegetarian to boot, and my cholestrol went through the roof. Never even had that problem. With changing my diet my cholestrol backed down in about 5 months. Let me know your dietary habits maybe this could be it.

renerian

AlaskanRN · Sep 7, 2002

cargal,

I don't know if you or your family smoke cigarettes, but when I quit smoking my total cholesterol dropped 11 points...and that's taking into account my dietary habits went down the toilet for a while. I gained a considerable amount of weight (of which I've lost most...but not all).

I contribute the drop in quitting smoking, because that's the only positive thing I did in that time period.

Cheerfuldoer had some great suggestions. I tried some of the same things with my family. They do work, but it takes dilligence on your part. Good Luck!

futurecdrn · Sep 7, 2002

I've read several health books and truly believe in Zone and Suzzane Somer's eating & lifestyle program. Carbohydrates, starches, and sweets that has high glycemic level make our pancreas secret insulin, causing the liver to store carbohydrates as fat. When we don't eat enough healthy fat rich in Omega-3 and Omega-6, liver manufactures more cholesterol and thus, hypercholesterolemia can result.

I recommend reading Suzzane's book. Her husband had over 250 points LDL and he followed what the doc said-low fat, low protein, high carb diet and it even skyrocketed. Then, he started eating more proteins first, then vegetables that has low glycemic level for lunch and dinner; fruits and 100% whole wheat, whole grain foods for breakfast; NO CAFFEINE because caffeine stimulates the release of adrenaline and corstisol that increases insulin secretion. You can have decaf coffee instead.

If the FDA is right about the low-fat diet of Americans, then how come US has us number one in heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, cancer in the longitudinal study done called Seven Country Study?

Read health books and start cooking healthier,walk every day and meditate.

Take care.

JMP · Sep 8, 2002

Cargal

get rid of your low fat food. Elimate sugar and flour- go high protein. Eat meat, fish, veggies, cheese, eggs ( YES EGGS) and WATCH YOUR high cholesteral drop. Your BP will stablize and your energy will increase. YOur risk of becoming a diabetic will also be elminated.

Try it. It works. However, it is very controveral. Everyone loves to disagree with it...since everyone has been brainwashed by years of low fat and high carb diets.....which do not work.

I have read extensively about this topic and highly recommend you do the same.......... and then have your blood checked before and AFTER following a high fat-high protien diet and for GOD's SAKE do your OWN RESEARCH. It pays off.

JonRN · Sep 8, 2002

What about niacin to lower cholesterol? I tried all the statins and they caused severe muscle cramping in my legs, so my Dr. put me on time release niacin and that seems to be doing the trick.

Pappy

studentOH · Sep 8, 2002

Quit eating animals and their byproducts....

...check out "The McDougall Plan." Only diet book you'll ever need.

Brian

cargal · Sep 8, 2002

MMMMM,

Much food for thought. The trick is getting teenagers to eat right. You can lead them down the garden path... .. I just want to make small changes at first, better choices, etc. All my dtrs excercise , they are competetive swimmers. What I'm thinking of now is the choices that they will make for a better life. Kids don't look past pizza and chicken nuggets. I love salmon, fish, beans and they don't. As I stated, I need to start off with choices that don't scare them off.

I will lood into the McDougall Plan..

Thanks to all