I have cut down on as much fat as I can. What can I do to get my cholesterol down?

0
1022
My question was over 1 1/2 years ago my doctor put me on medication because of my high cholesterol. It was 347. The doctor put me on Mevacor. It brought my cholesterol down to 189 along with going on a low-fat diet. Then the doctor changed my pills to Lescol and each time he checks my cholesterol it is steadily going back up. It is now 305. I have cut down on as much fat as I can and not kill myself. What do you suggest for me to do next to help get this down? If you know of any books I can buy that would give you recipes and menus it would help me a lot. Thanks for your time.

Both drugs are effective at reducing blood cholesterol levels and work similarly. Mevacor and Lescol slow the production of cholesterol by your liver.

Current recommendations are for blood cholesterol levels to be below 200 in the U.S. Food intake of cholesterol is usually set at the same level, less than 200 milligrams per day. Exercise and weight loss
seem to help reduce blood cholesterol levels. You didn’t say if you are eating a low-fat eating plan (25% to 30% calories from fat with less than 7% of calories from saturated fat or 8 grams per 1,000 calories) as this is the recommended meal plan to reduce cholesterol.

There are many low-fat cookbooks out there and the American Heart Association Low Fat Low Cholesterol Cookbook is a good one. Look for one that gives you the calories, grams of fat and saturated fat per serving and is written by a person with professional cooking education or experience. Otherwise, you are taking a gamble as to whether the recipes taste good or not. Some food companies like General Mills also have low-fat cookbooks too.

I don’t know of any sources that provide menus. But you could use nutritional analysis software to track your food intake, analyze your recipes and create menus with foods you like to control your cholesterol intake.