High-Cholesterol Vegan

[Mila]

I was wondering, how is is possible for a vegan to have a cholesterol level of 226? My husband donated blood last week and they reported back to him that this was his cholesterol level. We eat together for all but 1-2 meals per month and my cholesterol is 161. How can there be such a big difference?

[harpy]

To some extent it's genetic. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4665673.stm Activity levels also make a difference, so maybe you take more exercise? So does age, and weight/height ratio I think.

I had a slightly raised cholesterol level at one point (after being vegan for a good few years) but it went down after I upped my activity levels and lost some weight. Should probably get it checked again sometime.

[bryzee86]

your gender makes a difference as well. Jo's told me that, until the menopause, a woman's level of oestrogen helps in protecting you against heart disease. So inherently you are more likely to have a lower level than him.

[aubergine]

I was wondering, how is is possible for a vegan to have a cholesterol level of 226? My husband donated blood last week and they reported back to him that this was his cholesterol level. We eat together for all but 1-2 meals per month and my cholesterol is 161. How can there be such a big difference?

Does he eat much fatty or refined food?

[xrodolfox]

All animal cells make cholesterol from saturated fats. That is why most people don't need extra cholesterol in their diet: their bodies make all that they need. Extra cholesterol from eating other animals just clogs things up.

Now, how much cholesterol your cells make depends on a lot of factors. One, is genetics. Some people's cells make lots of cholesterol no matter what, while other people's bodies make very little. Another is the intake of saturated fats. Exercercise is another. So is sex, age, and waist circumference, and other factors mentioned.

That's why your hubby has different cholesterol than you, and if he wants to lower it, the suggestion above could certainly help.

[Pob]

This BUPA page has a list of possible factors that may affect cholesterol levels, including eating saturated fats, alcohol consumption, lack of exercise, weight, certain health conditions.

http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/h...olesterol.html

[Pilaf]

Could be. I was tested as well as came back with a cholesterol similar to that. I do run quite I bit, so I put the blame on what I was eating. Quite a bit of peanut butter and oily products. I had no idea that they would have such a drastic effect...

Peanut butter doesn't have any effect on cholesterol. It lacks any ingredient which adds cholesterol to the body.

[AnneCE]

I've got high cholesterol - it's genetic - however a healthy vegan diet is lowering it along with exercise. I'm on statin to lower it as well but I hope to come off that in a couple of years, though the doctors say I am on it for life. Many people have high cholesterol without realising it, at least your husband now knows and can act to improve his cholesterol levels and his overall health.

[eve]

I've got high cholesterol - it's genetic - however a healthy vegan diet is lowering it along with exercise. I'm on statin to lower it as well but I hope to come off that in a couple of years, though the doctors say I am on it for life. Many people have high cholesterol without realising it, at least your husband now knows and can act to improve his cholesterol levels and his overall health.

Hello AnneCE. I was diagnosed with high cholesterol some years ago, it is genetic. My doc said what yours did, that I'm to go on statin for the rest of my life. The statin certainly brought down the cholesterol to a normal range, but meanwhile I checked out a few alternative places, and came across a tablet made from globe artichokes. It is called 'cholesterol balance'.

After telling the doc that I'm giving up statin and taking the globe artichoke tablet, he looked to the heavens and said that my cholesterol level will shoot up again. He suggested giving it a 6 months trial, then a year's trial, and each test showed that the level is in the normal range. Several years have passed now, and actually I suggested to my son to check for high chol and diabetes type 2. Yes he was affected by both, however, he prefers to take the statin as he has faith in the doctor.

[Roxy]

That's really great Eve. I always love hearing stories where people have achieved results using natural medications

[AnneCE]

Hi Eve, thanks for telling us about your experience - I am going to look into globe artichoke and discuss with my doctors.

[techkitten]

How much does weight have to do with it usually? I am right at border of Normal and Overweight, and my cholesterol is 226. I don't eat/drink alot of stuff with saturated fats/oils, but I obviously indulge every once in a while. My biggest problem as far as weight goes, is that I'm always hungry. I have modified my diet to include alot of water and high-in-fiber foods so that it attempts to make me feel full, but I am ALWAYS hungry. Any suggestions from someone who has gone through this? I appreciate all of the skinny people telling me to eat less, move around more, but my problem is teh hunger at the moment, so eating less will come as soon as I learn to control my hunger. I have done alot of things people have suggested like drinking water at teh onset of hunger - still hungry, eating smaller portions slower, still hungry at teh end of the meal and 20 minutes after. I do not weigh enough to qualify for prescription pills for hunger mgmt, and I am scared to use OTC pills for appetite suppression.

[snivelingchild]

I see from your other post that you've been vegan for about a month. It usually takes at least 6 months for changes to even begin showing as a difference in cholesterol. Staying away from saturated fats is good, but also some people don't realize how much hydrogenated oils make it into their food. I know most vegans have turned into label-reading addicts as you may have, but some people forget, especially in margarine. (Earth Balance has none and is a dream) As far as being hungry, I say being hungry is good. I think you should eat as much as you want to, unless, that is, you are feeling hungry when your stomach is physically full.

The trick to eating as much as you want, is making sure there's no nutrient your missing out on that you may be craving (eat protein when you want protein, omega-3, omega-6, and other unsaturaded fats when you crave fat, and magnesium when you crave chocolate) and eating low calorie dende foods. Especially when your hunger seems insatiable, be sure to drink 64 oz. of water a day, and try and fill yourself up with raw or steamed fruits and vegetables. I find that is is more satisfying to the palate also when I try and make my meals flavored with the vegetables their made of and not the added spices. I used to overeat (binge eating), and what I craved was strong flavors. I used lots of mustard, sugar, and vinegars. Now, I gotten my palate used to subtle flavors, and I find food more satisfying.

The moving around will come naturally more when your metabolism is raised with more low calorie-dense foods and eating more of it more often. You'll find that you have to move around more, and the more you do the more you'll want to.

[Roxy]

I don't know how cold it gets in Texas at this time of year, but your constant hungriness could also be attributed to the cold weather. I know a lot of people (myself included) who get constantly hungry during periods of colder weather.

I often find that eating something high in protein helps kill a hungry appetite.

[eve]

techkitten, hunger is something that you THINK you are suffering from. Real hunger is quite different, and those unfortunate people who were in those concentration camps and had pratically nothing to eat - they were really hungry. And when the camps were liberated, none of the inmates was at the border of Normal and Overweight - they were all skinny.

I'm not suggested that this is something for you to emulate, but simply to bear in mind that when you've eaten a meal, there is no way that you need to eat again for another 4 hours. You may well 'fancy' something, but go for a walk, or turn over a new page of your book, etc. Don't give in to the fancy or it will dominate you forever.

Some years ago when I was in a situation we ate only once a day, at around 11am. By about 3 or 4 in the afternoon we felt 'hungry'. But how could we be hungry if we had already eaten that day? What we sometimes did was prepare a mug of hot water, into which we dropped a piece of palm sugar. Tasted fine, the palm sugar was not considered food, and eventually that hungry feeling dissipated. Incidentally it was not cold there, it was hot.

[Roxy]

Oh my gosh Eve. You've got such an interesting past!