question about cholesterol

[Semidevil]

sorry if it is a dumb question.

If I have elevated cholesterol level, and I want to keep it down or reduce it, what do I need to look for when choosing foods(I know exercise is a big part, which I am doing, but I curious about the diet portion of it). how much % fat, calories, etc etc.

Suppose I buy something(packaged food, or dips/sauces etc etc). If it says "0mg" on the "Cholesterol" line, does that mean that this particular item does not raise my cholesterol?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Eat oats, take your medication if prescribed, exercise. I will mention that there are doctors that are skeptics that dietary cholesterol actually increases your blood cholesterol level. Rather, there are foods (lacking or low in cholesterol) that can create a bodily response that increases cholesterol production in the body.

 

[nismotigerwvu]

The biggest issue with the way we measure cholesterol levels is that we really don't measure cholesterol at all.
We measure cholesterol transport protein levels and their presence doesn't actually mean they have any cholesterol bound.
They do however present a worst case scenario.
Eat right, exercise and keep an eye on your levels and see if you can determine a trend.
Some people just naturally produce more of these transport proteins than others, and being a little above average isn't a death sentence.
Taken with your triglyceride levels (which again are measured by protein levels) and the rest of your blood test information, we can get a better idea of your overall health.
My take home message, take care of yourself.

 

[Crono]

There's a lot of conflicting claims when it comes to cholesterol, but I've never seen research or heard that diets rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and fish cause high cholesterol, so that would be a safe way to go. A Mediterranean-style diet in particular may help you achieve a lower cholesterol level. Like you said, exercise plays a role as well.

 

[eddiebravo]

pay attention to your fat intake more than cholesterol intake since dietary cholesterol doesnt have much of an effect on your blood lipid profile.

eat monounsaturated fats(almonds, avocados, extra virgin olive oil) mostly, make sure to get omega-3s, eat no more than 20g of saturated fat per day, and eat NO transfat(do not trust the labels, look for partially hydrogenated oils in the ingredients list). limit your white flour and sugar intake. eat foods with soluble fiber(such as apples or oatmeal, but not the instant packets since these dont have the fiber). get some cardiovascular exercise in several times a week, and look into the supplement called red yeast rice(it acts as a natural statin...do some research and talk to your dr about it)