Want to control my cholesterol and triglycerides with food

Hi @almasexton, and welcome to Connect! Could you tell me a bit more about yourself? Who has high cholesterol? Are you asking about a child since you posted in the About Kids & Teens group? I look forward to hearing more about your journey!

I think I posted in the wrong place ,,no it's me ,I just turned 73 , I would love to get this both down without taking any medications ,,I have read a lot of side effects of these meds and would love to try it myself by eating correctly ,ty

No problem Alma. We moved your message to the Heart & Blood Health group. Here you'll meet other members watching what they eat for a healthier heart, including controlling cholesterol and triglyceride counts. Let me introduce you @HeartPatches, @predictable, @thankful, @jackj, @sarasotababe and @elio to name a few.

You may also be interesting in reading these discussions:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/cholesterol/
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/this-is-now-the-second-time-in-the-past-3-12-years/

Hi @almasexton, glad you joined us on Mayo Connect. I got involved in struggling with cholesterol because of high blood pressure. My wife got into it as a result of diabetes-2. In both cases, we wanted to avoid medication if at all possible, but in order to know whether that was possible, we had to undergo a number of laboratory tests and physical examinations. We almost made it! My cholesterol was under control for several years as a result of statin medications, but for the last year, I have not taken statins and have relied on good nutrition to maintain my cholesterol levels. In my wife's case, she was overweight with moderately high cholesterol; her doctor found problems with her digestion of sugar, and that led to liver malfunctions that raised the cholesterol in her blood. She is taking a weak statin and a weak diabetes pill every day -- with no apparent side effects.

From all of that, you can see why our doctors and their various diagnostic resources were crucial. Could you share with us a little information on your medical team and on what laboratory tests have you had? They will give me a better framework for understanding your situation. In the meantime, how much do you know about foods that aggravate cholesterol? What have you tried along that line?

I am not a diabetic,,just cholesterol 283 triglycerides 188, glucose 107 non Hal 223

Hi @almasexton! Kudos to you for wanting to improve your health and taking action. The American heart Association offers a database of recipes that may support lowering cholesterol: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/CholesterolToolsResources/Recipes-for-Cholesterol-Management_UCM_305655_Article.jsp#.V5dmyY6hJXA

AllRecipes also has a search feature that allows you to search and find many low cholesterol options: http://allrecipes.com/recipes/737/healthy-recipes/low-cholesterol/

Your doctor can be a great resource too. You can ask them things like:
- What sort of lifestyle changes should I make to help lower my cholesterol and triglycerides?
- Do you suggest certain foods I should cut out or avoid? Foods I should add?
- Should I work with a nutritionist or dietitian? Do you have someone you can refer me to?
- What types of exercise should I be doing?

My son has 185 LDL
Triglycerides 68
Total cholesterol 220
He is 21 years old.

Greetings @fabulous17. Welcome to the Mayo Connect cholesterol group. Has your son's doctor told him the maximum amounts of lipids, measured after a 12-hour fast? My HMO recommends Cholesterol 199 or less, HDL greater than 39, and Triglycerides 149 or less, and LDL less than 130 mg/dL. According to the formula for calculating these numbers, your son's LDL and total Cholesterol are quite high, his triglyderides are oddly low, and his HDL (the "good" cholesterol) is very low at 22 mg/dL. Against these numbers, his doctor seems likely to talk to him about changes in diet, exercise, and lifestyle -- perhaps some medication -- to get his lipids under control and his "good" cholesterol up. How can we be of help to him?

Hi @almasexton, I just saw your lipid lab results and wanted to go a step beyond my earlier posting here. The formula for calculating LDL ("bad" cholesterol) shows that with Total Cholesterol of 283, non-HDL Cholesterol of 223, and Triglycerides of 188, your HDL is a good 60, but your LDL is about 185 -- very high. If these numbers are right, they indicate that you should speak to your doctor soon about a program to get your cholesterol under control. My guess is that some medication may be required to start the therapy! Dietary changes can make steady, but modest progress. Lifestyle and exercise will be involved. Best wishes for getting your doctor to help you with a program that works. Keep us posted on how things are going.

He was told by his doctor to add a daily supplement of fish oil and watch his diet for saturated fats . He has made changes to his diet and he has always been a basketball player . Today his blood test results revealed other than triglycerides all other things have stayed the same . Just wanted to see if there were ideas other than medication since he is only 21 . He is meeting his PCP tomorrow to discuss more . Thank you for your response .