Ways of reducing cholesterol?!
Question:
Ways of reducing cholesterol?
My grandma has a cholesterol of 340 and it is really starting to effect her. Her docter had her taking statins, but they really bothered her muscles to the point that she had to discontinue taking them. I was wondering if anyone had any other ideas for her as to how to reduce her high cholesterol without statins. btw, she already knows about the 'lifestyle changes' and so i don't really need information about that. thanx!!
Answers:
Sometimes there are hidden fats in foods and you may want to help your grandmother go through the items in her kitchen and read the labels. You will be surprised what you can find in some foods.
Your grandmother can also switch from regular milk to non-fat and even a better choice would be soy milk. Soy plant sterols may help.
Your grandmother can also have plain oatmeal several times a week. The soluble fiber in the oatmeal can help lower levels.
Adding 100% whole grain breads and pastas is also a good choice. Make sure it say 100% whole wheat or 100% whole grain on the label. If it just says mixed grains or whole wheat it's not the same. it must say 100% Whole.
The news 100% whole grain products are really very good. Unlike the cardboard taste of years ago, the new breads and patas taste homemade and are both good toasted or plain.
The new 100% whole grain pastas are wonderful. Both he taste and texture are pretty much the same as regular pasta yet they are so much better for you.
Omega -6 oils are also wonderful. There are also a few new buttery type spreads on the market that have Omega-6 in them and if you read the labels some will even state that they help to lower cholesterol.
There is also some promise of both cinnamon and flush free niacin supplements but your grandmother should ask her doctor if they are ok for her since she may have other medication that they may interfere with. However sprinkling a bit of cinnamon on her oatmeal will give her some of the benefits of cinnamon without having a huge dose at one time.
By making several little changes to her diet (by reading product labels) she may start to see the drop that she needs.
Just make sure that she lets her doctor know that she has discontinued her medication since he/she may have alternative medication that she can try.