Health and Diet

How I Slashed My Bad Cholesterol by Diet Alone

After my doctor wanted to put me on statins

“Your cholesterol is too high.”

That wasn’t the first time I had heard those words from my doctor. Seeing as how I had been following a high-protein (lots of meat), low carb diet, it came as no real surprise. The good doctor insisted that I needed to do something about it, given my age. And soon. His suggestion was to put me on cholesterol-lowering medication.

I hope I won’t be banned for being an anti-statiner, but I have always believed we should avoid over-medicating. I told the doctor that I would work on my diet to get my cholesterol under control. He chuckled at the thought and claimed that it is too hard for anyone to make the necessary lifestyle changes to sufficiently lower their cholesterol numbers.

It was at that point that things got personal.

Little did the doctor know that the contemptuous look on his face did so much more to lower my cholesterol than any statin on the market today. It gave me a new mission in life.

I became determined to prove him wrong.

First, a disclaimer

Before getting too deep into this particular tale, let’s make a few things clear. I am neither a doctor nor a dietician. I have no expertise in medicine or nutrition, except for what I have picked up from publicly available sources. The information in this article reports on my own experience and in no way recommends this or any other course of action for others. Consult with your physician before embarking on any dietary, exercise, or health regimen.

With that out of the way, on with the show!

The Internet — A morass of conflicting information

The first place I turned to for information about cholesterol was the internet. I soon realized, however, that there is a massive amount of conflicting views about where cholesterol comes from, how and why it builds up into arterial blockages, and what we need to do about it. So much so that you come away more uniformed and confused than you were when you started.

Online advice for those with high cholesterol ranged from:

“Take immediate steps through lifestyle modification and/or medication to get those numbers down!”

To:

“Fuggedaboudit.”

Since my prime objective was sticking it to my snarky health care provider, I trolled a bit deeper around the web for specific advice about how to reduce my cholesterol numbers. Most of what I found were the same old bromides about eating and drinking less, getting more exercise, yadda, yadda, yadda.

That’s when I remembered a Kindle book I had bought years ago — the first time a doctor told me I needed to lower my cholesterol. I grabbed my phone, scrolled through my downloads… And there it was!

“Ten Simple Steps to Lower Your Cholesterol in Four Weeks — Without Prescription Drugs” by Janet Bond Brill, PhD., R.D., LDN

Only ten steps! Simple! Quick (only four weeks)! No prescription drugs!

What more could a lazy, impatient, cheapskate wish for?

More seriously, Dr. Brill’s book is a goldmine of technical information and great advice. She goes into extensive detail about the physical mechanics of cholesterol and provides a collection of success stories from people who followed her advice. This, along with support tools, recipes, and meal and exercise plans, brings the e-book version in at a hefty 427 pages. Quite a lot of ink for ten simple steps.

Ten simple steps

The actual steps recommended to reduce serum cholesterol are, as advertised, very simple. Here they are, along with comments about the ones I decided to follow in my daily life and those I didn’t.

Eat oatmeal

Though I had always liked oatmeal, I had not eaten it religiously. Since starting my cholesterol-lowering program, oatmeal has become my daily breakfast.

Eat almonds

I now eat them daily.

Eat flaxseeds

Flaxseeds were something new for me. I had heard about the health benefits of flaxseeds but had never tried them until embarking on this program. I was able to find ground toasted flax seeds that taste great in oatmeal and when added to salads and other dishes.

Take Metamucil (psyllium husk)

I looked into Metamucil and concluded that it might be too much fiber overkill. I decided to take a pass on it when I found the following warning about Metamucil side effects:

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Stop using Metamucil and call your doctor at once if you have constipation that lasts longer than seven days; rectal bleeding; or severe stomach pain.

Eat beans

I have taken the book’s advice and eat at least a cup of beans every day. We whip up a big batch of tasty bean salad on the weekend, which lasts for the entire week.

Eat apples

I now eat them daily.

Eat margarine with phytosterols

Hmm…. I never could get on board with this one. If your goal is cholesterol reduction, you would think that eating margarine is the last thing you want to do. I skipped this step and decided to take a plant sterol supplement instead.

Eat soy protein

I live in Japan, so what more should I say? We eat tofu, natto, and other soy foods all the time.

Eat garlic

Oh, Garlic! Would that thou lovest me as I so love thee… And not make me stink so much. Forced, for the sake of social harmony, to take a pass on the big G.

Walk

I have always made it a point to exercise by jogging and walking, so this required no lifestyle change at all.

In addition to the seven steps adopted from the book, I also did the following:

I started taking a plant sterol supplement.

I stopped all direct consumption of eggs, milk, yogurt, and cheese.

I cut red meat consumption down to two or three times a week, switching to fish and soy foods instead.

I stopped relying on hamburgers as my go-to food when on the go.

So, what happened?

The initial blood test that started me down the path of cholesterol reduction was on April 12, 2021.

At that time, my cholesterol numbers were: LDL 174. HDL: 51, Triglycerides: 179.

My follow-up blood test was on September 18, 2021.

My numbers this time were: LDL: 116 (-58), HDL: 40 (-11), Triglycerides: 95 (-84)

Keep in mind that both of these tests were done in Japan, so the criteria for what constitutes “high” and “normal” may be different from those in other countries.

The Big Takeaway

The Big Takeaway from all of this is that yes, what you consume does affect your serum cholesterol levels. And yes, you can get down to acceptable cholesterol levels by diet alone instead of lining Big Pharma’s pockets with your hard-earned cash.

I guess I am healthier now. Or more normal. Or more something. At least, my doctor seems happy. I don’t feel an ounce of difference in my everyday health and well-being.

As for the long-term, check back with me in another 10 or 20 years.