lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol through diet

Question
QUESTION: Dear Ms. Beebe,

My LDL (bad) cholesterol is a little high (152, but should be at 130), and I was told I need to lower it through diet.  Also, my triglycerides ere half of what they should be. (74, but should be up at 150)   What foods would you recommend that could help, and what foods should be avoided?

I don't eat red meat, and I avoid fried foods, since I've had my gall bladder removed.  I'm not overweight, but could stand to loose 5-10 pounds.  

Thank you for your anticipated feedback.

ANSWER: Hi Carol,

Good move avoiding fried foods and red meat!
Do not worry about your triglyceride level: it should be below 140 and there is no reason to try to increase triglycerides at all (you could be confusing this with HDL which are supposed to be high as opposed to low?)

Eating less fat in general, and losing weight as you mentioned, usually helps people lower their LDL.  It also matters what your total and your HDL levels are.  Sometimes if the HDL's are high enough, it overcomes the high LDL level.

Soluble fiber also helps lower LDL's.  Oat fiber is the main one people use, but it should be in oatmeal or cheerios--not in oat bran muffins that have lots of fat added in cooking!  And in reality it takes a few servings per day and most people don't have more than one or two bowls of cereal a day....
Metamucil also helps. This is the same type of soluble fiber that helps lower cholesterol. You can start with one serving per day and work your way up to three.  I have seen people reduce their cholesterol as much as you need (20 mg/dl) using metamucil alone, and the side-effects are minimal (a bit of bloating or gas until your body adjusts to the extra fiber).

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for the tips.  According to my cholesterol summary, the numbers are as follows.

218 Cholesterol value   
51 HDL (good)
152 LDL (bad)
 4.27 Chol ratio
74 triglycerides

Should I still stick with your recommendations?

THANKS!!!

Answer
Hi Carol,
Thanks for sending along the details.  But unfortunately, as a registered dietitian I cannot recommend treatment for individuals without a physician's order.  You should call your physicians office for specific information they can send you, or they can write you a diet prescription to see an outpatient dietitian who can sit with you and review your diet thoroughly and suggest changes.
In general, the recommendations for increasing soluble fiber and limiting fat still stick for someone with a total cholesterol level above 200, including a high LDL level.

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