cholesterol HIGHER- help!

[rawnpawgirl]

I just had a physical last week after eating raw for the past 41/2 months. I had my blood work done and my cholesterol was 20 points higher than it used to be on COOKED!

It used to be 146 and was 166. Also, the HDL (good) was only 66 (should be over 40) and my husband who eats tons of meat and SAD had lower cholesterol and HDL of 71.

MY LDL (bad) was 88 (should be under 100).

I just don't get it! I have been busting my @** for my health and I am really confused.

What could it be? Too many nuts? Too much food? I just don't get it.

Any input would be so appreciated.

[daisyduke]

Can you give us an idea of a typical day's food for you? That way maybe we can help.

[JennaBoBenna]

I don't understand why your cholesterol is higher as there is no cholesterol in plant foods :confused: how odd..
maybe someone else can shed some light :)

[rawnpawgirl]

A typical day for me may look like this:

6 am- yerba mate
8 am- a piece or two of fruit or nutmilk with frozen banana smoothie w/ hemp protein
10- a green juice or green smoothie
11- more fruit
12- big handful of nuts and dried fruit
1- tomatoes w/ basil and olive oil
3- a salad w/ avocado and tomato w/lemon juice and olive oil or macadamia nut oil
5- bananas w/almond butter or flax crackers w/spinach dip, or something....
7-salad, raw dinner- burger, pate wrap, spaghetti, something usually with nuts

I am hungry all day!! I eat and eat and eat. as you can see. I would like to eat with much greater intervals between, but just don't have that level of control yet. I feel at this point is it more impt. to stay raw even if I am being a piggy! (plus I was trying to put on a little weight, am only 110 lbs)

[Spectatrix]

Cutting down on your nut intake might help. I wouldn't be too worried, though, your cholesterol levels are still perfectly healthy.

[spicyfull]

Was your Physician alarmed? Your numbers might be higher than before but they Still look good to me...............You are really OK>.....

[rawnpawgirl]

I am not worried, or alarmed-- and of course, neither was my dr. By most people's standards, these numbers are fine.

I was more just wondering why are they going UP? IF they continue to rise, THEN I would be alarmed.

I am just wanting to figure it out and change whatever it is, so that they stay they same or GO DOWN.

What are others' cholesterol numbers on raw? What did they used to be?

[Healthnut]

Do you have more stress in your life?
I found this article:

November 23, 2005 - Scientists in London are now giving us another reason to get rid of the stress in our lives.

Researchers say high stress can raise cholesterol levels in some people. This is the first time stress has been linked to cholesterol levels.
Researchers studied the stress tests and cholesterol tests of 199 volunteers over a three-year period. Cholesterol levels increased in each patient - especially in those who started out with higher stress levels.

[Mookie]

Have you considered tha there may have been errors in the original report on your cholesterol numbers?

[Juicyfruit]

I have read a lot about cholesterol and it is a necessary substance for us. It is the precursor to all other hormones in the body. Low levels are actually dangerous. It is a very misunderstood subject. I got this from cholesterol-and-health.com:

The Effect of Foods on Cholesterol Levels

Since we cannot possibly eat enough cholesterol to use for our body’s daily functions, our body makes its own. When we eat more foods rich in this compound, our body makes less. If we deprive ourselves of foods high in cholesterol—- such as eggs, butter, and liver-- our body revs up its cholesterol synthesis. The end result is that eating foods high in cholesterol has no direct relationship to our blood cholesterol levels.

Raising blood cholesterol is not necessarily a bad thing, either. A cholesterol level that is too low can present a greater danger than a high level of cholesterol, and this level tends to increase in people for whom it is inadequate, in response to cholesterol-rich foods.

Cholesterol -- Nature's Life-Giving Substance

Cholesterol is found in every cell of your body.

Why?

The many functions of cholesterol range from putting information in your brain to putting calcium in your bones.

The many benefits of cholesterol include:

* keeping your cell membranes intact
* boosting mental performance
* aiding digestion
* building strong bones
* building muscle
* maintaining your energy, vitality, libido, and fertility
* regulating your blood sugar
* repairing damaged tissue
* protecting against infectious diseases

Cholesterol is the precursor to all steroid hormones, including mineralcorticoids, glucocorticoids, and sex hormones. This makes all of the following important functions of cholesterol: atheletic performance, regulating blood sugar, controlling blood pressure, regulating mineral balance, maintaining libido, building muscle mass, and more.

There is a lot more info on that site that is very informative about this subject. It also explains about how good and bad levels work.

[Brianna]

Have you been eating a lot of coconut oil? At Hippocrates, where I work, we've seen people eat a totally raw diet and have high cholesterol because they were eating coconut oil. It's okay occasionally, but I wouldn't make it a regular part of my diet.

[juliebove]

Have you been eating a lot of coconut oil? At Hippocrates, where I work, we've seen people eat a totally raw diet and have high cholesterol because they were eating coconut oil. It's okay occasionally, but I wouldn't make it a regular part of my diet.

The book I have says just the opposite. Raw coconut oil lowers cholesterol. The old studies on coconut oil were based on the hydrogenated kind. I will be getting a cholesterol test done next month. Will report my results.