Good Raw sources of Cholesterol?

[VeggieGirl]

Hi gang...

Got my bloodwork back from my ND and my cholesterol is very low. Not in a good way. He said this is not about your heart and arteries, etc; Cholesterol is what your brain is made of :) and what conducts your nerve impulses. So.... does anyone know of any good RAW sources of cholesterol? I'm thinking Avocados....but I'm starting to develop a slight allergic reaction to those.
Any other suggestions?


VeggieGirl

[Fuzzball]

Boy, I wish I could give you some of mine....

I'm not sure where the best sources are, but I know someone around here will!

[chilove]

from what i understand there are no vegan sources of cholesterol. our bodies make it and we dont need to get any extra from food sources. i also had a naturapath tell me once that i was "dangerously low" in cholesterol, the same one who beleived in the blood type diet and assured me just from looking at me that i was a type B and needed to eat meat. it turned out that i'm a type a--anyway i dont believe in blood type diets and i dont believe we need to get cholesterol from food. he told me my depression and illness were caused by the low cholesterol, but guess what? a couple of years later when i finally discovered and went raw, my depression and illness disappeared!

[Minibean]

There are no plant sources of cholesterol, but I believe saturated fats can raise cholesterol - such as coconuts/coconut oil (I'm sure there are other plant sources of saturated fat, but that's what comes to mind immediately). It may not be enough to significantly raise your cholesterol (there was someone with the same problem at another board I go to, and she eventually had to start eating animal products), but that's what I'd try first if it were me.

[Rawkinlocs]

This was written to me in a post once by member, LindyLoo:

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Yes we do need all sorts of fats for the brain ... But it needs even more arachidonic acid and yes cholesterol. However, cholesterol is not an essential fatty acid which means it does not have to come in the diet - our bodies make it in the liver. Therefore, as long as enough fats come in the diet the body will make cholesterol.

=============
So my question to you is, are you eating a very low-fat raw diet? If so, maybe you might increase the fats for a while. I'm thinking coconut, coconut oil and flax seeds and/or flax seed oil may be what you need to increase your consumption of. Add to your smoothies, salad dressings/dips, etc. or if you can, take a spoonful or two daily.

[VeganVixen]

Try WALNUTS as well, they have always been considered "brain food" , If Im right ,there are good cholesterol and bad types,I thinkthat good cholesterol is not from an animal meat ,and I agree with what rawkinlocs says about your body making it from good (i.e.plant)fats.....

[Sharon in Colorado]

Dr. Graham has said that avos do contain a minute amount of cholesterol.

How low is low? Under 150? Dr. McDougall suggests keeping it below 150.

I have very elevated cholesterol no matter what I eat, it seems.

[RawTruth]

As I recall, Dr. McDougall explains that the cholesterol levels are misunderstood and misinterpreted. He's generally fantastic (except for his cooked food diet recommendations -- though he's not really against raw; he just feels that it's very difficult for most people to change to something so radically different) and has been a vegan for years and years. He's always up on the latest research and doesn't hesitate to take a stance that may be unpopular with the medical establishment.

[VeggieGirl]

OK, I just found my earlier post on this and had to reply again because the same question has come up recently. My NEW n.d. just told me that my total cholesterol is in the 120's-130's and she's concerned about that, since cholesterol is the basis of your hormones... Considering I'm trying to get pregnant with a 45-60 day menstrual cycle, hormones are important to me at this time :)

She said that cholesterol only comes from animal sources and that she doesn't like for women to go under 150. Hm. I have been a vegan since 2001 and don't plan on going back. I have read that vegans have an average level of 128 for cholesterol, but have found it difficult to determine if I myself have anything to worry about.

Any other thoughts and/or scientific research?

Thanks,

VeggieGirl

[swiddweas]

You don't want animal cholesterol. We weren't meant to have that artery clogging junk in our system. Your Omegas 3, 6, and 9 from flax seeds and Hemp seeds will fit the bill according to my Dr. who said I was low in the good fat, also. So, that's what I am now doing.


Why eat animal fat that destorys the body by clogging it's arteries, ect? Who wants THAT kind of cholesterol?

I would get a second opinion.

pattye

[Kris]

You do have to keep in mind that these levels (under 150 for vegans, over 150 for women, under 200 for the general population) come from guidelines established historically -- not experimentally. That means that when your naturopath says that she doesn't like to see women with a cholesterol under 150, that probably means that most "healthy" women she sees never dip below 150. But please realize that most "healthy" women really aren't that healthy at all, at least not according to the standards we share in this community.

I have never heard of "dangerously low" cholesterol levels. In fact, I think this condition is physiologically impossible. I believe that human beings evolved to eat primarily fresh fruits, supplemented with some vegetables, nuts and seeds. None of these foods contain cholesterol. If none of our biologically appropriate foods contain cholesterol yet we need it to survive, we have to conclude that all the cholesterol we need is made in our own bodies.

Now, I understand that you are very concerned about cholesterol as a hormonal precursor. Here are some points to consider:

First, in the average person, around 85% of total blood cholesterol is made by the body, and only 15% comes directly from diet. That means that if you eliminated all cholesterol sources from your diet, you should only see a serum cholesterol decrease of 15% at a maximum. If you've seen less than a 15% decrease from the time that you removed animal fats from your diet, I'm not sure it's cause for concern.

Second, as Rawkinlocs posted, cholesterol is synthesized in the liver from fatty acids. So, if you feel that your cholesterol levels are too low, you can increase your fat intake, thereby making more fatty acid molecules available for cholesterol synthesis. Saturated fatty acids, like those found in coconut and coconut butter, may be especially helpful.

I hope some of that is helpful, and I wish you continued success with your raw lifestyle and all the joy that a child may bring. :)

[exurb]

you could try increasing your stress level, that's supposed to raise cholesterol :p :rolleyes: :cool:

[Sharon in Colorado]

Veggie girl have you checked out what Dr. McDougall has to say about cholesterol? He's worked with many heart patients in lowering their cholesterol and states that cholesterol levels should be below 150.

I would gladly pass my cholesterol on to you. I have high genetic cholesterol, as thin as I am, the last reading was 365 :eek: I've only ever been able to get it below 200 (so far) between meds and raw fooding.

I really think you should get some info from Dr. McDougall to pass on to your ND. Maybe even ask on his message board on vegsource, see what they have to say about it. You might get better feedback than here.

BTW, I've heard that there are a few fatty fruits that have trace sources of cholesterol, but not enough really to make a difference.

[RawTruth]

you could try increasing your stress level, that's supposed to raise cholesterol :p :rolleyes: :cool:Ha ha ha ha :D :D :D

We need to always keep in mind that what is considered normal and desirable is all based on people eating cooked foods -- whether they are considered by the medical establishment to be healthy or unhealthy, we would consider them to be unhealthy since their blood cells are clumped, their livers are overburdened and enlarged, their colons are clogged, and their bodies are continually assaulted by toxins.

Therefore, the numbers for cholesterol do not apply to those of us eating an all raw diet. This doesn't apply to just cholesterol, of course, but, rather to all the indicators that doctors use to decide what is normal and what is abnormal. Even holistic doctors are swayed by the vast amount of data that has been collected from research and experiments done for years and years -- none of which was focused on the only people eating a truly normal diet: raw foodists.

p.s. My cousin, after 4 weeks of being all raw, dropped his cholesterol 70 points, going well under 200. His doctor was thrilled and told him to just keep on doing what he was doing.

[Smoothie]

I agree with these guys. Check out Dr McDougall. He's one of the best on this subject. I was just at a conference with Dr McdDougalll and many of the best doctors. All, were talking about having as low a cholesterol level as possible. Dr. Esselstyn who is one of the foremost authorities on cholesterol(I think he taught Dean Ornish) said that his was 111 and I think Dr McDougall's was 114. Please don't worry. Do some research. I'd stake my life on anyting Dr McDougall said. I know he's not raw but I just love that guy!!! Dr McDougal has a series of tapes out that explain this very well.

[Guydiane]

My Aunt who is an RN came over on Thanksgiving and said that her was under 150 she is vegertiarn and that the doctor was trilled and told her to keep at waht she was doing.

[VeggieGirl]

Thanks you guys - this is great. I really appreciate all your feedback. I will check out some of the sources you cited.

I saw my ND again today. Right now it's hard to tell if the low cholesterol is even a factor here...so before I resort to eating goat cheese ;) we are going to try some progesterone cream to see if that helps balance my levels at all.
(Just in case any of you were wondering, my hormone cycles have always been wacky and are definitely*NOT* caused by my diet! If anything, raw has helped.)

Wish me luck. :D

Love,
VeggieGirl

[Nadhirrah]

The avocado fruit, a 1-seeded berry, contains more calories per gram than about any other food (up to 2800 calories per pound) but at least from the standpoint of triglycerides, the composition of the oil is quite healthy. Then again, who ever eats a pound of avocado flesh. Over 70% of the oil is polyunsaturated, usually oleic and linoleic acid, and oleic acid is monounsaturated, which is reputed to be best for reducing cholesterol buildup on arterial walls. Avocados are rich in B vitamins and some C and E, not A or K, and contain 60% more potassium than the banana (Musa).
http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/economicbotany/Persea/

[VeggieGirl]

You know what's funny... is that I also saw my Chiropractor who is extremely adept at muscle testing/AK/nutrition testing. He asked my body if I 'needed' more cholesterol and it said no. He said he's never met anyone who needed MORE cholesterol in their diet... lol...

VeggieGirl

[sport]

It is amazing and frightening that doctors decide that average becomes normal. If that continues then the idea of healthy will go out the window and as long as you are average or better than average then you will think that you are healthy regardless of where the average line slips to.

[Sheryl]

It would be good to know what makes up the total cholesterol reading. There is what people usually call 'bad cholesterol' (LDL) and also 'good cholesterol (HDL)'. Most tests test for total, and HDL and LDL to get the real picture.

When coconut was turned into a 'dangerous' food by marketing, they showed that if people switched from tropical oils, to vegetable their total cholesterol dropped (so they marketed it as a health food). What they didn't disclose was that the 'bad' levels actually increased, and the 'good' levels dropped dramatically. So if you looked at the good to bad ratio for predicting heart disease people were actually LESS healthy when switching off tropical oils like coconut. I've read this before, and heard it again recently at a Bruce Fife seminar (author of 'The Healing Miracles of Coconut').

Here's a link with more information:
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=180

Cheers,
Sheryl

[RawTruth]

Sheryl -- no doubt all this information is based on people who eat cooked food! Thus, none of it applies to us. Great, huh?

VeggieGirl, may I be so bold to suggest that, before you start on any hormones (even natural), you read Revitalizing Your Hormones by Dr. Teresa Day (I'm 99% sure of her name -- don't have the book right here)? I ordered the book, but it's available as an e-book download, too. It is totally natural, and she makes a very strong case against natural progesterone. The traditional holistic doctors, even NDs, still think it's great, but she explains that when we add a hormone, it causes our body to shut down it's own production of it even further since it knows it's getting enough. She tells how to naturally increase it, and covers every stage of a woman's life. She advocates raw, by the way.

Good luck.