Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I can qualify for a much greater benefit with my employer if I can bring my total cholesterol to under 150 or my LDL under 80. My last screening was Oct 28, 2011 and my total was 184:HDL at 72 and LDL at 101. At that point I had been eating paleo for about two months, after having followed a fairly healthy-by-CW-standards diet for years.

My current diet relies a lot on eggs, ground beef, (Not always grass fed), lots of salad veggies, sweet potatoes and squash for carbs, occasional fruit, coconut products, very little dairy, and chicken breast. I also take fish oil, vitamin D, vit C, a probiotic, and astaxanthin. I drink about three cups of black coffee daily.

What diet and/or supplements do you recommend to safely help lower my numbers, if only for the short term? I'm concerned about the possible liver damage from red yeast rice and high doses of niacin.

Here's what I think I should eat:

Lots of veggies, limiting sugars as usual
For protein, rely on seafood and pastured eggs
For fats, coconut products, eggs, avocados, olives, evoo, and high oleic safflower oil

What do you think?

I'd like to submit my screening scores in about two months. Is this reasonable? I can wait longer, but I'll really miss my grass fed beef and other meats in the meantime.

flag	asked Sep 12 at 22:37 April 1,287●2●8

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Do they know the numbers they are encouraging are also linked to all causes of mortality, especially violent ones? – Happy Now Sep 12 at 23:08

glad they aren't doing this at my work, id starve – holly Sep 12 at 23:53

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You might want to give a copy of this to your HR person, I would think they would want to prevent workplace violence any way they could. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9499332 – Happy Now Sep 13 at 6:51

Mscott · Accepted Answer · 2012-09-13 04:26:35Z UTC

I'd cut the coconut products, unfortunately. Lauric acid, the main fat in coconut, has some potent LDL raising properties.

Nuts have fats, fiber, sterols, and other bioactive compounds that can lower LDL. Almonds (1,2) and macadamias (3,4) appear to be some of the better ones.

Finally, it might be good to get some sea vegetables for iodine and limit goitrogenic foods like broccoli, kale, and cabbage (especially when raw). This is to ensure optimal function of the thyroid, which plays a big role in removing LDL from the blood.

Oh yeah, and don't drink coffee made in a french press. If it's filtered that's cool.

Anyway, best of luck to you and I hope you enjoy a big, fatty steak afterwards!

Laurie D. · Answer 2 · 2012-09-12 23:01:30Z UTC

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You would sacrifice your health for this benefit?

answered Sep 12 at 23:01

Laurie D.
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	Temporarily? Absolutely, as I don't think it will truly hurt, and it will enable me to gain even greater health in the long run. – April Sep 12 at 23:03
	How so? Cholesterol levels that low are linked to increased cancer in women and increased overall mortality. – Laurie D. Sep 13 at 0:48
	I doubt cholesterol at 149 is risky, and again, it's only temporary. As soon as I complete the test, I can resume my normal way of eating. – April Sep 13 at 0:58
	This source is not great, but the sources it links to are valid: metabolichealing.com/… – Laurie D. Sep 13 at 20:50

Robert · Answer 3 · 2012-09-12 23:44:13Z UTC

Personally I'd stay away from the high oleic safflower oil, I believe its quite hefty on omega 6, which can be inflammatory. I'd do Grass Fed Beef Tallow, coconut oil (if not allergic) pastured butter, olive oil (not to cook with, but just as a dressing) when you cook with a medium heat oil like olive oil and use it to sautee as many people do, the fats may become rancid. I'd prefer to cook with coconut oil as its more stable and also a high heat oil. (raw if you can find it). Lot's of above ground green fibrous veggies, limit protein to 0.8g per kg (kilogram not pound) of body weight, I'd even say do a ketogenic paleo diet for a bit. So the calories from carbs replace them with good fats (so you'd use enough fat to satisfy your hunger), I known a few people who dropped numbers, cholesterol/triglycerides.

Do only raw dairy products (if tolerated) when milk is pasteurized the delicates fats/cholesterol in the milk become rancid

Always do Grass fed otherwise the beef will have an unfavorable lipid profile.

Agent Steel · Answer 4 · 2012-09-12 23:35:56Z UTC

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In terms of diet, if your truly desperate you may want to look into eating a cup of gluten free Irish or regular oatmeal as a temporary remedy. Eating some red apples with skins may help lower total cholesterol as well. Flaxseed may help as well (provided its grounded...eating the seeds whole will provide no benefit).

answered Sep 12 at 23:35

Agent Steel
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+1 on the oatmeal, if you're looking to spoof some results, soluble fiber is the way to go. It should lower circulating levels temporarily. Perhaps a cup-a-day dose of oatmeal for a week prior to the test date? – raney Sep 13 at 4:52

CD · Answer 5 · 2012-09-13 01:41:39Z UTC

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only eat potatoes, "dropped cholesterol level by 67 points in 60 days"

http://20potatoesaday.com/

answered Sep 13 at 1:41

CD
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	im amazed it took this long – Bill1102inf Sep 13 at 2:37
	note, I am not saying this is the right thing, or the healthy thing to do. I think you should eat to meet your health goals, and you should ALWAYS eat that way. Binge dieting to hit goals like losing weight or lowered cholesterol scores are not healthy. Eat healthy and sustainable for the long term, and everything else will come together. – CD Sep 13 at 11:51

manda · Answer 6 · 2012-09-12 23:38:28Z UTC

Switch beaf 4 venison or bison - its Lower in fat Cut out egg yolks - a single egg yolk has 5g of fat. Ditch avocados too along with oil - but If u must use it use olive oil instead. Dont rely on eggs. Introduce chicken 4 protine 2 But no skin - cholesterol high. No coconut milk either - too high in fat.

How can I safely and quickly (within 2 months) lower my total cholesterol?

6 Answers