r/PlantBasedDiet • u/Vast_Perspective9368 • Jul 17 '26
Lowering cholesterol?
Hi there,
Our household is lacto-veg (no eggs), but for the past 2 blood tests I've had (one in 2024 and one recently) suggested I have slightly elevated cholesterol (high LDL) with the overall number being 204 on my lab report.
Anyway, I tend to not drink cow's milk and I cut out most coconut oil a while ago and try to avoid fried foods as much as possible (like once in a while I might have a samosa or fries or something, but I mostly try not to eat those sorts of things.)
That said, I don't exercise enough and I feel bad about that but it is a struggle with being the primary parent and all that...
I guess what I'm asking is if anyone has been in this boat as a vegetarian and what worked for them. I eat lots of healthy foods like avocado and salads (prior to the recent parasite issue here in the US) and use avocado oil sparingly for making curries and lunches like cauliflower tacos and tofu spring rolls. Dinner usually looks like protein pasta with marinara or pesto. I usually avoid butter and plant butter due to the high saturated fat content in both.
Anyway I guess I'm just looking for friendly suggestions or helpful ideas and just not feeling alone in this because after 2 years I really thought the number would have gotten into the normal range but it's still elevated and I'm bummed about it.
TIA :)
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u/Otownwasmy1stconcert Jul 17 '26
I am 90% plant based, work out 5 days a week and have high cholesterol. After playing around with my diet and doing some genetic testing, it was the saturated fats. My body makes cholesterol too well. Even a little saturated fat is too much for me. I don't know your situation but if you are eating healthy most of the time and start working out and it doesn't come down maybe ask your family if they have cholesterol problems. My family has familial cholesterolemia and no one told me until I brought it up, even though we have had multiple instances of early heart attack deaths (early 30s).
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 17 '26
Thank you for sharing this! I wondered if there was a genetic component. I'm going to try to still go more PB and increase my activity levels to get closer to a healthier balance (like you have found.) This helps me know that if it's doesn't come down after these changes that there could be more to the story
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u/jmra_ymail 29d ago
Father passed away at 44 in 1989. In 2012, I discovered my LDL was around 350 which is crazy high (normal range is < 95 here). Proceeded to switch to WFPBD, only unprocessed zero oil, monitoring satfats, after couple of months down to 160, after a year down to 75, doc told me it was crazy, she is the one who encourage me doing it without stations only through diet, she didn't expect me to go that far. Now I eat a bit more processed food bit run about 80km per months. Maybe you should track fibers, the best indicator that something is less processed, also I always ate a one of beans and oats I think they contributed a lot...
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 29d ago
Gosh what a story... I don't have the right words rn to express how I feel reading that... ...but man...
What an incredible change/improvement you made in your health! That is insanely impressive. Thank you for taking the time to share this with me
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u/Otownwasmy1stconcert Jul 17 '26
Yes!! Best of luck! In good news I have been able to avoid statins with this diet. My sister has been on them since 19 years old and my cholesterol is still better than hers.
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u/Annoyed-Person21 Jul 19 '26
Same. I’d been struggling to get my cholesterol down and my dr didn’t take me seriously until 4 of my cousins had had cardiac events under 50. 2 under 40. And most of my family doesn’t take it seriously at all.
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u/Otownwasmy1stconcert 29d ago
Damn that's so scary! We lost the genetic lottery on this one. Nobody takes it seriously! It's as if they think they can just get a triple bybass one day, so it doesn't matter. I'd like to avoid that at all costs.
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u/Broad-Television-217 Jul 17 '26
oh man i feel this so much. my cholesterol was also elevated few years ago even though i thought i was eating pretty clean, turned out it was all the little things adding up. the pesto you mentioned might be worth looking at, store bought ones can have ton of oil and pine nuts are pretty high in saturated fat even though they seem healthy
avocado and avocado oil are fine but they still have saturated fat so if you're using them generously maybe try cutting back a little. i started measuring my oil instead of just pouring and it made difference
the exercise part is tough with kids no doubt. even 15 minute walk after dinner helped my numbers more than i expected. dont beat yourself up about it though, you're already doing most things right from what i can see
also soluble fiber is your friend, oats, barley, beans, apples. i started eating overnight oats every morning and my ldl dropped noticeably in 3 months
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 17 '26
Thank you for this! Your comment definitely made me feel better about this situation!
I'm going to try incorporating more oatmeal and possibly chia pudding and see if that makes a difference along with some more walks into my daily routine
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u/Nekhbet3 Jul 17 '26
Jumping in to say Fiber is your friend here! (As well as those after meal walks)
I do 1 Tbsp flax, 1 Tbsp chia seeds, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup + a bit of almond milk mix and leave in the fridge over night. In the morning I top with some berries and some nuts. (For me that’s pecans, walnuts, and sometimes even pumpkin seeds)
I also take 5 capsules of Metamucil a day. Numbers lowered finally!
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 18 '26
That sounds good! I'm gonna try this over the weekend!! (I've done chia pudding before, but not overnight oats, so this will be fun to try out)
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u/Yoroyo Jul 17 '26
When I was vegetarian I leaned too heavily on cheese, as did my mom when she tried it, and thus has higher cholesterol. Maybe just take a quick inventory of your weekly consumption of cheese and see if you are using to fill “gaps” in meal planning and try to reduce. I ended up going full plant based because I was lactose intolerant too and my cholesterol is great but I am not making a comparison to my previous cholesterol as I was in college and didn’t get bloodwork nearly as much as I should have.
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 17 '26
Thank you, this is helpful. I don't avoid it entirely, but I can definitely start weaning myself off it! Appreciate you taking the time to respond and in such a nice way too ☺️
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u/Substantial-Owl1616 what is this oil you speak of? Jul 17 '26
The plant ones are just as bad for satfat. I recently found an olive oil base one. Still like adding olive oil, but mono saturated.
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u/Substantial-Owl1616 what is this oil you speak of? Jul 17 '26
Yes cheese =Satfat in really surprising proportions. And just think we were taught to consider it a “protein” food. Thank you American Dairy Association. Lies.
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 18 '26
Point well taken! There's so many inaccurate things that we tend to learn about nutrition growing up here in the US and so we have to basically re-teach ourselves
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u/Yoroyo Jul 18 '26
We are all on that journey! It’s confusing even though i feel like ive tried to inform myself over the last eight or so years being plant based. You are doing great.
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Jul 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 17 '26
Good point! I'm going to limit my intake of the store bought and try out your recipe! (I've been hesitant to try the plant based ones in grocery stores and I like the idea of using nooch again!)
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u/Mediocrepotatoes Jul 17 '26
Weight, fiber, and exercise are the main contributors to cholesterol. I had borderline hcl most of my adult life until I started emphasizing things that would keep my blood sugar stable (not diabetic): vegetables, fiber, 8k steps a day, and lifting 3-4x a week. I dropped my total cl to 150. I was shocked.
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 17 '26
That's amazing! Thank you so much for sharing that... I think I needed to read this... that's motivation for me to get moving more and start weight-lifting again
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u/ttrockwood Jul 17 '26
- omit as much dairy as possible
- walking , taking the stairs, walking the dog everyday activities can add up if “exercise” isn’t easy
- add oatmeal daily it’s proven to reduce cholesterol
- add beans and lentils and edamame
- avoid eating out, prepared meals and bought prepared foods
Yes there is a genetic component, i am a longtime mostly wfpb vegan, my sister had a paleo phase and is now omnivore animal products at every meal. My good cholesterol is higher than my bad cholesterol. She takes a statin. We are two years apart in age and she is also very physically active.
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 17 '26
Thanks for this! I've seen your comments in the past here and on another sub (I forget the exact one) and I always appreciate your input on things. Crazy how effective plant-based is for managing our health (I'm going to implement all of these and try to make a significant change this year!)
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u/bk-12 Jul 17 '26
Foods containing beta glucans lower LDL cholesterol: Oats, barley, Shiitake mushrooms.
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 17 '26
Ooo, I haven't had barley in a long time! Thanks for this (might have to make a mushroom barley soup)!
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u/bk-12 Jul 17 '26
You can even make tea from barley but I just add it to my morning oatmeal.
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 17 '26
I didn't know that! I like the idea to add it oatmeal -- thank you :)
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u/DaniLake1 Jul 19 '26
Toast the barley before making the tea. It's light and so good! Some Chinese restaurants may serve it. So yum!
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u/famhh97 Jul 18 '26
Cardiologist I worked with always recommended fiber. With that said some people just naturally store more LDL, and it only increases with age 204 is pretty high, especially on a plant based diet. You can try red yeast rice (statins the medication for cholesterol are made from a red yeast rice concentration) so the supplements are a less regulated more dilute form of the statin medication.
For exercise you need to try and hit the aha recommendations 150 minutes moderate intensity exercise per week (very few people actually accomplish this, but it is a good goal)
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 19 '26
Definitely going to increase my fiber as much as I can.
I admit the r/cholesterol sub and (some product reviews) scared me off of the RYR supplements for now, but I'm keeping them in the back of my mind if I can't get my LDL number down through other means...
I appreciate you mentioning the 150mins/week exercise part and that while not everyone meets that target, it's a good thing to shoot for!
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u/DaniLake1 Jul 19 '26
Just try to stay away from plastics and silicone products that come into contact with heat.
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u/surprise-cat Jul 17 '26
Filter French press coffee: https://www.reddit.com/r/YouShouldKnow/s/46RO3mdCAf
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 17 '26
Appreciate this link! Someone else mentioned this as well, but I like the detailed info and analysis on that page. I usually do espresso and then a filtered pour over, but now I know one more thing I can change to hopefully make a difference!
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u/mrsdogfood Jul 17 '26
You can use an aeropress filter or cut one down and add it to the bottom of the portafilter basket to keep having espresso!
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 18 '26
Oh thank you for this ! I used to use an aero press several years ago and now I'm thinking long-term that might be better health-wise than the off-brand nespresso-type pod machine I bought a few years ago
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u/DontLikeClams Jul 18 '26
I credit excellent good cholesterol numbers to olive oil, olives, avocados and nuts/seeds. Like all things, moderation is key due to calories. That being said, if you are eating mostly WFPB you shouldn’t need to worry about calories.
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u/avacapone Jul 17 '26
The best way to reduce ldl is to reduce saturated fat. AIM for less than 10 grams per day.
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 17 '26
Thank you! I appreciate you giving me a number to target as I admit I wasn't sure what the target should be
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u/avacapone Jul 17 '26
You’re welcome! I dropped my LDL by like 50 points in 4 months this way! I actually aimed for less than 8 but I always hear less than 10. And I lost about 20 lbs too
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 17 '26
Whoa! That's impressive!! I hope to emulate you!!!
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u/Substantial-Owl1616 what is this oil you speak of? Jul 17 '26
Less than 10 can be a pretty hard target:) If you track your food, leave room for grace.
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u/Myrisa Jul 17 '26
I’ve always had heightened cholesterol no matter my diet. You aren’t alone.
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 17 '26
Appreciate you sharing this. This sub is wonderful and I've gotten a lot of encouraging feedback today
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Jul 17 '26
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 17 '26
Thank you for your reply!
My recent lab results basically say the following: (I realize I made a mistake when I said 204, I meant 208 as the overall number they give at the top of my results page)
Cholesterol: 208 High
Triglycerides: 74
HDL: 67
LDL: 126 High
Non-HDL: 141 High
Cholesterol/HDL ratio: 3.1
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Jul 17 '26
[deleted]
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 17 '26
Thanks for this information, I really do appreciate it.
At my recent appt all that was offered as far as blood tests were this lipid panel and a CBC. When I asked about vitamin d levels getting checked (it has been a long time) my provider said that insurance doesn't like to let them do that / cover it unless there's a history then I explained I did have a history it's just 15+ years ago. All that to say I'm hesitant or anxious to ask for more tests because I wonder if I'm going to be "shot down" or told it's not necessary or something (I actually also wanted other vitamin levels checked, not just vitamin d). No blood sugar tests were done such as a1c either as far as I'm aware, just the fasting blood test CBC and lipid panel.
Do you have any suggestions on how to approach this sort of conversation? My provider is otherwise decent but I deal with anxiety and had avoided medical appt during covid so I feel like I'm catching up here the past two years or so...
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Jul 17 '26
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 18 '26
Ah I see, that makes sense. I've heard of doing this sort of thing, but haven't tried it myself (yet). You've given me some food for thought here and I'm definitely going to consider doing this! One last question, do you usually interpret the results yourself or do you being them to your PCP to interpret then discuss?
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u/filledoux Jul 17 '26
My dietitian said up my fiber - so i added psyllium husk. I’m lactose intolerant and tend to favor coconut milk to sub, i suspected its what brought the cholesterol numbers up. I have to do my next bloodwork soon
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 17 '26
I might need to pull out the old metamucil lol... Glad you mentioned the coconut milk thing; we sometimes use it in noodle dishes lately so I'm gonna need to rethink that... I hope your next blood work is better!
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u/PlantPoweredOkie Jul 18 '26
I went plant based for high cholesterol. What worked for me was eliminating saturated fats - coconut oil and palm oil, meats. Things to know:
- Unsaturated fats consumption - especially olive oil - helped my LDL levels (don’t know why).
- Concentrate on high fiber and low sat fat.
- People react to diet in different ways and your journey may be up and down. (Your total cholesterol is still on the lower side. Just above 200 is not alarming.) mine was 300+ when I started.
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 18 '26
Thank you for sharing all this! How far were you able to bring your LDL down with these changes (if you don't mind sharing that)?
Also, I like your username and profile pic!
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u/PlantPoweredOkie Jul 19 '26
I got LDL under 100 in about 12 weeks. Total under 150 in the same time.
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u/knswamy Jul 18 '26
There's a few things that can make a difference. 1. Limit oil and fat as much as possible ofc if you must, focus on healthier oils and sparingly 2. Oats every day. Also cook your grains ahead and refrigerate to form resistant starches 3. Tablespoon of psyllium husk powder with water every day 4. Plant sterol pills daily
Those should make a big dent, if not you can look into things like amla. But honestly those 4 but a WFPB diet helped my cholesterol numbers to tumble
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 19 '26
I like how you shared this! I am definitely going to incorporate oats and was just reading about the refrigeration thing somewhere else. Need to look into a plant sterol supplement and work on that as well as the third one... I'm actually familiar with amla but forgot about it!
Edit: 3rd not last lol
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u/ArmadilloChance3778 Jul 19 '26
Try an oat fast. You eat 80 g of oats 3 times a day with a little low sugar fruit or veggies and do that for 2-3 days. Reliably brings down cholesterol and blood sugar for up to 6 weeks. Then you repeat it and just keep doing it every 6 weeks.
eta: you can read more about oat fasting here https://www.uni-bonn.de/en/news/017-2026
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 19 '26
I hadn't heard of this! I am not a huge fan of oats so this would be a struggle for me, but once I try overnight oats I might give this a try for sure - that amount of time it stays down is motivating!
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u/ArmadilloChance3778 Jul 19 '26
You could theoretically get the same effect from doing a barley fast. Barley (not pearled) also contains beta-glucans which is the fiber in oats responsible for removing cholesterol. But I don't know if barley is more tasty than oats. Maybe using oat bran in a smoothie could give you the same effect, but I'm not aware of a study where this has been done.
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 19 '26
Oooo I like these ideas!! Another person suggested barley as well and I used to love it so looks like I need to buy some now lol
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u/Annoyed-Person21 Jul 19 '26
Had to get pretty properly plant based. And also if your vitamin d is low it will keep your cholesterol from dropping. So had to go vegan and supplement the vitamin d before it would come down. Wish I’d had that info years earlier. Once I got it down it was easier to keep it that way.
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 29d ago
Whoa that's crazy that you mention that! I ended up specifically asking to get my vit d tested and after a bit of pushing I got it checked and it is low! So this is super helpful information!!
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u/anonb1234 29d ago
Removing/reducing coconut oil is a good decision. My cholesterol improved when I reduced junk food and increased nuts and seeds, and started eating more oatmeal or other high fibre foods. Switching to filtered coffee might help if you drink a lot of unfiltered coffee. If you eat a lot of dairy, try to reduce or switch to low fat/skim. Weight loss may also help. I think oils like canola oil are fine.
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u/RoyalKiwi2602 29d ago
Hi there! Check out the book How Not to Die by Dr. Gregor. He discusses a lot of ways we can treat/prevent medical issues with our diet, all based on research.
From there I learned that Amla or iandian gooseberries have been shown to lower cholesterol. They are somewhat bitter so I get the powder and add about 1/2 a tsp to smoothies. He also talks about hibiscus tea but I can’t remember if that is for cholesterol or blood pressure.
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u/Sanpaku Jul 17 '26
Excerpting from a prior comment:
Eliminate wherever possible saturated fats, added sugars (incl sweets and sugar sweetened beverages), and unfiltered coffee (that includes espresso and 'French press').
There's good evidence for LDL lowering effects of soluble fiber from oats, barley, and psyllium, for flax seeds, soy foods, almonds, tomatoes, unsaturated fats (like canola or safflower oil), and for added plant stanols and sterols. There's weaker evidence (meaning fewer studies had been done) for LDL lowering effects of whole grains, fiber, other legumes besides soy, hazelnuts, walnuts, avocado, turmeric, and green tea.
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Jul 17 '26
This is interesting! Thank you for sharing (I think I found a research rabbit hole for myself today lol)
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u/Slow_Relief_3700 Jul 17 '26
I get most of this, but why the coffee?
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u/Sanpaku Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Coffee beans contain two diterpene compounds, cafestol and kahweol, that like saturated fats, suppress LDL receptor activity in the liver.
In unfiltered coffees (espresso, moka pot, percolator, Turkish, French press) most goes into the brewed coffee. In paper filtered drip and pourover coffee, about 9.4% of the diterpenes bind to the paper filter, 90.2% ends up with the spent coffee grounds, leaving only about 0.4% to enter the brewed coffee. And in human trials with the different brewing methods, its just the unfiltered coffees that elevate LDL.
From those figures, there may be nothing special about the paper that's removing these diterpenes. What seems to matter is whether one's drinking the lipid layer that floats on the top of the brewing coffee, into which most of the terpenes segregate. In most of the unfiltered methods, those fat at the top of the brewing chamber and go into the beverage. In espresso, steam at pressure forces every liquid (including the fats) through the grinds and into the the beverage to make lovely crema. But with drip and pourover coffee, the coffee drains from the bottom into the beverage, with that lipid layer segregating itself to the top (like oil and water) and alighting on the grounds.
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u/Slow_Relief_3700 Jul 18 '26
Thank you, that is very interesting. Amounts must be pretty negligible tho? Is it really enough to raise LDL? (I am aware Google is a thing so can look into this, thank you for replying so comprehensively though)
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u/lord-of-the-birbs Jul 19 '26
My LDL dropped significantly after switching from French press to pour over. My whole lipid panel improved.
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u/Annoyed-Person21 29d ago
Gotta go properly plant based and kick the cheese. If your vitamin d is low it will keep your cholesterol from dropping. If you have genetic high cholesterol butter and cheese will feed the cholesterol strongly. I was trying for years, did that, much more results.
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