foods for reducing cholesterol?
Hey folks,
So, quick background first: I'm 22, have been vegetarian for the past 3 years, was vegan 5 years before that, and am currently (gradually) switching back to a vegan diet. I recently had some blood work done, and everything looked fine, except my cholesterol, which was higher than it should be across the board (LDL, triglycerides). I recall having slightly elevated cholesterol levels in high school, when I was vegan, so while I'm sure completely cutting dairy and eggs again will help, it may not get me down to the levels I'm supposed to be at, especially given that my testosterone levels are significantly higher now than they were then (like barely in the normal male range high).
I don't eat many processed foods, and I don't eat a ton of sweets, although I'm sure there are a few things I could cut when I'm snacking. I exercise pretty regularly also. And the weirdest part is that I have no family history of heart or cholesterol problems. I can't, for the life of me, understand why my levels are so high. Anyway, the question is: what do you eat to lower your cholesterol? Any recipes (the simpler, the better) or general advice would be great.
ETA: I have talked to my doctor. His advice was to keep an eye on saturated fats and cut the dairy ASAP. If I can, I would like to avoid being medicated, so I'm going to see how far I can get with diet changes before going back to discuss other options. My cholesterol isn't astronomically high, but it is "borderline high" (triglycerides around 180-something, LDL around 160).
So, quick background first: I'm 22, have been vegetarian for the past 3 years, was vegan 5 years before that, and am currently (gradually) switching back to a vegan diet. I recently had some blood work done, and everything looked fine, except my cholesterol, which was higher than it should be across the board (LDL, triglycerides). I recall having slightly elevated cholesterol levels in high school, when I was vegan, so while I'm sure completely cutting dairy and eggs again will help, it may not get me down to the levels I'm supposed to be at, especially given that my testosterone levels are significantly higher now than they were then (like barely in the normal male range high).
I don't eat many processed foods, and I don't eat a ton of sweets, although I'm sure there are a few things I could cut when I'm snacking. I exercise pretty regularly also. And the weirdest part is that I have no family history of heart or cholesterol problems. I can't, for the life of me, understand why my levels are so high. Anyway, the question is: what do you eat to lower your cholesterol? Any recipes (the simpler, the better) or general advice would be great.
ETA: I have talked to my doctor. His advice was to keep an eye on saturated fats and cut the dairy ASAP. If I can, I would like to avoid being medicated, so I'm going to see how far I can get with diet changes before going back to discuss other options. My cholesterol isn't astronomically high, but it is "borderline high" (triglycerides around 180-something, LDL around 160).