Lowering cholesterol

[Turbolag]

Hey everyone, I've been browsing through the forum trying to find out information on lowering cholesterol. I'm kind of confused. I thought eliminating meat and dairy would be enough to lower bad cholesterol, but after reading, it doesn't seem like that is accurate?

I've been eating about 85-90% of the time with no meat and no dairy for a couple weeks now. But I am not making the best food choices.

I lift weights and also train martial arts. My appetite definitely increases after workouts, and its hard to make the best decisions.

Here's a sample of my diet the past couple of days:

Meal 1: two slices of cinnamon raisin Ezekiel Toast with almond butter, and 1 banana.

Meal 2: a burrito from Freebirds Burrito (large flour tortilla, two scoops of cilantro rice, two scoops of pinto or refried beans, pico de gallo, salsa, large scoop of guacamole, and mild tomatillo sauce), and a bag of organic onion rings.

Meal 3: Vegan pasta dish, with maybe some vegan garlic bread

Snack at around 8 P.M., plantain chips, or dark chocolate covered raisins

This is an idea of my current diet. But I am losing weight and some strength, and size. I've been eating as much as I can the past couple of days and have gotten my weight up about a half pound. But its a lot of effort to force feed myself.

My goal is to lower cholesterol and be healthy because heart disease runs in the family. But I also, don't want to lose performance in the gym.

I'm still learning and have talked to other weightlifters in the gym that are eating less animal products.

Any suggestions? Or suggested threads to check out?

Thanks.

 

[Emma JC]

hi Turbolag

Welcome to the forum and congrats on switching to a healthier diet.

There is a lot of information here that can help you and lots of people that will offer thoughts and ideas.

Have you considered that you may not be eating enough calories? have you added beans or lentils to your diet. They are a great source of energy and protein. When I look at what you eat it looks like about a similar amount to what I would eat and I don't work out or lift weights and I maintain a healthy weight.

Including more whole carbs and less oils and processed foods may be helpful too.

Cronometer may be helpful for you - not something I use myself as I don't worry about calories but it might be helpful for you to see if you are eating enough. It is free https://cronometer.com/

All the best ! Emma JC

ps there are some good YouTubers that are vegan weight lifters - Jon Venus is one I admire as he and his 'now-wife' are very clean eating vegans, most of the time and don't consume extra oils. Jeff Morgan is another.