Help with decreasing cholesterol in kids’ diet

[gatorsmom]

My dd just had her annual physical and was diagnosed with unusually high cholesterol. Both her HDL and her LDL are high. It’s odd because she dances at least 10 hours per week and she’s active in scouting. She also enjoys riding her bike. Her weight is healthy. She’s all muscle because of the dancing but isn’t skinny. She loves fresh fruit but also eats plenty of proteins and carbs. Dh had high cholesterol at one point and was on medication for it. Her Ped and I think her high cholesterol might be hereditary. Her Ped just told me that with her LDL level at 136, they will refer us to a dietician to see if we can make some changes to get her cholesterol down naturally before suggesting medication. MyChart had a basic information sheet attached recommending some dietary changes. She already does everything on the sheet.

I’m looking for healthy eating suggestions that will lower her cholesterol. I guess I’m hoping you moms have already got some suggestions a little more sophisticated than what is being suggested (add some fish to her diet, teach portion control, limit sugary juice, reduce sodium intake, encourage water intake, encourage well-balanced meals, etc.). We already do all of this. Any ideas?

[PunkyBoo]

Oats. Oats reduce bad cholesterol. Oatmeal, oats in smoothies, baked oatmeal, oatmeal cookies... It all works.

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[gatorsmom]

Oats. Oats reduce bad cholesterol. Oatmeal, oats in smoothies, baked oatmeal, oatmeal cookies... It all works.

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Is any particular kind better than another? Steel-cut, rolled, instant?

[PunkyBoo]

I don't think so. Probably the quick ones would be less effective because they're already somewhat processed and usually have more sugar.

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[PunkyBoo]

Here's more info:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-...l/art-20045192


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[gatorsmom]

Here's more info:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-...l/art-20045192


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Thanks for your help. We will have to find some meal and snack plans that incorporate oatmeal. I’m not sure how much she’ll need to eat for it to make a difference though. And as it turns out, she doesn’t like oatmeal, she just said. So maybe I can hide it in cookies or bars.

[MSWR0319]

We went through this with DS awhile back and they told us don’t eat out, fruits and veggies, oats, and low fat dairy. We already did most of those except he drank 2% instead of 1%. They lectured me like I fed him nothing but sugar and ate at fast food restaurants every day. They redid the test 6 months later and it was fine.

[gatorsmom]

We went through this with DS awhile back and they told us don’t eat out, fruits and veggies, oats, and low fat dairy. We already did most of those except he drank 2% instead of 1%. They lectured me like I fed him nothing but sugar and ate at fast food restaurants every day. They redid the test 6 months later and it was fine.

This is reassuring. Thank goodness the Ped didn’t lecture me- that wouldn’t have sat well with me. I see this Ped every 3 months for ds3’s ADHD med-checks so she should know me well or at least see from her notes that we don’t miss appointments, we keep up our visits with allergies and optical, and we ask for help when needed. Yeah, I would have been pissed if they started on me with talks about sugary drinks and fast food! Sorry you went through that.

I’ll push dd to eat more carrots, apples and I’ll keep oatmeal cookies to around the house. With the warmer weather I’ll encourage Ds1 to grill salmon more often. Dd loves his salmon. Hopefully all that will do the trick.

[PunkyBoo]

I remember at one point probably 15-20 years that I got high cholesterol reading and the only change I made was to eat one small bowl of oatmeal for breakfast each day. And the next blood test came back normal. So I don't think you need a lot to make a difference. But oats are pretty easy to add to things. My son adds them to his smoothies daily just to make it more filling. I make regular and peanut butter oatmeal cookies, baked oatmeal, oat based breads, overnight porridge, etc.

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[carolinamama]

I would concentrate on adding/eating more fruit, veggies and lean protein rather than what to take away. I always notice when I pack our diets with healthy foods, we all eat much less of the processed stuff. It's really more reframing, but it feels better mentally to eat more of something than to think some foods aren't allowed. Since she's young and fit, I bet a few tweaks will do the trick.