u/Imaginary-Carrot-316

Hi everyone, 40M here. I had posted my Lipid panel 10 months ago here

https://www.reddit.com/r/Cholesterol/comments/1lvdnr1/is_statin_required_for_my_bloodwork_or_dietary/

Back then my numbers were:

• Total Cholesterol: 221
• LDL: 158
• HDL: 36.6
• Triglycerides: 130

A few days ago, I had my latest lipid panel done and I’m happy to say the numbers improved quite a bit through diet and lifestyle changes alone:

• Total Cholesterol: 182
• LDL: 117
• HDL: 33.6
• Triglycerides: 129

I do not have diabetes and my fasting glucose averages around 90.

Over the last 10 months, I experimented with small, sustainable dietary changes to see whether I could improve my cholesterol naturally. Below are the changes I made (my regular breakfast/lunch/dinner routine is listed in the original post linked above).

1. I used to have 2-3 whole eggs daily. I instead changed this to 2 egg whites and 1 tsp of yolk when making Omlet or scrambled. I simply don’t enjoy plain egg whites, so this compromise made the change sustainable for me.

2. I reduced my white sandwich bread intake from 3 slices to 2 slices per day. Not a big change but small sustainable changes is what I prefer. One thing that shocked me was discovering that nearly all baked foods where I live contain palm oil and palm oil emulsifiers. I used to eat a lot of bread and bakery products before paying attention to labels. Palm oil seems to be everywhere these days, so it may be worth checking ingredient labels or asking local bakeries directly.

3. I eat around 5 to 6oz of chicken thighs almost daily, usually cooked in a mild curry/stew. I dont enjoy chicken breast or leaner cuts. However what I changed here was, I removed all visible white fat from chicken thighs before cooking them. 10 months back I would keep the thigh fat as is when cooking. This small change may have helped cut down on saturated fat quite a lot.

4. For fiber, the only vegetables I tolerate well are okra (lady finger), cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. During these 10 months, I made a point to eat cooked okra almost daily with lunch because I had read about its soluble fiber benefits (Strongest food bile binder)

5. I didnt include any oats or psyllium during these 10 months, mainly because my gut does not tolerate most starch and fibers well. I have Hypo/Histamine/MCAS/EDS so I have to be very careful and selective with my dietary choices.

6. Macadamias were the only nuts I tolerated well, and I used to eat them daily. However, they are quite high in saturated fat, so I stopped eating them regularly. I believe this helped as well.

7. I still indulged in fast food 2-3 times a month. I like fried chicken, however, instead of eating 4 pieces in a meal, I cut it down to 2 pieces. I also remove about 95% of the fried breading and eat mostly the meat. I completely stopped eating fries and coleslaw.

8. I am also a big fan of Chicken Biryani (Indian/Pakistani rice dish) . Problem is restaurants make this dish with massive amounts or clarified butter, full fat yoghurt and animal fat, which makes the dish a cholesterol bomb. I stopped eating restaurant biryani altogether, learned the recipe online and now make a modified home made version to satisfy my taste buds.

9. Over these 10 months, I lost 7 kg (102 kg down to 95 kg) mainly through the dietary changes above and simple walking for 45 minutes to 1 hour daily, thats it, no special heavy workouts or HIIT cardio or anything else. I am hypothyroid and not on any medication, so loosing this much weight was a miracle as loosing even 0.5 kgs with hypothyroidism is a big challenge.

Next Goals:

• Reduce LDL below 100. I am considering either cutting sandwich bread entirely or finding/making my own bread without palm oil.
• Increase soluble fiber further. Possibly adding some okra with dinner as well.
• Reduce chicken frequency. Maybe introduce 2 “no chicken” days per week.
• Improve HDL and triglycerides further.

I know there is always room for improvement when it comes to health, but overall I am genuinely happy with the progress I’ve made through the above modest and sustainable dietary changes.

I’ll update again if I make any significant progress in the coming months.

Thanks to everyone on this forum for sharing information and helping each other out.

40M here with the trifecta of Histamine Intolerance/MCAS/EDS. Recently started noticing lots of gray hairs around the temples, and am looking into safe options for covering them.

Unfortunately, my scalp is extremely sensitive to most conventional hair dyes, as well as henna and indigo. I also react poorly to many plant and seed oils, saturated fats, and fragrances, so finding tolerable products has been difficult. Stalemate situation almost.

Has anyone with similar sensitivities found a way to dye or blend gray hair safely? Open to hearing about products, techniques, or even non dye alternatives that worked for you.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or experiences.