Hi,

I've recently been diagnosed with Type II diabetes (2 months ago), and besides being put on medications for both sugar and cholesterol have also been told to lose about 100 lbs. I'm a vegetarian, and have basically started on a low-carb diet (modified Atkins), using eggs & cheese as my main protein source, not paying too much attention to fats but targeting 6 carb exchanges/day and 8 protein exchanges/day (roughly). I use whole butter (margerine is not available where I am, besides, I don't want the trans fat), sunflower oil, and olive oil for cooking.

Had my first follow up appointment with the doctor today, and he's happy with my weight loss (14.5 lbs in 4 weeks) and my sugars have come down nicely. However, my LDL has gone up.

What attracted me to a low-carb diet in the first place was being able to eat eggs and cheese since I don't have too many other protein options available except for lentils (yellow dal), which I'm trying to limit due to the carb levels. Besides, I don't really enjoy lentils enough to eat them more than 1x day.

Any suggestions or ideas on what's going on? How to bring my LDL levels down?

Thanks!

I am not really in a position to answer your question, but I have read other people saying that their cholesterol readings went up at first when they started Atkins, but they dropped after that.

Check out the list of supplements Dr. Atkins suggests - perhaps he has some suggestions for cholesterol.

I believe that fiber is important for cholesterol levels. I use coconut flour to increase my fiber intake without affecting my blood sugar levels. I only add 1-2 teaspoonfuls daily - I make crepes with it, or add to it to other meals. Flax seed is very popular too, but I haven't tried it yet, so I can't comment.

With regard to oils - olive oil is best eaten raw, or for cooking very gently.. If you use it for frying, the chemical structure changes, and it becomes more like a trans fat. Coconut oil can be used for frying more safely. Here is some information about a study which shows that it can raise the good cholesterol:

http://www.coconut-info.com/mary_enig_cholesterol.htm

I'd also suggest that you use more raw garlic, ginger, turmeric and fenugreek - they have all been shown by research trials to improve cholesterol levels.

Best wishes and good luck.

Don't worry about the LDL. On low carb when your triglycerides fall your LDL will turn into big, fat LDL which is harmless. It will take awhile for your triglycerides to get to where they should be (under 100, or ideally even lower) but they should fall by about 25% every few months.

I tend to agree with Nancy. Try not to worry about your cholesterol too much. The establishment has everyone in a frenzie about it but that is dollar driven because the cholesterol drugs are one of their top selling products. The statins you are prescribed to lower cholesterol are harmful. The side effects mosstly irreversible. At least if you want to keep taking them, please take CoQ10, an important enzyme for heart health but which is depleted by the use of statins.

To back up what I just said, please google for: Myths of Cholesterol. From there you will find lots of links to other website pages. Another place where you can find info about the big scam is mercola.com or curezone.com.

You're gonna be alright

Hanneke

I second this.

Avocado oil is my personal favorite for cooking even though it smells odd. It's basically the same as coconut in that it won't turn to trans fat when heated. If you do use olive oil or sunflower oil, make sure you put the virgin presses (I love this: http://www.cosmosveganshoppe.com/Me...duct_Code=VEEFA )on raw food, but use only special refined ones for cooking. Spectrum Naturals has nice organic oil sprays that say exactly what level heat they are made for.

Have you tried tofu before? It's healthier than egg and cheese protein, imo. Also, try incorporating some nuts not only for healthy fat and protein, but fiber as well.

I also recommend this supplement:

http://www.vitacost.com/Peter-Gillh...c-Life-Vitamins

It has a lot more special ingredients than the typical multivitamin such as MSM, choline, noni juice, aloe vera, etc. which have been shown to improve cholesterol.