Cholesterol and Kefir.

  • posted by Chewbaca1975
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    I’ve very high cholesterol despite being on statins for years. Since I’m also on various antibiotics, I like the idea of trying new biome friendly foods to help repair the gut damage. I don’t like many of the fermented foods but I like the taste of many Kefir drinks / foods . However I’m told by GP to avoid them as they are usually full fat dairy based and so very poor for cholesterol . Anyone have good Kefir shop bought foods that aren’t bad for cholesterol? Many thanks.

  • posted by Firefox7275
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    The overall balance of fatty acids in the diet is key in managing hypercholesterolaemia. Most Westerners should substantially increase long chain omega-3s and monounsaturates, plus substantially reduce omega-6s and saturates. So far more oily fish, olives, avocados and hazelnuts; far less intensively farmed meat, processed dairy, sunflower and many other vegetable oils.

    Also consider that the percentage of fat in whole milk, kefir and live yoghurt pales into insignificance besides the percentage in many cuts of meat and hard cheese. And many Westerners have overly generous servings of meat and hard cheese. Recommended servings for adults in the UK are the size/ thickness of the palm for meat (100-150g) and a matchbox for hard cheese (30g).

    Furthermore the scientific evidence firmly backs a Mediterranean-style diet for heart health, complete with •full fat* traditionally produced cheeses! It may be that the sheep/ goats/ cows are pastured, or the beneficial bacteria and yeasts that age/ mature the cheese, or the plant foods eaten alongside the cheeses … Or all of the above. If your GP isn’t advocating a Med-style wholefood diet, consider requesting a referral to a registered dietician.

  • posted by Firefox7275
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    A really wide variety of (probiotic and prebiotic) wholefoods is key to the success of Clever Guts, and any healthy eating plan. For many of us that necessitates plenty of experimentation with recipes and repeated exposure to unfamiliar foods.

    If it is impossible to stop the antibiotics it will be particularly important to consume a really wide variety of probiotics each and every day. Dairy products and unfiltered/ unpasteurised apple cider vinegar are fairly easy to ‘disguise’ in soups, smoothies and salad dressings.

    HTH!

  • posted by GrahamSPhillips
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    The risks of raised cholesterol have been overstated; it all depends on the type of cholesterol and a lot of other parameters. In short, :”fat does NOT make you fat” (Sugar, carbs and processed foods do that) There are plenty of non-dairy fermented foods (Michael mentions them all in his book) but bottom line, Kefir will not cause you a cholesterol problem

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