Lowering Blood Pressure and Cholesterol (raised from T)

[Nygeel]

Hello, all. Wasn't completely sure where to place this so here I am. Since being on testosterone my cholesterol has gone up. Hormones are partially to blame, as is genetics, diet, and low amount of exercise. I'm working on fixing these things to the best of my ability while taking a low dose statin.

So, I've been trying to navigate food in general. I'm not sure what sort of diet would be best for this issue and there is a bit of conflicting information out there about some things. One of the big things I'm kinda stuck on is fat/saturated fat. Today I looked at the nutritional info of a vegan pizza which was high in saturated fats. I know that saturated fats are overall "bad" but since they're plant based would this be bad/good/ok to eat?

In terms of exercise I'm looking at doing somewhere in the ballpark of 30 minutes of cardio 5 days a week minimum with some weight lifting.

My diet right now includes oatmeal for breakfast with an omega 3 fish oil pill, spinach salad or quinoa salad for lunch and whatever for dinner. I've cut my cheese consumption to a sprinkling maybe once a week. Meat, I used to eat a lot of beef but now I'm cutting down to grilled or baked chicken breast (no breading) every now and then. Never was a fish eater and don't plan on starting.

I know I'm on the right track but could use a bit more guidance.

[Dena]

I love olive oil in cooking and if you do your own cooking you can control the fats far better than when you purchase ready made food. Strange as it may seem butter is better for you than margarine but you still should be careful how much you use. Use low fat milk and avoid cream.

As for fish, a white fish like cod seasoned with spices and baked may be something that you would enjoy and would still be diet friendly. I love salmon grilled over a fire but it's costly and I am not fond of farmed salmon.

[Nygeel]

I love olive oil in cooking and if you do your own cooking you can control the fats far better than when you purchase ready made food. Strange as it may seem butter is better for you than margarine but you still should be careful how much you use. Use low fat milk and avoid cream.

As for fish, a white fish like cod seasoned with spices and baked may be something that you would enjoy and would still be diet friendly. I love salmon grilled over a fire but it's costly and I am not fond of farmed salmon.

Can I get a source on that butter vs margarine thing?

I just don't drink or use milk or cream except with cheese which is sparingly. Hate fish, can't eat it at all.

[Dena]

The problem with margarine is hydrogenation. When the label contains that word, you are better off with butter. I capture two link that will show you both sides of the story. As for fish, I hate fish that taste fishy or fish with bones in it. Cod and salmon eliminate both of those problems. There are other white fish that don't taste fishy but they aren't as common.
Cod is most often used in fish and chips so if you can beg a taste from a friend sometime, you might discover you like it.

https://authoritynutrition.com/butter-vs-margarine/

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/butter-vs-margarine/faq-20058152

[FTMax]

Sounds like you've got it pretty sorted. Prior to considering any additional surgeries, I had no real diet restrictions. I just ate whatever. Now that bottom surgery is happening, and soon, I've been pushing to lose as much weight as possible. I've lost a little over 30lbs since last October with just a few changes to what I eat. I only just started working out regularly. Initially, I had 3 meal sized portions and 4-5 snack items per day, usually with 2-3 hours between each. Each time I ate it was somewhere between 100-300 calories:

- Breakfast: Protein shake w/ whole grain waffle and peanut butter
- Lunch: PB&J sandwich
- Dinner: Rice or lentils with vegetables and chicken
- Snacks: Nutrigrain bars, bananas/apples, yogurt, those 100-calorie type snack size packs of crackers/cookies, etc.

I'm eating mostly vegan now (with a few exceptions as I clear food out of the house), but using the same above routine. Just swapped the chicken for tofu or fake meat products. On Sundays, I make 14 meals for the week (they're 200 calories, so I usually eat 2 per day), and sandwiches for every day of the week. I also pre-bag my snacks that I take to work so packing my lunch is really quick. As far as fat intake, fat can be good or bad. Like you said, it really depends where it's coming from. I think most vegetable based fats are fine.

If you aren't already, track your water intake and try to get around 100oz per day. That improved a lot of my health stuff. I only recently started exercising regularly. I run every other day and lift on the days in between. I think as long as you're working out at least every other day, you're good.

Anyway, I hope that helped a little bit. If you need tips on meals or anything like that, feel free to PM me. I looooove meal prepping and I know I wouldn't be as successful with my diet if I didn't do it.

[Nygeel]

Sounds like you've got it pretty sorted. Prior to considering any additional surgeries, I had no real diet restrictions. I just ate whatever. Now that bottom surgery is happening, and soon, I've been pushing to lose as much weight as possible. I've lost a little over 30lbs since last October with just a few changes to what I eat. I only just started working out regularly. Initially, I had 3 meal sized portions and 4-5 snack items per day, usually with 2-3 hours between each. Each time I ate it was somewhere between 100-300 calories:

- Breakfast: Protein shake w/ whole grain waffle and peanut butter
- Lunch: PB&J sandwich
- Dinner: Rice or lentils with vegetables and chicken
- Snacks: Nutrigrain bars, bananas/apples, yogurt, those 100-calorie type snack size packs of crackers/cookies, etc.

I'm eating mostly vegan now (with a few exceptions as I clear food out of the house), but using the same above routine. Just swapped the chicken for tofu or fake meat products. On Sundays, I make 14 meals for the week (they're 200 calories, so I usually eat 2 per day), and sandwiches for every day of the week. I also pre-bag my snacks that I take to work so packing my lunch is really quick. As far as fat intake, fat can be good or bad. Like you said, it really depends where it's coming from. I think most vegetable based fats are fine.

If you aren't already, track your water intake and try to get around 100oz per day. That improved a lot of my health stuff. I only recently started exercising regularly. I run every other day and lift on the days in between. I think as long as you're working out at least every other day, you're good.

Anyway, I hope that helped a little bit. If you need tips on meals or anything like that, feel free to PM me. I looooove meal prepping and I know I wouldn't be as successful with my diet if I didn't do it.

Right, I'm not looking to lose weight. I'd be content staying the same weight. I'm just focusing on improving my cholesterol and blood pressure. So we have very different goals in mind.

[Nygeel]

The problem with margarine is hydrogenation. When the label contains that word, you are better off with butter. I capture two link that will show you both sides of the story. As for fish, I hate fish that taste fishy or fish with bones in it. Cod and salmon eliminate both of those problems. There are other white fish that don't taste fishy but they aren't as common.
Cod is most often used in fish and chips so if you can beg a taste from a friend sometime, you might discover you like it.

https://authoritynutrition.com/butter-vs-margarine/

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/butter-vs-margarine/faq-20058152

Second link doesn't work. The first describes trans fats as toxic and I feel a little weird about any site that describes something people eat as being toxic. I mean, in certain amounts water is toxic.

[FTMax]

Right, I'm not looking to lose weight. I'd be content staying the same weight. I'm just focusing on improving my cholesterol and blood pressure. So we have very different goals in mind.

Fair enough. Blood pressure is easy to drop through weight loss though.

[Nygeel]

Fair enough. Blood pressure is easy to drop through weight loss though.

It's more the cholesterol I'm worried about. My LDL is 200 should be under 100, my HDL is 40 which is the low end of the acceptable spectrum.

[Dena]

Second link doesn't work. The first describes trans fats as toxic and I feel a little weird about any site that describes something people eat as being toxic. I mean, in certain amounts water is toxic.

The second link works for me so it must be blocked somehow or another but there is the important part of the article.

Margarine usually tops butter when it comes to heart health.

Margarine is made from vegetable oils, so it contains unsaturated "good" fats — polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. These types of fats help reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad," cholesterol when substituted for saturated fat.

Butter, on the other hand, is made from animal fat, so it contains more saturated fat.

But not all margarines are created equal — some margarines contain trans fat. In general, the more solid the margarine, the more trans fat it contains. So stick margarines usually have more trans fat than tub margarines do.

Trans fat, like saturated fat, increases blood cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease. In addition, trans fat lowers high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol levels. So skip the stick and opt for soft or liquid margarine instead.

[nbnik]

I'm vegan, have been for about 11 years, and I've always had good cholesterol numbers and decent blood pressure numbers. I heard that T can raise these, but obviously, it's hard to say whether it will have that sort of effect on me, or as much of an effect, given my atypical diet.

At the doctor a month ago, my blood pressure was something like 140 over 100. The other day at the pharmacy, it was 138 over 70. Both are a bit high for me. I have been restricting my intake quite a lot lately (which is a whole other thing, not related to T and just my own neuroses) but I had been doing relatively well prior to that, I think, aside from probably overeating some after first starting T.

*EDIT* The 140 over 100 number at the doctor, the nurse had said that was likely just nerves, but I've never had that sort of a reaction to being in a doctor's office, so I'm not wholly convinced. But it is possible, for me and anyone else. So I would advise anyone who's worried about BP to check it in other settings. (I realize OP is concerned also about blood lipids. I can't speak to those, but the two do often go hand in hand.)

Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone knows about T and being vegan, whether these things are still somewhat likely to happen. I'm 26 years old, 27 in June, so as far as the BP numbers, well, that might just be a consequence of getting older. But I can't say for sure if that's something that happens predictably in my family, since I don't have contact with a lot of them, and the ones I do have vastly different habits from mine.

[arice]

I know cis men (including atheletes) who are vegan so I'm sure you can make it work if you want to.


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[Deborah]

I lowered my cholesterol by eating garlic, drinking chamomile tea, and exercising.


Sapere Aude

[arice]

Hello, all. Wasn't completely sure where to place this so here I am. Since being on testosterone my cholesterol has gone up. Hormones are partially to blame, as is genetics, diet, and low amount of exercise. I'm working on fixing these things to the best of my ability while taking a low dose statin.

So, I've been trying to navigate food in general. I'm not sure what sort of diet would be best for this issue and there is a bit of conflicting information out there about some things. One of the big things I'm kinda stuck on is fat/saturated fat. Today I looked at the nutritional info of a vegan pizza which was high in saturated fats. I know that saturated fats are overall "bad" but since they're plant based would this be bad/good/ok to eat?

In terms of exercise I'm looking at doing somewhere in the ballpark of 30 minutes of cardio 5 days a week minimum with some weight lifting.

My diet right now includes oatmeal for breakfast with an omega 3 fish oil pill, spinach salad or quinoa salad for lunch and whatever for dinner. I've cut my cheese consumption to a sprinkling maybe once a week. Meat, I used to eat a lot of beef but now I'm cutting down to grilled or baked chicken breast (no breading) every now and then. Never was a fish eater and don't plan on starting.

I know I'm on the right track but could use a bit more guidance.

The best advice for using diet to lower cholesterol is to eat more fiber. Now that you are on T, you will want to increase your fiber intake to the level suggested by men. That value is at least 38 grams/day. Depending on your portion sizes, I expect that you do not meet this value. A nutrition tracker would give you your current levels. Tips to increase fiber consumption:
1. Eat whole grains. I suggest a breakfast of steel cut oats with fruit (berries are high in fiber) and chia seeds (high in fiber, protein and healthy fats). I would limit refined grains and flours.
If you like pasta, bean noodles are very high in fiber and protein. They don't taste like wheat noodles but they work well in pasta tosses and Asian noodle dishes.
2. Beans are your friends. They are high in fiber and protein. Some studies suggest that you should eat a cup a day... that is a lot of beans... I would start by tossing 0.5 cup in salads at lunch.
3. Eat vegetables... lots of vegetables... more than you ever imagined eating... make your vegetable portions large and eat them first. If you are having a salad, aim for 5-6 cups of veggies: 3 cups of greens and 0.5 cup of each of a bunch of different veggies. Eat lots of veggies with cooked meals too.
4. Eat a 1 oz portion of nuts per day.

You can also lower your intake of fats by cutting oils used in cooking. As a general rule, fats are healthiest when they are part of a whole food. Cook veggies in lemon juice or water. Avoid fried foods.

Studies are showing that butter is healthier than margarine... but that you are probably better off minimizing both.

I didn't mention meat because I have been vegetarian for over 20 years and while I have done a lot of reading on nutrition, I have focused on vegetarian and vegan nutrition so I can't speak to the effects of meat on cholesterol levels.
Good luck!

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