Cholesterol -- Oatmeal

[chinaco]

Did oatmeal work for you?

My cholesterol was a little high (a little over 200) a couple of years back. My doctor commented that I needed to keep an eye on it. If it continued to increase, he commented that I might eventually need to use a statin.

But he suggested that I change my diet a little.

Well, I didn't change my diet much... I do eat too much read meat (my vice).... my excuse... I need some substantial food to wash down with my beer... I digress

The change I made was to begin eating oatmeal for breakfast.

It worked for me. Pulled it down by 30+ points... it varies from year to year (when I am tested) to 25 to 30 lower than it was at its peak. I am now within what is considered a healthy level.

Of course, oatmeal by itself is kind of like eating wall paper paste... so I have been using the flavored packets.


Recently I tried this recipe... it is pretty good. Thought I would share it with those of you that eat oatmeal.

Banana Cream Oatmeal Recipe - Breakfast.Food.com - 126722

 

[rescueme]

Did oatmeal work for you?

No, even though I ate it for breakfast, 7 days a week for over a year.

Since U asked...

 

[braumeister]

I've seen the claim that oatmeal (or most any soluble fiber) can lower cholesterol, but I've never seen any good description of the mechanism by which it could work.

So for me it's purely anecdotal.

 

[Major Tom]

I don't remember the figures now but a few years ago, my doctor told me that my LDL was a little high. She wanted to put me on drugs, but I asked her to give me a month to control it by diet. She reluctantly agreed, and I immediately started having oatmeal with a sliced banana on top every morning. It did the trick.

I eat several bowls of oatmeal a day now. Love the stuff.

 

[eytonxav]

I believe oatmeal is very good for both LDL and is a more slow digesting carb for blood glucose levels vs other breakfast cereals. Also, fish oil 2x/day has helped me.

 

[rgarling]

...
The change I made was to begin eating oatmeal for breakfast.
...

Did you do anything else? (e.g. cut back calories, exercise more, lose weight?)

What were you eating before you switched to oatmeal?

 

[Sconie]

I tired the oatmeal route, but it didn't have much of an impact on my cholesterol level. Doc put me on 10mg of Lipitor----->that dropped me from 210 down to the mid-150s.

 

[skyvue]

I have tried to force myself to eat oatmeal for breakfast but just can't fact it or stand the stuff. I essentially would rather not eat breakfast than to be forced to eat this stuf. Maybe I will give this a try. How long does it take you to make this?

Oatmeal is relatively high in calories when you add things to it. I would like to lower my cholesterol but need to lose weight worse than that. I have found two eggs (160 cals), two slices of bacon (70 cals) and one slice of low carb (lite) toast (45 cals) has fewer calories than the normal oatmeal recipies and keeps me feeling "full" longer.

 

[Nords]

Did you do anything else? (e.g. cut back calories, exercise more, lose weight?)
What were you eating before you switched to oatmeal?

I've never been willing to submit myself to the sort of controlled, even double-blind, scientific studies necessary to prove that my diet is responsible for the precise change (let alone the quantity) I've been expecting.

I just see it as a mid-morning snack. I throw a cup of oats in a bowl, add a dozen grapes & a cup of soy milk, microwave it for a minute, and stir in some cinnamon. It keeps me from eating chocolate chips for an after-breakfast treat.

Ever since we became empty nesters, that's about the most complicated cooking we do.

 

[Dimsumkid]

I could never eat the Quaker Oats type oatmeal, then I switched over to McCann's steel cut oats. What a difference it made! It's got a texture more like barley with some chewiness. I add cinnamon, cranberries, raisins, milk and some honey. The only downside is it takes 30 minutes cooking time, so I usually make 4 servings at a time.

 

[pimpmyretirement]

My typical breakfast is:

1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tsp brown sugar
1-2 Tbsp raisins
cinnamon
1-2oz mixed nuts

I heat water for tea, mix everything but the nuts, add 3/4c of boiling water and microwave for a minute. Once it cools, I mix in the nuts and eat it. The oatmeal is much chewier than instant packets, almost a warm granola.

I eat this because it is easy, tasty, filling and inexpensive (about 60 cents a bowl). I have no idea what my cholesterol is.

 

[Mulligan]

About a year ago, I had just started eating oatmeal with cup of walnuts added to it, along with fish oil when I last did cholesterol testing. My numbers were well within normal ranges, but I wanted to lower them as they were higher than previous years. I told my doctor about it, and he scoffed at me saying I would need to eat pounds of the stuff to do anything and that fish oil would poison me with mercury. Had his pad ready to write script for Lipitor and that prescription fish oil. I declined , and will test shortly to see if any of my diet changes helped. Although I am not planning on taking a mercury poisoning test though.

 

[Alan]

I just see it as a mid-morning snack. I throw a cup of oats in a bowl, add a dozen grapes & a cup of soy milk, microwave it for a minute, and stir in some cinnamon. It keeps me from eating chocolate chips for an after-breakfast treat.

Do you ever get the grapes to explode? Sounds like fun

 

[W2R]

Oatmeal doesn't seem to affect my cholesterol levels at all.

 

[sailor]

then I switched over to McCann's steel cut oats. ... The only downside is it takes 30 minutes cooking time, so I usually make 4 servings at a time.

Have you tried microwaving if you are in a hurry? We use Steel Cut Oats - Bob's Red Mill, add water and sweetened cranberries (a.k.a. Craisins) and microwave on high for 6.5 minutes.
No idea about cholesterol.

 

[Mulligan]

Have you tried microwaving if you are in a hurry? We use Steel Cut Oats - Bob's Red Mill, add water and sweetened cranberries (a.k.a. Craisins) and microwave on high for 6.5 minutes.
No idea about cholesterol.

I have read on more than one occasion the steel cut oats have more nutrition and cholesterol fighting agents than the instant. I have looked for "steel cut" and have never found any that mentions they are. Maybe they are called steel cut because they take forever to cook and soften up to eat?

 

[haha]

Did oatmeal work for you?

My cholesterol was a little high (a little over 200) a couple of years back. My doctor commented that I needed to keep an eye on it. If it continued to increase, he commented that I might eventually need to use a statin.

But he suggested that I change my diet a little.

Well, I didn't change my diet much... I do eat too much read meat (my vice).... my excuse... I need some substantial food to wash down with my beer... I digress

The change I made was to begin eating oatmeal for breakfast.

It worked for me. Pulled it down by 30+ points... it varies from year to year (when I am tested) to 25 to 30 lower than it was at its peak. I am now within what is considered a healthy level.

Of course, oatmeal by itself is kind of like eating wall paper paste... so I have been using the flavored packets.


Recently I tried this recipe... it is pretty good. Thought I would share it with those of you that eat oatmeal.

Banana Cream Oatmeal Recipe - Breakfast.Food.com - 126722

Do you also have before and after oatmeal HDL and triglycerides values?

I never see discussion of how oatmeal affects these.

Ha

 

[Dimsumkid]

Have you tried microwaving if you are in a hurry? We use Steel Cut Oats - Bob's Red Mill, add water and sweetened cranberries (a.k.a. Craisins) and microwave on high for 6.5 minutes.
No idea about cholesterol.

Sure, you need to really watch it when you do it this way, it boils over very quickly. I don't like the texture changes when you microwave it. Also have tried the soak overnight in a pot which works pretty well too. That's why I make 3-4 servings at a time, next few servings you just reheat in the microwave in < 1 min.

 

[happy2bretired]

Do you also have before and after oatmeal HDL and triglycerides values?

I never see discussion of how oatmeal affects these.

Ha

I was eating quite a lot of oatmeal a couple of years ago and my triglycerides were in the 250 range. After switching to blueberries and yogurt for breakfast instead of the oatmeal, my triglycerides went down into the 80s and low 100s.

 

[haha]

I was eating quite a lot of oatmeal a couple of years ago and my triglycerides were in the 250 range. After switching to blueberries and yogurt for breakfast instead of the oatmeal, my triglycerides went down into the 80s and low 100s.

Thanks, this is what one might expect, but I have never seen mention of it.

Ha

 

[tuckeverlasting]

I eat lots of Bob's Red Mill Organic Steel-cut Oats, and beans, which are also rich in soluble fiber. My total cholesterol is 139. Don't have current numbers for HDL, LDL or triglycerides.

Once you get used to the steel-cut oats, rolled oats are so much mush. I will never go back.

 

[powerplay]

I eat lots of Bob's Red Mill Organic Steel-cut Oats, and beans, which are also rich in soluble fiber. My total cholesterol is 139. Don't have current numbers for HDL, LDL or triglycerides.

Once you get used to the steel-cut oats, rolled oats are so much mush. I will never go back.

+1
I love steel-cut oats and McCann's is my favorite brand. After the good stuff oatmeal is not great and the instant oatmeal is just awful.

 

[tuckeverlasting]

+1
I love steel-cut oats and McCann's is my favorite brand. After the good stuff oatmeal is not great and the instant oatmeal is just awful.

Yes I am kind of addicted to my oats and have them every day. You can also get whole oat groats...the steel-cut are just the groats cut into 2 or 3 pieces.

 

[chinaco]

Did you do anything else? (e.g. cut back calories, exercise more, lose weight?)

What were you eating before you switched to oatmeal?

Nope! Same eating habits, same weight (+/- 5 lbs), no change in exercise.

 

[chinaco]

Do you also have before and after oatmeal HDL and triglycerides values?

I never see discussion of how oatmeal affects these.

Ha

Yes. I have been tracking it for several years... have gotten blood work for the last 10 years or so annually. I have several of the test results prior to and after! I don't remember the individual results for those readings.

But, I thought that oatmeal (if it worked) affected LDL.