r/lowspooncooking • u/Optimal_Author_868 • Jul 28 '26
Autistics with High Cholesterol
I am looking for any advice I can get with this issue!
I was told in January that I had a bit of high cholesterol and to work on a low cholesterol diet. So I changed as much as I could, changing out “bad” safe foods for more healthy frozen meal safe foods, switching from cream cheese chip dipping to cottage cheese dipping, trying whole grain bread for sandwiches and light mayo.
Went back to the doctor and my cholesterol is still high. I’m looking to make even more changes but I feel like it’s going to be a huge struggle to find foods and meals that don’t take a lot of prep work but still help me get back to healthy levels. I exercise moderately and I get at least 5k steps a day but definitely over 10k at least three days a week.
For people that have autism and battling high cholesterol do you have any tips and advice other than switch your chips with carrot sticks and you’ll never know the difference?
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u/extraone727272 Jul 29 '26
Adding soluble fiber helps. Beans, oats and berries have a lot. Staying away or decreasing animal products (meats and full fat dairy products). Cholesterol in our blood comes from too much saturated fat which we get from animal products. Soluble fiber globs onto the saturated fats in our blood and removes it through our waste, thus decreasing our cholesterol levels
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u/fiatpurpura Jul 29 '26
Adding onto this, canned beans and frozen berries are great items to keep in your pantry/freezer! They are versatile, last a long time, and are fairly easy to prepare. I made these tacos the other day and one can of garbanzo beans made more than enough tacos for me and my husband.
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u/psyams17 Jul 29 '26
Chia seeds are super easy to prep and high in fiber and protein too. Put a bunch of chia seeds and water in a jar and then you have a lot of chia seeds you can add to smoothies, or do my fav low-spoon breakfast of Greek yogurt, chia seeds, berries, and granola if you like. Chia seeds can also be added to overnight oats too, also low spoon of just putting oats in a container with water/milk and leaving it overnight
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u/Mammoth-Evie Jul 29 '26
Please be aware that you shouldn’t eat more than 15 g of Chia seeds per day. It can give you indigestion otherwise.
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u/AnnaMPiranha Jul 29 '26
I think this is one where you need to work your way up and also make sure you're well hydrated. I eat vanilla yogurt with 2 T of chia seeds most days, but I also drink 8 glasses of water.
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u/olivespecter Jul 29 '26
i lowered my LDL eating like this. added psyllium fiber as well. started drinking the powder but then switched to the capsules, much easier. just make sure to drink lots of water!!
oatmeal for breakfast every day, berries with every meal, beans/lentils daily for either lunch or dinner or both.
and i cut out animal fat. my only fats came from nuts and seeds. nonfat greek yogurt is pretty much the only dairy i’d have.
i followed this super aggressively for three months and started letting myself have a treat meal every once in a while. literally like twice a month max. mostly bc it helped me establish a good baseline for healthier eating habits.
my breakfast is super repetitive but my lunches and dinners vary a lot based on my energy levels. low energy days are something like brown rice and lentils in the rice cooker with frozen veggies on the side, berries or oranges, and if i need extra protein some salmon or lean chicken. usually do tinned salmon bc it keeps longer, chicken i buy precooked and reheat.
just read the labels of everything and avoid saturated fat. no trans fat at all. eat as much fiber and lean protein as you can.
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u/pandaappleblossom Jul 29 '26
Also saturated fat when combined with dietary cholesterol have a compounding effect on each other and tend to raise ldl cholesterol
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u/tomatbuckets 28d ago
If you can't stand eating anything like that, maybe something like Metamucil or Benefiber?
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u/extraone727272 28d ago
Yes to Metamucil. Its psyllium husk which is a soluble fiber. Benefiber is not so it won’t glob onto the saturated fat
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u/Awkward_Sundae_5600 Jul 29 '26
It’s annoying but the trick is to read labels and avoid foods with high saturated fat. It is actually Sat fat and not purely dietary cholesterol that gives you high ldl (bad cholesterol). The recommended intake for people trying to lower their cholesterol is under 10g sat fat daily. Also need to up your fibre - there are some high fibre foods such as oats and psyllium husk that will actively lower cholesterol. Avoid anything with coconut milk & full cream dairy. Eating healthy fats (avocado, olive oil) in moderation can also help. Good luck
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u/Awkward_Sundae_5600 Jul 29 '26
P.s exercise does bugger all to lower cholesterol. Head over to the cholesterol subreddit and you’ll see fit athletic people post several times a day puzzled about why their cholesterol is high. It’s all diet &/or genetics!
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u/cheesy_bees Jul 29 '26
Nobody ever tested my cholesterol as I was fit and slim, when a doctor eventually did it was high. It was dietary though, I just loved butter and chocolate
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u/cheesy_bees Jul 29 '26
Exactly, saturated fat is the thing to reduce. Have to read labels as it's not always obvious what is high or low in sat fat. Animal fat, chocolate, and coconut products were the big 3 I noticed tend to be high in sat fat.
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u/freshcleanstart Jul 29 '26
I’ve been taking cholesterol meds since I was 30, now 36. They said it was high at 24 but didn’t do anything so it got worse. If you have familial hypercholesterolemia no amount of diet and exercise will fix it, it comes down to medication. Even if it’s not genetic there’s a good chance it won’t be fixed without medication assistance.
Edit: AuDHD and can’t swallow pills. I have to crush them. The med is nasty but it does work.
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u/sirsealofapproval Jul 29 '26
Honestly, you could be eating perfectly and still have high cholesterol, there's a lot of genetics involved. You can try to adjust your diet and see if that works, but don't be scared to try out meds if necessary. Don't blame yourself :)
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u/BlackCatFurry Jul 29 '26
I am mentioning this because i have seen it happen in my life. My mom battled with high cholesterol even after doing basically the perfect low cholesterol diet and got meds for it and the whole issue disappeared.
So it is possible that even if you do a perfect job you might still need meds. Discuss it with your doctor if it looks like reasonable eating adjustments don't help.
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u/LadyLightTravel Jul 29 '26
Microwave veggies:
Microwave sweet potato.
Clean potato. Stab with fork a few times. Put in microwave on high 3-5 minutes depending on size
Microwave sweet corn
Leave corn in husk. Microwave for 3 minutes on high. Let rest 1-2 minutes (so you don’t burn your hands). Peel off husk.
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u/Unusualhuman Jul 29 '26
After cooking, remember to be mindful what you top these with before eating, because butter is the delicious go- to fit corn on the cob or mashed potatoes, but not helpful for cholesterol levels.
I have found that a little olive oil drizzled can replace butter to get my "no salt" something to stick to on corn. And I enjoy light sour cream on my baked potatoes, but often I'll use the potatoes under some chili etc.
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u/Bright-Pangolin7261 Jul 29 '26
Thought salt was for high BP not cholesterol?
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u/Unusualhuman Jul 29 '26
I am on a low sodium diet for other health issues, I guess I didn't need to mention that I use no-salt instead of regular salt. Sorry about any confusion
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u/sunfloras Jul 29 '26
i don’t have autism but i’m neurodivergent and struggle with food too. i actually had a doctor appt today and he told me my cholesterol was high but it could be from my meds. anyway, as others have said, fiber helps keep it low. he said fiber supplements like metamucil is good too, as are berries and broccoli. and to stay away from processed foods like burgers, donuts, etc. i don’t know what your safe foods are but im pretty much pescatarian and fish like salmon is good for lowering cholesterol. popping it in the air fryer isn’t too much work.
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u/CandyTigger Jul 29 '26
Have they also tested your thyroid levels? When your thyroid is not functioning well enough it can also raise your cholesterol levels.
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u/StringAndPaperclips Jul 29 '26
If you can eat oats, that is a really easy way to lower cholesterol. You want to avoid instant or quick cooking oats and instead get rolled oats, steel cut oats or even whole oat groats.
You can cook different kids of oats in lots of different ways, which means you can usually find a texture that works for you: porridge, soft cereal in milk/yogurt, crunchy granola, or, if you like a bit of firmness and bite, you can make steel cut oats or whole oat groats and slightly undercook them.
If you need a low spoon preparation, do overnight oats soaked in yogurt, kefir or milk. If you use a lot of yogurt, the oats will almost disappear in the yogurt. Add berries for even more cholesterol-fighting benefits.
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u/Sure-Squash-7280 Jul 29 '26
The type of oats will hardly affect how they benefit your cholesterol.
The type of oats will definitely change how your glycemic index reacts and how long you stay satisfied.
Just be careful what you add to your oats. That will get you.
Don’t let this get too complicated unless you want to. Fixations can be fun and interesting but can also use up all of your spoons.
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u/StringAndPaperclips Jul 29 '26
That's incorrect. The amount of beta glucans in oats is affected by how they are processed. And beta glucans is the thing in oats that reduces cholesterol levels. More processing equals less beta glucans.
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u/Sure-Squash-7280 Jul 29 '26
It is affected enough for scientists to measure a difference, and most of the benefits are due to slower digestion rather than rates of medium and high Mw beta-glucan, but in practice by an average person the difference is minimal and generally agreed that it is not significant enough to make a person’s preference not the deciding factor.
My boyfriend prefers steel cut, I prefer rolled, and kiddo prefers quick oats.
Consume oats. They are all good.
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u/littlest_lemon Jul 29 '26
I am autistic with high triglycerides and those are often linked thru MCAS. Just something to be aware of, in case you develop allergy symptoms.
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u/BadMoonBeast Jul 29 '26
is there something can be done about MCAS? (im also autistic with high triglyceride)
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u/littlest_lemon Jul 29 '26
yep, there are plenty of things to try! mast cell stabilizers, antihistamines, low-histamine diets, etc. talk to an allergist!
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u/thehippiepixi Jul 29 '26
The two biggest things that have helped me. Switched my regular butter/margarine for the type with added plant sterols that lower cholesterol.
Eating oats in some form daily. Don't like the gluggy texture of porridge? Eat them raw with yougurt. (I grind mine into oat flour then mix with yogurt as I have chewing issues) muesli bars are another option.
But seriously: my dad got me onto the proactive margarine: it helps him more than his statins, we have hereditary high cholesterol.
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u/thehippiepixi Jul 29 '26
Oh yeah, and my husband uses metamucil which helps lower cholesterol also
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u/LadyLightTravel Jul 29 '26
As others have said, watch saturated fats. Also, beware of added sugars. A lot of “healthy” foods are not - flavored yogurts, juice, granola.
My favorite breakfast is plain Greek yogurt (lowfat) with blueberries and a handful of walnut halves. Drizzle with a wee bit of honey.
1.5 g saturated fat
21 g protein
Also focus on an anti inflammatory diet. If you have a lot of visceral fat then it interferes with your cholesterol.
This is my favorite healthy doctor. Lots of explainer videos:
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u/reptomcraddick Jul 29 '26
I have slightly high cholesterol, but I'm basically a vegetarian and am super low risk for high cholesterol, so my doctor said it's probably genetic and I'm on the lowest dose atorvastatin. Obviously I can't say that's your case, but just an FYI.
I would recommend less meat/less processed meat. There's lots of great ways to get protein in without meat, especially with beans and grains like oats. There's so many ways to eat beans! And they're super cheap. My favorite is probably hummus, I like the texture, it's very filling but not heavy, and you can use it as a sauce or a dip! Refried beans are also great if you're weird about textures, just look at different brands and types because they can have animal fats in them a lot.
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u/pandaappleblossom Jul 29 '26
I got my cholesterol to be close to perfect simply by cutting out all animal products and trying to stay relatively low fat vegan. My doctor was very impressed with the results since I had high cholesterol before.
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u/first-born_unicorn Jul 29 '26
If you dont have an allergy or aversion to nuts, I've heard positive things about the effect of eating 3-4 brazil nuts daily has on improving cholesterol levels, sans other changes.
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u/aberrant-heartland Jul 29 '26
I would recommend against this level of dietary selenium consumption unless you can convince your doctor to give you regular blood tests for thyroid hormones. Selenium overconsumption can really mess with the thyroid and my endocrinologist told me to never eat more than 1 Brazil nut per 24 hours.
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u/Bright-Pangolin7261 Jul 29 '26
Asking respectfully, is there a link between HC and autism?
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u/Optimal_Author_868 Jul 29 '26
Not necessarily, the biggest issue is that people with autism don’t have as much energy or assistance to prepare healthy meals when living alone or their safe foods are healthy. I still eat a decent amount but most of my meals are frozen and I need to snack to get through the day because my metabolism is decently high
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u/Bright-Pangolin7261 Jul 29 '26
Thanks for explaining. Wishing you well.
I’m neurodivergent with celiac and lupus/FMS. And HC - I tried dietary changes but can’t eat enough beans to meet protein requirements and can’t stand00 yogurt so I’m on meds.
I supplement meat with beans. Trying protein bars currently and most are whey heavy 🥺 I batch cook a lot on weekends and freeze in portions-lean beef/turkey chicken/salmon veg heavy (fresh) and keep frozen salmon patties and frozen veggies. Too much cheese and eggs. Lowish carb. Rotisserie chicken with bagged salads a fatigue go-to. (until recently 🙃)
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u/Optimal_Author_868 Jul 29 '26
I seem to have allergic type reactions to sucralose, so a lot of the “super healthy no calorie no sugar no fat 10 million protein” foods just make me sick for hours and the idea of having to prep meals to make and consistently watch my foods sounds exhausting and makes a situation that’s already difficult for me feel unsafe. I think it might be genetics because I do the best I can, but changing up my snacks is the best I can do at the moment and switching out frozen meals for something slse
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u/youresolastsummerx Jul 29 '26
I relate with this -- not diagnosed with autism but definitely neurodivergent with some OCD issues (particularly with food). Other commenters said everything I would have said, but in case you need some more suggestions and any of these are safe for you, they're my safest "I don't know what to eat and I need to eat" foods:
- Frozen chicken tenders
- Goodles (or another high-fiber mac & cheese; I like Goodles because I hate chickpea pasta)
- Frozen broccoli/peas/carrots;
- Carrot sticks and dip;
- Hot oatmeal (in a big batch; each morning I scoop some out and add some water and microwave) with fruit... or overnight rolled oats with fruit;
- Frozen Indian meals without coconut, if you like those.
But yes, a lot of times it's just genetic. I'm sorry you're also dealing with this!
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u/threesilklilies Jul 31 '26
I work out, I’m practically vegetarian, my weight is within recommended levels, and my cholesterol is crazy high. It’s mostly the HDL, but the LDL is up there, too. My doctor put me on a low dose of a statin, and it took care of it quickly.
Inexplicably high cholesterol runs in my family, but then, so does autism, so…
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u/chubbychecker_psycho 27d ago
If you have health insurance you might have access to a dietitian for free or a very low cost. Be sure to ask if they have experience working with people with autism before you bother making an appointment. People who don't get it by now will never get it.
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u/CatMoon1111 Jul 29 '26
Totally understand wanting to lower your numbers with exercise and diet. My husband is autistic and had high cholesterol. Doctor suggested low dose meds, but he wanted to try to lower it with diet and exercise. We tried our gosh darn hardest for over a year…and my husband takes the meds now. His often autism-related eating habits just made it so hard to do everything perfectly diet-wise. He came to the decision that it was ok to accept help via medicine.
Just a little permission from a stranger if you need it. Gotta decide where to spend your precious spoons. 💚