Friday, April 25, 2008 jbond asks

Q: I am not overweight but have high cholesterol. How much fat intake daily should I have?

My Dr. put me on Crestor after my cholesterol level was found to be out of the good range...LDL is 136 and HDL is 29. I am not overweight and don't want to count calories. How many grams of fat should I eat daily to bring my levels to a desirable amount? I don't want to take the Crestor. I have read too many bad things about it and I'm afraid of it. I don't get enough exercise, but I plan to start a walking program, along with my gardening "work out". Do you think I can control my cholesterol by eating the right foods? I have looked all over the internet for a guideline of daily fat intake but have found none, could you direct me to a site that can provide me this information.

Thank You,

Joan Bond

Answers (3)

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Lisa Nelson, RD, LN

5/24/08 5:21pm

Hi Joan,

These are the guidelines from the American Heart Association for cholesterol management.

Total dietary fat intake - 30% or less of total calories daily

Saturated fat intake - limited to less than 7% of your total daily calories

Trans fat intake - less than 1% of your total daily calorie intake

Cholesterol should be limited to less than 300 mg/day.

In order to calculate the fat grams, you need to know your average calorie intake each day (or what it should be to maintain a healthy weight). If you know that number, simply mutliply by the percent and divide by 9 to get your fat grams.

Example for 2000 calorie diet:

2000 calories x 30% total fat = 600 fat calories divided by 9 =

67 grams of fat/day (or less)

Sue

4/27/08 10:01pm

Thanks Joan. There are a few things you might do. You can read at our Lifestyle Changes.

Thanks, sue

anonymous

1/12/11 4:15pm

High Cholesterol can be caused by other factors other than being overweight. If a patient is seriously underweight cholesterol levels will rise. People suffering from anorexia nervosa will often have dangerously high cholesterol levels.

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Q: I am not overweight but have high cholesterol. How much fat intake daily should I have?

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