Red Yeast Rice

[mwhite]

Has anyone heard of this for controlling high cholesterol?

[fibrenut]

They sell that stuff at our grocery store under the name of...Cholest-All.

[Doublereeder2]

Yes, I just started taking it. Don't know the effect yet, but so far I have had no side effects.

[Jan in CA]

CholestOff has plant sterols in it not red yeast rice. I have heard about that though.

I had high cholesterol and changing my diet alone didn't work. I started trying to get at least 2gms a day.. and you know what...my cholesterol dropped from 225 to 170.

I keep CholestOff available, but I also drink Minute Maid Heartwise OJ and other products that have plant sterols when I can find them. Here's some foods that have plant sterols added. And as always you eat plenty of fruit and veggies because they have it, too.

A list of several http://www.corowise.com/products.html
Promise Activ
Benecol Margarine

Your mileage may very, but it's worth a try not to have to take meds if you can avoid it.

[cindycactus]

I took Red Yeast Rice for several months and then had my cholesterol checked. The Dr. said that my bad cholesterol came down but it also lowered my good cholesterol. She was not happy with that and told me to stop taking it. I am now on Zocor and everything is under control. But it may affect you differently.

[mwhite]

Thanks for your response. Husband is on Pravastatin(20mg) and we don't know what the results will be but he says it makes him feel funny. I tried to get him to tell me what that means, no good description. I bought him some Red Yeast Rice and I don't think it's anything more than some Chinese herbal remedy. No offense to the chinese herbalists intended. I'm sure if you've taken something herbal for a long period of time, there will be some benefit.

He's on a low sodium, low fat diet and has ordered and is eating the Nutrisystem foods. All hype, to me as their foods are chocked full of sodium. I know processed foods always are. I talked to his nurse practioner and she told me to just keep his daily sodium intake around 2300 to help him. I feed him the nutrisystem stuff but only about 4 days a week. He's losing weight and feels better so something is working, just got to get that cholesterol down, way down from the 250 number. I'm eating the same types of foods, good for the gander, good for the goose so maybe I'll lose a few of these spare tires and feel better as well.

After he's done with the prescription refills, we'll have his bloodwork done again and hopefully it'll be lower..... I'll keep the cholest-all in mind in the meantime. I keep telling him that eating supper at 9pm doesn't help either. DUH!

I've switched his butter to the promise and he likes it. Next trip to the grocery store, I'll get him some OJ! He's never been much on fruits and vegees but he's learning! I just tell him he has to eat it. Now, where is this boy's mother???? Heah, I is!

[lelvsdgs]

CholestOff has plant sterols in it not red yeast rice. I have heard about that though.

I had high cholesterol and changing my diet alone didn't work. I started trying to get at least 2gms a day.. and you know what...my cholesterol dropped from 225 to 170.

I keep CholestOff available, but I also drink Minute Maid Heartwise OJ and other products that have plant sterols when I can find them. Here's some foods that have plant sterols added. And as always you eat plenty of fruit and veggies because they have it, too.

A list of several http://www.corowise.com/products.html
Promise Activ
Benecol Margarine

Your mileage may very, but it's worth a try not to have to take meds if you can avoid it.

Wow! This is great information... I will be loosing my health benefits when I move and I am looking for things to help me control my cholesterol so I can eventually get off the meds.

[Plantgoddess+]

I managed to get my cholesterol down from 270 to 200 with exercise. I hike with my dogs every day and I have several fabulous girlfriends who love the outdoors as well and we hike, bike, kayak, x-country ski, snow shoe, and wander the antique stores for exercise. We try and do something once a week and being country gals we have a lot of outdoor chores to keep us busy. I haven't managed to get hubby involved yet, but he's thinking of it. We're all in our 50's to early 60's.

[Jan in CA]

I'll keep the cholest-all in mind in the meantime.

It's CholestOff not 'all'. Just want you to have the correct name.

Not liking fruits and veggies is a problem because those are pretty necessary. Maybe that book by Seinfeld's wife.. Jessica Seinfeld, would help? http://www.amazon.com/Deceptively-De...6497417&sr=8-5 She takes vegetables and used them in ordinary food to fool her kids, but it turned out they were really tasty! My library has it so maybe yours does if you want to check it out.

Eating low sodium is very hard especially if you eat processed foods. I try to stay away from them now.

[mwhite]

It's CholestOff not 'all'. Just want you to have the correct name.

Not liking fruits and veggies is a problem because those are pretty necessary. Maybe that book by Seinfeld's wife.. Jessica Seinfeld, would help? http://www.amazon.com/Deceptively-De...6497417&sr=8-5 She takes vegetables and used them in ordinary food to fool her kids, but it turned out they were really tasty! My library has it so maybe yours does if you want to check it out.

Eating low sodium is very hard especially if you eat processed foods. I try to stay away from them now.

Oh yeah, wouldn't wanta get him something to add to the problem! Thanks, Jan! I'll check at the library for this book! Sneaky ways to stick vegees into his diet, yeah, that'll work!

OMG, all of these main entree foods they sent him have over 700 mgs of sodium in them. Granted, the portions are small and that helps his weight thing, but I can cook an entire meal with less sodium. Nurse practioner told me that the 2300 mgs of sodium amounts to 1 level teaspoon of salt. Doesn't sound like alot but she said that most folks eat 3 to 4 tsps. daily.