Thanks for the question. For the vast majority of people, eating cholesterol itself does not significantly raise cholesterol levels. It is saturated fats that contribute to raising cholesterol levels more than anything else and therefore, it is recommended to avoid foods high in these fats such as fatty meats, pork, and lamb, dark chicken meat with skin, coconut oil, palm oil, cocoa butter, high-fat dairy foods (whole milk, butter, cheese, sour cream, ice cream), etc. Total saturated fat should be no more that around 6% (~100-120calories) of a day’s total calories. Saturated fats are claimed on labels to help make sure you know how much you’re getting.
That said, there is a sub-population of people that are “cholesterol sensitive”, meaning consuming foods high in cholesterol such as some shellfish, eggs, etc. can also raise levels, but these people generally know who they are because they were diagnosed by their doctor. If you are not one of these people (ask your doctor) then you should be fine using the WheySmooth as the cholesterol in the product is part of the natural concentration of a whey concentrate and there is only 65mgs in a serving and the daily value for cholesterol is around 300mgs.
We do have a protein powder called LeanMR which contains whey isolate and therefore has only 10mgs of cholesterol in case your doctor would prefer this one. And of course or Vegan protein (Best Plant Protein) has no cholesterol. But again, a serving or 2 of WheySmooth should be okay unless your doctor objects, but either way, it’s not the cause of rising cholesterol.
Below is an FAQ that also may help.
Q: my husband has high cholesterol and his doctor said to cut down on fatty foods, and foods high in cholesterol like shellfish. He needs a protein supplement and is allergic to soy so which dotFIT protein should he use as he is very active and exercises hard?
A: Sounds like he needs a protein source that is also low cholesterol. Mindful that cholesterol in foods/shakes has a minor effect on cholesterol in blood except in a very small percentage of people that are also diagnosed as “cholesterol sensitive”. But it’s always better to error on the side of caution so have your husband use our LeanMR chocolate shake https://www.dotfit.com/LeanMR-Chocolate as it has only 10mgs of cholesterol (other shakes more because they have the cholesterol that comes natural in whey protein concentrates). I’m sure your doctor has given advise on diet including no more that 5-7% of calories from saturated fats such as fattier red meats and whole dairy. I’ve placed a very popular health, activity recovery and weight control supplement program below including meal times that would be ideal for overall health and activity longevity. Our powders don’t contain soy protein only the emulsifier lecithin, which is why it’s listed in “other ingredients”.
Soy note: don’t mix up soy lecithin with soy protein – there is no connection. Soy lecithin is a mixing agent in minute, almost immeasurable amounts and not from the protein portion of soy so there is virtually no soy allergy issues with it. The majority of all processed foods contain soy lecithin and most good protein powders as its used as an emulsifier.
Daily:
• dotFIT Active, Women’s or Over 50 Multivitamin & Mineral, depending on age and/or gender (see directions)
o Take as directed with meals
• LeanMR
o Use as directed within daily meal planning (see below) and to make sure you get ~1gm of protein per pound of lean body mass (or weight if not overweight) daily from all sources divided 4-5 times daily
o Can also be used as a supplement to a meal or by itself (or mixed with desired supporting contents) to shore up total daily protein needs
As needed
• Super Calcium
o Use if you do not meet the daily needs of calcium (~1000-1200 mgs) from food intake
-Females take 1 or 2 daily with meals; if you need to take 2, take one with AM meal and the 2nd with PM meal; Males take 1 only if necessary
• SuperOmega 3
o Take 1 daily with meal if not consuming 2-4 svgs/wk of fatty fish
Workout days
• AminoFormula (AB)
o Take 1-scoop ~10min before and may continue to drink during first 20min of workout
o Take 1-scoop immediately following workout
Meal Replacement Integration
Weight loss phase:
• Meal Replacements (MRs) generally supply two small meals a day and allow freedom of choice from traditional foods for the remaining allotted foods/calories. Therefore, use as two small meals within any calorie restricted meal plan of 4-5 meals since it's been shown that frequent small meals are better for weight loss than fewer larger ones especially as it relates to satiety, preservation of lean body mass (LBM) and energy levels
o Get LeanMR recipes here: https://www.dotfit.com/category-cid-1868.html
Maintenance phase
• Continue to consume 4-5 small meals daily within caloric allotment that include 2 MRs for convenience and to help ensure overall diet quality while reducing food costs
You can go to our recipe section on the dotFIT website to get recipes with meal preparation instructions including meal replacement recipes: https://www.dotfit.com/learn/recipes
Meal Timings
• As possible eat every 4-hours
• Large pre-training/event meal 2-3Hr before training
• Large post meal ~30-60min after last post workout supplement
Early morning training
• Eat a large pre-training type meal the night before
• Consume only the pre-workout snack/shake before training (as shown above) & follow workout day supplement schedule above
Tournament play (multiple games)
• <1.5Hr break: bars and hydration/electrolyte recovery drink
• 1.5-2.5Hr: small pre-training-type meal
• >2.5Hr: normal pre-training meal
Fluid Recommendations*
• 16 oz 2Hr before activity (extra 8-16 oz 1hr before on hot days)
• 4-8 oz every 20 minutes during activity
• 20 oz for every pound of weight loss post-activity
*Use electrolyte formula (e.g. Gatorade) and water as directed