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It's easy to get answers about health and nutrition! Just send your question by email to [email protected] and Dr. Harlan will respond to selected questions of general interest. Answers will be posted in the Ask Dr. Gourmet newsletter (sign up now!) and archived in the Ask Dr. Gourmet section of the website.

Please note that the Ask Dr. Gourmet feature is restricted to questions regarding food and nutrition. Due to the many questions we receive, not all questions may be answered. For more specific questions about your individual health, please contact your doctor. About Timothy S. Harlan, MD, FACP, CCMS | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy


 
 

Ask Dr. Gourmet

My 85 year old mother was recently diagnosed with high cholesterol and advised to start taking a statin to bring her levels down. My mom is also on Coumadin and is taking medication for her thyroid. The problem is that to lower her cholesterol she needs to eat more fruits and veggies, but her Coumadin restricts her from eating most fruits and veggies.

Her only issue with the meds for her thyroid is she needs to eat plenty of protein to keep the levels at normal. She has a doctor for each of these conditions and each doctor believes what they are treating is most important. At 85 yrs old, she is getting terribly confused as to the right approach. My question is: What fruits and vegetables can you eat and satisfy the Coumadin but be able to reduce the cholesterol? Are there diets or recipes that accommodate these medications?

Dr. Gourmet Says...

I am sorry that your mother is struggling with the issue of what to eat.

There's actually not much that she needs to avoid and you can find out about what she can eat and those foods she would want avoid at this link:

http://www.drgourmet.com/warfarin/index.shtml

We have hundreds of pages of resources and every Dr. Gourmet recipe is labelled whether it is safe for Coumadin users. Recipes and meal plans on the Dr. Gourmet web site are designed around the best research we have on how diet can improve cholesterol. There is no evidence, however, that she needs a higher protein diet to regulate her thyroid. Simply having a good balance with a target of around 15% of calories from protein is healthy.

Thanks for writing,

Timothy S. Harlan, MD, FACP, CCMS
Dr. Gourmet