Navigating Social Situations With High Cholesterol

Social situations tend to revolve around 1 thing: food. And not typically heart-healthy food, like vegetables and healthy fats. It’s unfortunate that many foods that taste "good" to us are loaded with saturated fat, trans fat, sodium, and cholesterol. Too much of any of these can lead to high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, and increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.

It can be difficult for those of us with high cholesterol and who greatly value heart-healthy nutrition to make dietary choices that align with our heart health while we’re out with friends — not only due to nutrition, but also due to social dynamics.

How I plan ahead for social situations

As someone with familial hypercholesterolemia who prioritizes her heart health, I’d like to share how I plan ahead for these social situations.

What's on the menu?

If I know that I have a social event coming up that involves food, I like to be prepared. This can be as simple as looking at the menu ahead of time to ensure there are heart-healthy options for me to eat. Knowing what food options are available to me helps any anxiety that I have beforehand.

If there isn’t anything on the menu that is heart-healthy, I sometimes call the restaurant and ask if they can steam or grill items rather than fry. Most of the time they can, but if they can’t, I’ll fill up on healthy proteins, carbs, and fats at home before I go!

BYOF (bring your own food)

If the situation is a more casual gathering, I love bringing my own food. There’s something special to me about showing up with a heart-healthy meal to share with people I love! It not only supports my heart health, but it supports the heart health of those I care about and serves as a kind gesture to the host (never show up empty-handed!)

Dealing with hurtful comments

I’ve experienced my fair share of uncomfortable comments from others in these situations, which, unfortunately, is part of living with FH. Many people don’t understand high cholesterol, the impact of food on heart health, or how sensitive of a topic it can be.

Here’s a situation that stuck with me from 2018: A coworker came around the office inviting members of our team to lunch. When he got to my desk, he said, "Charlotte, you’re not invited because you eat like a bird," and he continued on, inviting my other coworkers right in front of me. I was so hurt. And back then, I didn’t say anything to him.

If this happened present day, I would respond by saying something like, "I’d love to come! Living with genetically high cholesterol is hard enough. I won’t let it get in the way of spending time with my coworkers." This response would have opened up the door for an educational conversation about FH and allowed me to spend time with coworkers.

Valuing balance

I think it’s extremely important to advocate for ourselves and take committed action, especially those of us living with chronic health conditions. And something that I value equally as much as advocacy is balance: I do not restrict myself from any food (I used to). I will let myself eat what I am craving, but I will always prioritize heart-healthy options being 80 percent of what I eat.

Be well!