Most of the plant-based fake meats I've tried give me the raging shits; haven't found much I like in the true vegetarian department. I'm trying to eat more sashimi and ceviche; no argument with either except for the cost of good fish.

Interesting insights...
- High triglycerides are as important to track & fix as high LDL (bad) cholesterol

- "Bad" (LDL) cholesterol is often estimated/calculated rather than measured, and can sometimes give a misleading result. For a brief discussion, see the Friedewald Equation section here. (Johns Hopkins)

- There are advanced lipid particle tests available, and they may convey more useful info than the generic lipid panel. LDL particle size and apolipoprotein B might be of interest to your doc in terms of quantifying heart/atherosclerosis risk. One data point here. (National Lipid Association)

- You can try Red Yeast Rice supplements in place of statins (cholesterol-lowering Rx drugs), with some caveats. Overview here. (Mayo Clinic)
One major caveat is that you don't know exactly what you're getting in OTC supplements. I went to an Rx statin for that reason; my doc reduced the dose because it was working too well, and I had read some scary anecdotes about memory loss.

- There are genetic tests available that may help identify the optimal statin drug for you. See this one from Duke: Genotype Informed Statin Therapy.