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San Onofre Guy
7-18-11, 11:21am
Two years ago my total Cholesterol level was 237 and doctor said that I was borderline needing to go on a Statin. I had begun to eat better and exercise more. Last week after blood work I learned that my total cholesterol was now 210. My LDL is a lot higher than I would like it to be but I am pleased that my change in lifestyle is working.

I have read a lot about plant based diets and seen films such as Food Inc and Forks over Knives. I have about 3-4 meals that include fish or meat per week, mostly fish. I find that besides my lower cholesterol readings, my skin is great, I have more energy, I am leaner, no longer have "love handles" and I don't miss the meat. I actually have some stomach issues when I eat meat or food that is rich.

Thomas Jefferson was one of the first to emphasize a plant based diet when he wrote that meat should be the side dish for the vegetable course.

puglogic
7-18-11, 12:06pm
This gives me so much hope! Can you tell me what else you changed about your diet, other than limiting your meat intake to a "side dish" ? Do you still eat a lot of carbohydrates? (pasta, bread, etc) How many servings of fruit/vegetables do you think you eat in an average day? I'm still trying to get an idea of how much I should eat, and how to do it, and there are so many conflicting opinions....

San Onofre Guy
7-18-11, 12:55pm
I have pretty much eliminated meat and dairy from my diet. For instance in the past week I ate chicken and beef tacos at a business lunch last Tuesday. I shared a Spanish Omelet with my wife yesterday and had a hot fudge sundae in recognition of National Ice Cream day yesterday. That was the only animal based foods I ate last week.

I don't pay attention to numbers of servings, just a balanced selection of vegetables and fruits.

I often only have coffee for breakfast which isn't good.

I have a banana for a morning snack and an apple between 3:00 and 4:00 pm.

Lunch I will have a 6 inch veggie sub from Subway, veggie tacos, or pasta marinara.

Dinner veggie stir fry with rice, portabello mushroom on a bun and salad, grilled veggies and scallops, vegetable lasagna, salmon and rice and veg, vegetarian pizza

My amount of food eaten has dropped and I am not hungry or missing meat.

My wife sometimes buys fake chicken or beef which is a wheat product and mixes it in with stir fry if we want the feeling of eating meat.

It does take a while to get used to eating this way as you are fighting decades of habits. It seems odd when I see a fast food commercial as I give those places no business.


There are areas in the world where heart disease is non-existent due to lack of meat and dairy in the diet. Why do we have a healthcare crisis here? Why do we need a Medicare drug benefit? Most drugs taken by the elderly are for lifestyle issues due to what we eat. Meds for Diabetes, Erectile Dysfunction, Cholesterol and Blood Pressure are almost all related to diet. Erectile Dysfunction is where heart disease often gives its first warning (clogged arteries and restricted blood flow).

As Michael Pollen says "Eat good food, not too much, mostly plants"

frugal-one
7-18-11, 1:25pm
I have also had good luck with reducing my overall cholesterol and increasing the "good" cholesterol. I was always being told I needed to go on meds but refused. As you probably know, most people assume that if your cholesterol is over 200 you automatically have high cholesterol. The thing is cholesterol numbers increase as we age. The thing to watch is the ratio between good and bad cholesterol. Anyways, mine was 270 and is now 232 and the ratio is good. I went to the doctor last week and he was impressed. I walk the suggested 10,000 steps per day and just watch what I eat. I am not religious about it. A good book that has helped is "The SuperFoods Diet" by Pratt. They suggest the walking, drinking water, and having a morning and afternoon snack. They also say there is a synergy between foods eaten and weight loss (ex eating an orange and drinking green tea). If you have a chance, get from the library if for no other reason for the recipes. HTH

HappyHiker
7-18-11, 8:39pm
Raising my hand as another happy advocate of eating a mostly plant-based diet. Love my beans and veggies and fruits. Reducing my animal protein has helped me lower my borderline high blood pressure, lower my LDL and raise my HDL. No need for meds.

Would love to read the Pratt book and will check on it--thanks for the mention.

Another choice I've made is to avoid the empty white carbs such as white bread, white pasta, cakes, cookies and doughnuts and go for the complex carbs such as whole grains like brown rice, whole grain breads and whole wheat pasta. And a big salad every day and an apple, too, keeps things moving along nicely.

Zoe Girl
7-18-11, 9:53pm
We have a strong family history of high cholesteral even though i think my family eats much healthier than average. So now at 44 I am starting to creep up and am watching it. Apparently 16 years of a veggie diet did not prevent this totally.

My sister has had great luck with replacing her sandwich for lunch with just avacado instead of turkey. Her cholesterol really came down points from that one. In the winter I try to stick to oatmeal for breakfast and at least 1/4 avacado on my sandwich (with a little turkey) I also eat multiple times a day for blood sugar issues. I get nervous because my mom had high cholesterol for years and was very very careful about diet but still needed medication. Then she developed diabetes. So I am a nut about not eating sugar or too much refined carbs. I have a history of very low blood sugar and I don't know if that is related, but I do know I feel like crap when I eat sugar. Now I am also sensitive to any high fructose corn syrup so that really cuts the sweets. I will let you know how that is working as i have a checkup coming up

lhamo
7-19-11, 5:18am
There is actually a fair amount of scientific evidence that shows that there is more of a link between a high carbohydrate diet (especially one with lots of refined carbs) and high levels of "bad" cholesterol than there is between high levels of meat/protein and elevated "bad cholesterol." There is a really good, easy to read and understand summary of the research in the book Low Carb LIving. I didn't test my cholesterol before I started, but I am having excellent weight loss results with a low carb diet. And I am feeling better physically and mentally as well.

lhamo

Rosemary
7-19-11, 5:59am
See the references in Gary Taubes' books for the research on cholesterol. He dug back through the years to Ancel Keys' initial work that resulted in the saturated fat hypothesis and found the evidence lacking, but found research that shows insulin production is related to cholesterol and heart disease.

Personally - my cholesterol seems to track my weight closely. Despite the fact that both my parents have moderate to high numbers, my cholesterol is generally well within a recommended range. I ascribe this to a healthy diet and regular exercise. Losing a few extra pounds drops my cholesterol further, more than any dietary change ever has. In fact, currently my cholesterol is at the same level it was when I was a vegetarian who jogged about 15 miles/week. I get moderate exercise (can't jog anymore) and am eating very differently now:

I was a vegetarian who did not eat dairy (I ate some eggs) for about 10 years, and my cholesterol was not lower than it is now. Currently I do eat lean protein that includes animal products, with a dietary base of fresh vegetables and fruits, plenty of legumes, and very limited grains. Like the OP, I also have a stomach sensitivity to the richer animal products such as beef or butter and do not eat those. We don't eat even close to the average American meat/poultry/dairy intake, however - it's a condiment rather than a course in our house.

I'm familiar with Esselstyn's research and The China Study - and also with the claims that their data was extended beyond applicability. I know that when I eat some poultry, fish, or eggs, I have fewer food cravings and headaches than when I am on a strict vegetarian diet.

earthshepherd
7-19-11, 7:34am
This isn't exactly a food/diet approach, although I do eat low fat vegetarian foods and exercise regularly, but I have had amazing success with Wholemega fish oil capsules and red yeast rice supplements. Over the past six months (since I started the supplements over the winter) my total numbers went from 251 to 170, and the "good" cholesterol stayed high.

Zoebird
7-19-11, 7:57am
i was vegan for many years, but I am currently following a paleolithic-based diet (i follow "primal blueprint" which you can find on Marksdailyapple.com). I agree with Taubes' research, and find that eating a lot of veggies and fruits, as well as many kinds of meats (starting to move into offal and seafood), keeps us fit and healthy.

literally two weeks after switching from vegetarian to primal (i hadn't been vegan for some years), i dropped 4% body fat and several inches off my waist. I hadn't meant to -- afterall, i was 22% body fat when I started and happy with that. But i've been 18% ever since and it's been great. So, i would highly recommend a paleolithic diet.