Another Serving Please

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Got home yesterday from a trip to the doctor.  The old annual checkup that I hadn't had for over five years.  I wasn't real worried, as in general, other than the normal aches and pains of growing older and sitting too long in front of the computer, I feel pretty darn good. I was a bit concerned about my cholesterol though.  Five years ago it was 202 and that was before the medical people lowered the bar for concern to 200.  My doctor at that time said it wasn't life threatening but I shouldn't let it get any higher. mmm hmmm. I worked at that - not.

So,  I came away with most everything in good running order. Even my Lyme's disease test came back negative. For where I live, that's a miracle.  What I was concerned about, cholesterol, I was right to be so, for my cholesterol was no longer 202 but now it was up to 212.  Granted, I had not fasted (I had to drive a ways to the doctor and did not want to be light-headed), and I ate a hefty bagel with honey butter and drank down a large glass of milk, plus several cups of coffee. However, I don't think that bagel and butter would have hiked up my number by 10 points.

Getting Hit and Being Emotional

Like I said, my doctor is a long ways away, so when I got back home, I was hungry.  Very hungry. I pulled the eggs out of the fridge, sliced up some cheese bread for toast and went for the bacon, without a thought for my health. I spied the bananas on the counter and it hit me - I had to change my eating habits and change what I was eating. I looked at the leftover holiday cookies and candies in nice pretty bowls and crystal, thought of the two cheese factories just down the road, and envisioned the bagels on the counter already iced with a large layer of cream cheese. Tears formed. Oh my, what to do? What to do?



Finding Answers

My first course of action was to look at all the labels on all the packaged food that was in my fridge or on the shelf.  Most everything I looked at did not contain cholesterol.  So, if that was the case, what was I missing?  I thought it was from the things you ate. It was time to hit the web and do some heavy duty research and this is what I found:

• You derive some cholesterol from eating foods such as beef, pork, chicken and dairy products. However, most of the cholesterol that you end up with in your system is self-produced.
• Cholesterol, in general, is not a bad guy. It is essential for cell walls and aids in other areas such as digestion and the protection of your nerves.
• There are two types of cholesterol:
• LDL - Low density lipoprotein - the Bad Guys
• HDL - High density lipoprotein - the Good Guys
• LDL is what adheres to the insides of your arteries, clogging and eventually plugging them, resulting in a stroke or a heart attack which of course, can lead to paralysis or even death.
• HDL regulates the LDL. It will snatch up the LDL and take it to the liver, where it is cleansed from your system. So, the higher the HDL, the better. Especially if you can get and keep the LDL down to a reasonable and healthy limit. 
• What we eat can ADD cholesterol, but in most cases what we eat triggers our body to PRODUCE cholesterol. Foods contain certain types of fat that will act as a trigger for the production of both kinds of cholesterol. Limiting these fats will help you lower and then maintain your cholesterol levels.
• Saturated fats
• Trans fats
• Triglycerides
• You can lower and control your cholesterol by increasing the right kinds of foods and adding the right kinds of fats in your diet.
• Mono and poly-unsaturated fats
• Omega-3 fatty acids like those contained in fish
• Lots and lots of fiber - now what did your Grandma tell you??? Huh?
• Lack of exercise, being overweight, and a pre-disposition to high cholesterol levels (a gene thing), can add to the problem.

Pass on the Plate

The hours that I spent on the Web doing the research gave me some great information and some good answers to my questions.  It wasn't so much that I was consuming a lot of cholesterol but I was consuming foods that contained fats that triggered the cholesterol to be manufactured.  Getting that food intake under control would be my first priority.  I found out that erasing those foods that I loved, was not necessary but to limit them was.  Instead of beef three or four times a week, maybe once a week and in smaller amounts. Adding cholesterol lowering foods - that are also good tasting and satisfying - would be an added bonus.  So not all was lost and scary.

Secondly, my low level of exercise was a big concern for more than just lowering the count.  Those aches and pains that I wrongfully attributed to Lyme's, were more than likely from lack of movement, as was the weight that I had added over the last couple of years. Chucking large blocks of wood into the boiler is a great workout, but I need to start on a regular exercise program.

So, please, pass me over another serving of that curried tofu and brown rice casserole and I'll have a big salad to go with that.  Maybe Friday I'll have an egg sandwich.

Related articles

• What You Need to Know About Cholesterol (friendseat.com)
• A Guide to Lipid Blood Tests (brighthub.com)
• Cholesterol-Lowering Snacks (everydayhealth.com)