Feeling great at 58
Everyone in my family has high blood pressure and diabetes which started in their 40’s. When I was in my early 40’s my glucose and blood pressure levels began to rise. So for the last 18+ years I have been researching, tracking my diet and exercise in the quest to stay free of taking prescription medicine.
I started exercising in my early 20’s and have made it a point to walk at least 2 -10 miles a day on most days. Before I retired I walked on the treadmill for 2 miles before work, and I walked at lunch and after work. When I retired 5 years ago I started to walk 6 miles in the morning and go to the gym to swim and lift weights. When I retired I was 20 pounds overweight and decided to be mindful of a low carb diet. No bread, sugar or processed food and only ate starchy vegetables on occasion. This worked to keep my weight, cholesterol and glucose in the normal range.
I noticed in December of 2018 that I had gained about 15 pounds and wanted them off! So I thought I would try the Keto diet. I lost 7 pounds eating cheddar cheese, sausage, bacon, full fat cream in my coffee, life was good and delicious. That is until I had my yearly physical February 9th 2019, my cholesterol was 284 and anything over 199 is high. My Dr. gave me a prescription for a Statin drug which I didn’t want to take because of known side effects. I wanted to try diet first. I did a ton of research and implemented it. I was afraid that I would gain more weight with adding all the fruit and whole grains back into my diet. But I stayed away from the scale and concentrated on simple whole foods. And to my surprise after eating more and feeling way fuller I actually lost more weight.
After 7 weeks of this diet my cholesterol was NORMAL!!! LDL was still a little high but total is in the normal range.
I have found my new diet for life, mostly fresh veggies and fruit, whole grains and nuts, fiber, 0 fat cheese, only lean meat & fish!
My low cholesterol diet, basically is staying away from sugar, dairy, eggs yokes, (I eat egg whites) fatty meat and processed carbs. I’m eating Ezekiel bread (available in the freezer section of Walmart) it has no flour or preservatives, made with sprouted grains, very filling and healthy.
Daily I take my homemade morning liver cleanse cocktail consisting of 1/2 glass of V8 juice, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger, 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 TBSP garlic, 1 tsp turmeric (warning turmeric can thin blood). Then my vitamins; D, B12, calcium & Coq10.
For lunch I have a green smoothie with banana, apple (an apple a day can decrease cholesterol as much as a Statin), stevia, spinach, plant protein powder, chia seeds, flax seeds, and water.
I drink Walmart’s brand of sugar free Metamucil before dinner, it’s an orange drink with more fiber than oatmeal (100% natural psyllium fiber). I also have started using beet powder and mix it with the fiber drink. Fiber is supposed to soak up bad cholesterol from your meal! I have fish and salad several times a week.
My snacks have been celery with fat free cream cheese, plain air popped popcorn, nuts, apple with peanut butter, homemade flour-less oatmeal cookies, fat free pudding and jello. I also make a carrot cake made with 100% whole wheat flour, whipped egg whites to keep it light, olive oil, stevia baking blend sweeter. Healthy can taste good!
I eat good fats – Avocados, extra virgin olive oil, flax seed, and nuts.
For Dinner – I eat a plate full of colorful vegetables and small amount of protein. I also make homemade pizza with 100% whole wheat flour topped with 0 fat mozzarella cheese, olive oil, fresh basil & Italian seasonings, tomatoes, and olives. Black bean chili and Lentils are also delicious!
Tea & coffee – I stopped drinking my brewed coffee because of cafestol (coffee brewed without a paper filter contains cafestol that can increase LDL), replaced it with Lipton matcha green tea with ginger. I use to drink at least 5 cups of Keurig coffee made with a reusable filter. I estimated that I reduced my cholesterol 10% by eliminating filter-less coffee and whole fat creamer from my diet.
Before bed I take fish oil, magnesium and red yeast rice 1200 mg.
Cholesterol Information
- Only about 20% of the cholesterol in your bloodstream comes from the food you eat. Your body makes the rest – from Harvard Medical School. This is the reason I drink my liver cleanse drink every morning.
- There is a link between high cholesterol and menopause. So women need to be more mindful about diet and exercise after menopause.
- I’m leery of companies selling prefab health drinks, smoothies and food. I feel like everybody is out to make a buck with cheap lower quality! Some supplements can be helpful but research and eat whole healthy balanced food and meals.
- Are you at risk for a heart attack? Know Your TG:HDL Ratio – Triglyceride / HDL-cholesterol
- We need cholesterol for a healthy brain and body.
- Cholesterol is not a bad thing, inflammation is. Diabetes causes inflammation, Statin drugs have been shown to increase your risk of diabetes. source WebMD. This is a reason I didn’t want to take a Statin drug. The bad cholesterol (LDL) is what sticks to fix inflamed, hurt areas of arteries. These areas can be blocked by too much LDL causing a heart attack or stroke. So keep LDL within a low range and HDL the good cholesterol high. Statin drugs, mask the problem and don’t go to the root cause inflammation which cases heart attacks. That’s why half of all heart attack suffers have normal cholesterol. Inflammation is the root cause, created by not enough exercise, eating too much sugar, sweets, white bread & pastries, too many processed carbs, highly processed and fast foods.
I’m not a doctor, and I’m not suggesting everyone do what I do. I’m sharing what has worked for me personally.
A good and healthy life is about choices and balance. Embrace the challenge to implement healthy changes in you daily routine for optimum health and quality of life.
Cheers – Carrie