Quote:
Originally Posted by GoodSchoolols
I am a male in my late 30's and pretty active. I just heard of an acquaintance who was around the same age as me and dropped dead of a heart attack. I have naturally high cholesterol and tri-glycerides for which I take Omega 3's which have significantly lowered my levels. I have normal blood pressure. I dont think I eat too bad, I try to have fruits and veggies every day and avoid eating red meat and too much cheese, but was wondering what other people thought. Here is my food routine:
Monday - Thursday
Breakfast - 2 bowls of cereal, usually Honey bunches of oats, or cheerios - iced black tea to drink
Lunch - Grape jelly sandwich (no hfcs) a greek yogurt and 3 pickles. Seltzer to drink
Dinner - Usually a chicken or pork dish made in the slow cooker. Might eat beef every now and then. Side of rice and veggies and a salad with oil and vinegar dressing
Dessert - Apple, Pear or Orange. Sometimes Ice Cream
Friday
Breakfast - egg and cheese on a roll with peppers and onions, iced tea to drink
Lunch - Panera, or my routine jelly sandwich with greek yogurt and 3 pickles, iced tea or seltzer to drink
Dinner - 6 slices of Pizza and a few beers with a salad
Dessert - Apple, Pear or Orange. Sometimes Ice Cream (If I drink beer, I won't have ice cream)
Saturday
Breakfast - Bagel with thin layer of smart balance butter on top, toasted - coffee or iced tea
Lunch - Panera or jelly sandwich or left over pizza, seltzer to drink
Dinner - usually go out for dinner, might be Japanese, Korean, American, German, Polish, Mexican, etc (I live in a metropolitan area so the food choices are immense)
Dessert - Iced Coffee from D&D
Sunday
might be the same as above, usually have a big home cooked meal my wife likes cooking and entertaining
So, how bad or not bad of an eater do you think I am? What adjustments would you make if any? I know the ice cream, beer, and 6 slices of pizza are less than healthy, I don't really indulge in ice cream often. The beer is kept to once a week (3 or 4 light beers) I mean, you have to live a little, right? I really enjoy having my beer and don't want to eliminate that from my life, but on the other hand I don't want to drop dead while my kids are young and all. Any advice would be appreciated.  |
First off, I suggest picking up a few used textbooks on Nutrition or Nutrition Science. Or take one of those free MOOCs on the subject. Read journal papers dealing with nutrition or diet and stop getting info from message boards or news articles. To be blunt: only someone with an understanding of nutritional science equipped with your own stats (blood work) can assess what you need to do in order to maintain optimal health. Everything else is opinion only, some of which may be sound, others, based on erroneous information.
There is a lot more that goes into nutrition that many seem aware of. For one, there are four hormones--which includes insulin--that play a huge role. Look into it at your leisure. Another thing that many are not aware of is the role that water plays into heart health. You consume water in all sorts of forms (fruits, veggies, sauces, coffee, tea, even beer however beer is a diuretic--coffee is not). But you still need to actually drink water. The eight full glasses of water per day mantra has been proven false, but a few glasses worth is a necessity. Keep this in mind: you can survive two - four weeks without food, but only two or three days without water.
You are on the right track with the omega-3s, but I would suggest to get your omega-3s from food sources. To add, I would also suggest to complement a higher omega-3 intake with the reduction of of omega-6 foods. You don't have to cut out omega-6 foods completely, that would be near impossible anyways.
As for what you are currently eating; it's not so much the style or type of food as much as it is processed. A pizza from a fast food joint that uses dough conditioners and heavily processed meats will be worse than a joint that makes their dough with flour, salt, water, and yeast and minimally processed meats. Cheese itself is not a bad food item. Some cheeses are higher in fat than others, but mozzerella is considered to be one of the healthy cheese. All it is really is just curdled milk, salt, and enzymes--it can be low-fat and low-sodium, too. Brie, feta, and provolone are also considered healthy cheeses.
I have worked as a cook/chef for a large portion of my life. You know what makes restaurant food taste so good? Salt and butter (or for cheap/chain restaurants, margarine). And I guarantee a heckofalot more salt and butter than you make think or believe. Oils are also liberally used. While you may sparingly add a pinch of salt to a home cooked meal or heat something up in a few table spoons of oil, for an equivalent dish at a restaurant they are going with a TBS of salt and perhaps up to a cup of oil. And when you drain the grease from say ground beef at home, a restaurant would not. That's flavor country right there. Something to think about.
I know I will catch flak or this: but ditch the Smart Balance for real butter. I prefer Kerrygold or Pelugra. If you want to avoid butter then go with olive oil.
Your body makes cholesterol even if you are on a low-to-no cholesterol diet anyways and just because you consume cholesterol does not mean it automatically becomes a part of you. And yes, the general advice is to lower your cholesterol intake, in particular: reducing red meat consumption. Consuming a high fiber diet also will help lower the bad cholesterol.
Another "best thing you can do" is to get regular exercise, as this has also been shown to reduce LDL.
If your cholesterol and tri's are naturally high, that is, it's your genetics, then I would suggest getting a medical opinion for sure. To be frank, you will be prescribed medication since your body is predisposed to produce higher levels of cholesterol as it is.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
