I haven't always been good about going to the doctor for routine, preventative visits, but I have made it in twice in the last two years. In November 2022, my first visit in a while, they had bloodwork done and it showed slightly elevated cholesterol levels. It was below what's considered high but it was suggested I cut back on high-fat meats like bacon and sausage, nothing too drastic. I thought I did that. Mid January 2024, not long ago, I had another appointment and requested my bloodwork be done again, for comparison's sake. This time my cholesterol had gone up more, and was firmly considered high.
A few caveats. The doctor's comments didn't seem overly concerned, and she only recommended non-specific dietary changes and increased exercise. I know the details because I looked up the results in the health system portal, which shows last years' and this years' numbers and has a key for what's normal, elevated, high, extremely high etc. I am not a doctor but I can read. And those numbers, while not great, could certainly be worse. Part of me also wonders how much the results were impacted by the timing of my visit. Immediately following Christmas, and all its' associated treats, has to be the worst time to have your blood tested.
Regardless, I'm taking this seriously. My maternal grandfather died of a heart attack in his early 60s, when I was a toddler. My father had a stent put in his heart a few years ago. I'm only 37 and can see where this leads. It's time for some changes, to my diet especially, and I've already started working on how that looks.
After a little research, as I've never really looked into it before, I think I have a better grasp on cholesterol. It's something your body needs but too much can lead to problems, i.e. hardened buildup in your bloodstream. There are three types of cholesterol: HDLs, LDLs and triglycerides. All three contribute to total cholesterol but a narrower focus is ideal. HDLs (high-density lipoproteins) are the so-called 'good cholesterol,' as they help your body process fat in your blood, and you actually don't want these to be too low. You can improve your HDL number by eating fish, nuts and avocado. LDLs (low-density lipoproteins) are the 'bad cholesterol' that I'll aim to bring down. Saturated fats are the enemy here, they raise both HDLs and LDLs, and they are heavy in foods like red meat (beef and pork) and dairy (cheese and butter). Trans fats, from fried foods, are pretty horrible as well, raising your LDLs and lowering(!) your HDLs. The way to lower LDLs seems to be with soluble fiber, from beans, oats, vegetables and fruit.
After processing my results two weeks ago, and looking at all the food labels in the house, the thought crossed my mind that I can't eat anything. But there's nothing healthy about starving yourself. My aim will not to give up any particular foods entirely, but to change up what I eat most and bend my cholesterol trajectory back down.
So I'm paying better attention to fat and fiber. Fortunately reading nutrition labels is nothing new. Over the past few years we've tried to avoid added sugars, it's ridiculous how many foods include unnecessarily add sweetener. We also look at ingredients and favor ones with simpler, cleaner lists, i.e. where you recognize the food names and it isn't all industrial/chemical products. Taking a fresh look with new criteria has been informational. A few examples: Coconut oil and milk are very high in saturated fat. There's a huge difference between leaner (93-96%) and fattier (85 or below) ground beef. Shrimp has almost no saturated fat (it does have a lot of cholesterol but I don't think that actually matters).
I've now realized how I probably got here. Not only am I getting older and not been exercising enough, but my diet has been bad for me in this respect. I love all things meat and enjoy burgers and fries, smoked brisket and pork and more like it with high frequency. We have things like yogurt and cheese well-stocked and I snack on those with the kids. I've never really limited myself with sweets. Then there's the foods I've been learning to cook myself (see: quiche with heavy cream, eggplant parm, coconut rice), and so much is delicious because it's basically pure saturated fats!
It'd be easy to get overwhelmed, and I'm trying not to do that while making more responsible choices. I'll start with looking to decrease saturated/trans fats and increase soluble fiber. To accomplish that, here's a relatively simple set of goals:
Majorly decrease dairy
Somewhat decrease red meat and fried foods
Be deliberate about eating more fruit, vegetables and other high fiber foods
It's one thing to say I'm going to eat less of certain types of foods, and another to actually put this into practice. There needs to be a replacement for foods of substance. We'll do more chicken and fish. We'll up how often we have spaghetti and chicken meatballs, and sweet potato and black bean tacos, already rotational dinners for us. I really don't have a problem eating more vegetables and salads (shredded brussel sprouts and cabbage ftw), and getting the CSA the last couple years has assisted in that. Other substitutions are easier. For breakfast I'll use oat milk (which we already have for our daughter) with fibrous cereal (Kashi generally) more often than eating multiple eggs. I'll get whole wheat pasta and brown rice when that's an option. Plenty of these changes aren't that far off from what we were doing already, and we cook most of our own food. The biggest one will be better self-control with the stuff that's bad for me.
Thus far it's been going well. My wife has been very supportive and helpful, coming up with more meal ideas and also limiting herself by what food we have in the house. We've been having beef like once a week instead of multiple. We've been having a lot of veggies. I'm actually eating fruit instead of only giving it to the kids, a bad habit of parenting. My desire for sweets after bedtime has mostly been satiated by smoothies, though I am really craving some cookies or something. I won't be able to stop eating that stuff forever. I don't know yet how I'm exactly going to handle pizza, or takeout Asian food, or beef/pork barbecue, because I still plan to have them time to time. Hopefully this period, where I'm avoiding a lot altogether, will help to re-train my body for the long haul. It's a work in progress. Time to keep being mindful and learn to eat like an adult.
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