Last year at my annual checkup my lab work showed my glucose and cholesterol were on the rise. After making some changes to my diet and lifestyle, I found that this years lab work showed my glucose levels were good but my cholesterol had risen even further. I’ll take you through some of my diet changes that contributed to this and what I am doing to hopefully bring those numbers down.
Sometimes getting back to basics and leaving aside food and diet trends is the best way to good health. Lean meats, lots of vegetables, and whole grains will be my way back to health.
A couple years ago, my body was giving me signals that it did not want the chicken that was dominating my diet. Allergists say that one clue to food allergies (unhappy body) is when you eat it, your throat kind of closes up or you choke on your food a bit. That’s what was going on for me. So, I took a break from chicken for a while. Unfortunately, I replaced it with more fatty and unhealthy meats. After my first round of lab results when my glucose and cholesterol were on the rise, I made some changes but with not so great information.
My first target was to lose weight. I was definitely on the heavy side for my petite frame and over the next 6 months or so, I lost about 20 pounds. I did that by reducing the overall amount of food I was eating, being better about moving my body (walking, VR fun, and weights/squats and such), and I gave up or reduced beverages other than water. I don’t drink coffee and when I was enjoying my chai tea lattes; let’s be honest, it was all about the sugar and yumminess. So, I gave up those, soda, and my nightly glass of wine. I still have wine on occasion, and rarely a soda, but they don’t dominate my liquid intake. That’s where my great ideas ended.
The Bad Advice
One thing I had heard was that coconut oil and milk were really healthy. So, I added coconut milk to my occasional chai tea lattes (yes they came back for a time) and to my healthy chocolate smoothies. I have since learned that coconut milk is high in saturated fats which lead to high cholesterol. I also tried to reduce carbs and increase my protein. I did this the wrong way by adding more cheese and fatty meats. I enjoyed more breakfast sausage, pork roasts, and beef of all types; these were sprinkled with the occasional fish, shrimp, or chicken dish. Not so good for cholesterol.
Road back to health
After my wake-up call with this year’s lab results, I did some research and realized that I was going about things incorrectly. My targets now are to only have beef and pork on occasion. I will now add more chicken (but move to pasture-raised and organic), add even more fish, add lots more veggies, and add in some whole-grain, gluten-free sourdough bread and pastas to my plan. I have some fun recipes I am working on and can’t wait to show you my fun with food and progress with my cholesterol. I am going to try and check on them before the one year (hoping 6 months). The results threw me for a loop for a moment, but after some research, I am now excited for the new recipes, fun meals, and changes this will bring. Join me on my journey!
