Health Musings, feel free to skip!

[erastes]

Now,I’m not going to get all boring and daily posty about this cholesterol thing, but I think that – although I drink too much and eat much crap—much of what I eat is on the Good List, so that’s probably why I’m not dangerously high. I’m not a sweet tooth person, particularly, so not eating sweets won’t be much of a heartbreak, and there’s always things like sugar free jelly when I get desperate for something sweet (which is almost never.)

It’s good to see that the stance has been changed since I last looked at cholesterol advice (probably the 80s) and that things I love like eggs and prawns aren’t YOU MUST NEVER EAT THESE any more, but are on the “in moderation” list. I do love prawns but I can live without them, and I very rarely buy them anyway (and when I do I only get a third of them, as they must be shared.)

Interesting, though, to see sugar free squashes (cordial) on the “not every day” list, because I do drink a LOT of that. A dietician did tell me a few years ago I should cut them out but I didn’t. Looks like I’ll have to do it now. I can substitute them (purely as water flavourers) with cheapo fruit juice, which I can use diluted in water just to make the water taste nice.

And crumpets are GOOD for you!  OK – without the oodles and oodles of dripping butter, obviously…but oh I love crumpets. So I need to find something good to put on them. I also adore dried fruit, and Lidl (yes, I shop at Lidl when I can..) do the best dried fruit ever. OOOO!! PEANUT BUTTER IS GOOD FOR ME! (probably best to make my own with olive oil) so there’s my evil treat, that isn’t very evil.

Actually the only hardship on that list will be cheese. Those who know me well, or who have followed my bio from the beginning will know that I love cheese SO much…Cottage cheese, whilst nice, isn’t a substitute from room temperature brie. *cries*

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Comments

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

You may be able to read labels and sort out which cheeses have a good definite flavor and aren't so bad on the cholesterol. The other issue is good vs bad cholesterol, things can be bad on overall levels but actually are higher in good than bad versions. HDL vs. LDL, but I can never remember which is which. I think deep sea fishes and salmon worked out good on the good kind, but of course now they're getting overfished!

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

L is for LOUSY. That's the only way I can remember it...

[erastes.livejournal.com]

but both of them have an L.

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

Hdl and Ldl... the first letter.

Anyway, not worth stressing out over!

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

Have any of your docs told you that stress can raise your cholesterol, too? If things can just get leveled out with your dad, that might help all by itself.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

No, of course not! LOL. but i did look it up and noted that. I don't know how things can be levelled out, to be honest. Sadly.

[anderyn.livejournal.com]

I miss cheese too. My sympathies.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I shall learn to love Edam. and Brie is allowable, just not a lot.

[moon-chylde.livejournal.com]

If you make your own peanut butter, or any nut butter for that matter (almond butter is very good and good for you), there's no need to add oil. The nuts have enough themselves. There's also some very good organic and natural nut butters in stores, particularly health food stores.

I'm with you on cheese. Good cheese is life. I try to moderate my intake, but I get greedy at times.

[lb-x.livejournal.com]

I'll have to try crumpets, I keep eying them at the grocery store but my mother dissuades me from picking them up. I make my own jams, and they look like a perfect pairing for that? Probably better than the muffins & scones I usually eat anyway XD

I was diagnosed with high cholesterol last year at age 22, and (besides the hereditary reasons) I can see why looking at that list! I was eating in a university dining hall for 4 years, and it served mainly things off the 'best avoid' list!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

crumpets are divine. The trick is to toast them WELL. The bases must be crispy and the tops must be brown. Jam definitelly works well. I'll have to start living without butter

[iulia_linnea.livejournal.com]

Upon occasion, eat the cheese; if you cut it out completely in a fit of determination to do everything right, you'll be more likely to backslide into a bout of indulgence that will make going forward more frustrating. Eat the cheese, just employ portion control when you do, and savor it.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Good advice. It will help me buy a really nice cheese once a month, rather than crap cheese to have daily.

[m-barnette.livejournal.com]

I downloaded and looked over the list of good vs bad food. Most of what I eat is already on the 'good' list and I seldom eat a lot of meat. (Three pork chops usually last me four days for instance.)

My grandparents had cholesterol issues, my mom doesn't. I've never been tested, but I try to be good. My weakness is the occasional round of eating cheese.

Oh, garlic and olives can also contribute to lowering cholesterol according to a lot of studies I've read over here in the US. I do try to eat a few olives each day, and use garlic in a lot of the things I cook.

And stress is a killer. It does terrible things to your whole body. I know, I was under a lot of stress at a former job. My dr. advised me to quit the job or die by 45. I no longer work at that job.

I really hope your health improves. You deserve something good to happen for you.

Clicked the dragons, btw.

[crawling-angel.livejournal.com]

Fresh salmon, not tinned as something is taken out during the canning process which pees me off as I like tinned salmon and am not too keen on fresh. Oily fish or capsules...which I think I should start taking.

My high chol is familial. You can get great big blooping people with low cholesterols so it isn't always all that butter on yer crumpet playing havoc with your body.

Have the docs started a statin?

[erastes.livejournal.com]

LOL - my doctor told me over the phone that my level was "slightly elevated" and that was it. No advice, no follow up visit, nothing. He wants me to see him in a month for a glucose tolerance blood test, but that's it. He's such a star.

[mzcalypso.livejournal.com]

Christ. See if you can get the numbers. 'Slightly elevated' from what? Twit. (The doc, not you.)

[erastes.livejournal.com]

from normal levels I suppose - not MY normal level, he's not tested me for them before. He really is a git, I loathe him, i should have changed him years ago, but he's the only doc within walking distance. It's 6.1 - the numbers, btw.

[m-barnette.livejournal.com]

Well 'slightly elevated' could mean a pat of butter and a wedge of cheese too many for one day. Or it could even be the stress from that one day. Cholesterol varies widely from day to day, even from hour to hour depending on what you last ate, what's going on in your life--stressed out or calm--or if you've been sick or not.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I suppose the only way to go is to get a machine and monitor myself on a regular basis.

[m-barnette.livejournal.com]

From my personal experience the vast majority of doctors are died in the wool gits.

I'd say that might be your best option since he didn't see fit to define 'slightly elevated' in any sense of exactly what he meant by that.