Cravings

I have been a vegetarian for close to 15 years. Almost 1/3 of my life. Today all I want is a big juicy cheeseburger, and maybe some cheese fries on the side. Hopefully the mushroom patties and minestrone will work instead.

What a Week

This was a very hard week. I never got used to being hungry and eating beans every day for a week is not a good idea. I came very close to just giving it up this weekend, I see why Dr. Esselstyn talks to his patients everyday and does lots of blood work in the beginning. Wondering if it is doing any good has made it much harder than I expected it would. I think I am probably going to allow myself one can of ginger ale per day even though it has the high fructose corn syrup in it. When I get my blood work back I can decide if I am going to have to give that up as well.

This week I thought I would try some mushroom "burgers", but they turned out to have just as many beans in them. I am going to alternate the mushroom burgers with some fresh veggie wraps and a lentil loaf I am going to make tonight. Not sure the lentils will be any better than beans, but not having it every day should make some difference. I am also going to have some more of the potato soup I made a couple of weeks ago (minus the excessive amount of fresh cilantro I used last time), and some vegan macaroni and cheese. My wife and son say they have finally found a vegan mac-n-cheese that was tasty. It has only taken several years of trying various recipes.

I am going to continue with the veggies and fruit for snacks at work. Though I am going to add some chips and salsa as well. Since there are no longer any chips available commercially without oil in them, I will be making some out of the Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted grain tortillas. You brush them with water, cut them into triangles, and bake them for about 11 minutes at 350 degrees. They are so tasty that even my daughter likes them. She was eating them plain, but I liked them with salsa. I may also make a vegan cheddar dip with rotel tomatoes in it.

Wish me luck, I am hoping this week is easier.

My Tricky Brain

Is your brain sly and tricky? Mine is. I learned this about 15 years ago when I first tried to quit smoking. Everything would be going along fine, and then my brain would say "This has been easy, why not have just one cigarette as a reward. It won't be any big deal." Next thing you know I was back to smoking a pack or two a day. Eventually I was able to get past using the patch. But even today when I see a pack of cigarettes laying around mine mind whispers "Just have one for old times sake, not to start up again or anything. Just see if it is like you remember." Sometimes it is harder than others, but so far I have not gone back to smoking cigarettes.

I am finding that fat is kind of addictive as well. My mind seems to miss the junk food and the sense of being full. Snacking on fruits and vegetables instead of chips, cookies, and hostess products is just not as fulfilling. No matter how much of it I eat, I do not feel full or satisfied. According to the books, it can take us much as 12 weeks to get past. There is no patch for this so while the urges are not as strong, they may end up being harder to get over. This past week I ended up with lots of junk from the vending machines at work. This week I am going to try and stop that. This is the first week that I am actually prepared to go the whole week without eating any fat laden foods for my main meals and I am hoping that will make it easier.

For this week I have found 3 different types of whole grain cereal with no added oil. I will use vanilla almond milk on the cereal and have a banana with it. Luckily I can still have my coffee, and I am going to have a glass of orange juice even though it is not recommended. For my lunch/dinner I have made up  a bunch of kidney bean and quinoa patties that I will have as sandwiches. I also made a patch of chop suey that I can have with the sandwiches. For snacks at work I will have vegetables, fruits and some air popped popcorn. I will let you know how the week goes.

What I Ate Today

This is not everything I ate today, but something I had for lunch that was really good. My typical lunch has always been 3 grillers (by morningstar) on buns with mustard and ketchup, and a box of easy fries. Lately I have tried to cut back to two sandwiches, some soup, and the fries. I am not sure if you have ever bought morningstar products, but they can be expensive. I box of 4 grillers runs about $3.80 or so. Because I am used to making sandwiches quickly for lunch, that is one of the things I am looking for in my new lifestyle. Today I think I found one.

In under 1/2 an hour I was able to make 4 black bean burgers for less than $0.80! I sort of cheat I guess because I use dried beans instead of buying canned ones. That is about 1/2 the price. The electric pressure cooker makes cooking the beans super easy and fast though. In this case the beans were in the freezer from a previous bag that was made. The sandwiches were super tasty, even Isabella liked them! I have to say that I did not even miss not having cheese on them.

Tomorrow I am going to try a kidney bean/quinoa burger that is supposed to be pretty tasty as well. Plus it has 5 times the protein of the black bean burgers. That should hold me over while I am at work. I am also going to try making a spicy potato soup. I love potato soup, but I think it is the milk in it that I really like. I will let you know how it turns out.

How is it Going

This week I had lots of crappy food left in the freezer, and I did not buy lots of good stuff for the new lifestyle. However, I did try a few things. I had an excellent hummus spread on an Ezekiel sprouted grain tortilla with lots of veggies baked in the oven for about 10 minutes. I had an awful bit of cajun grits. The roasted peppers were surprisingly easy to make, but I did not care too much for the marinade that went on them. This weekend I am going to be buying some stuff to really get started. I really like the "Everyday Happy Herbivore" cookbook and will be trying several things out of it this week. Starting with a Tex-Mex Shepherd's pie on Sunday.

Before I go today I would like to say a little more about the blood work that is done to monitor coronary artery disease. The first number you usually get to see is the total blood cholesterol. It is a combination of LDL (bad cholesterol), HDL (good cholesterol), and triglycerides. The current recommendation is to have a total cholesterol below 200. This is supposed to decrease your risk of a heart attack. Studies of cultures where heart disease does not exist shows that the average total cholesterol is 150 or below. My goal is actually closer to 115 or 120.

LDL and HDL are both used by the body in making cells and hormones. The liver naturally produces both types, and of course we can consume them in our foods. LDL can be kind of sticky and is what gets deposited in your arteries. When your bodies immune system attacks these deposits it can cause damage and allow the deposits to rupture. At this point a clot is formed and if it breaks loose it can cause a heart attack. HDL is not as sticky as LDL and actually helps to clean LDL out of the arteries. While there is not usually a target number for LDL, your HDL should be above 40. Dr. Esselstyn would like to see LDL levels below 100, and if they are as low as 80 the HDL is effective in the 30 to 35 range. That is good news for me if I can get the LDL down there.

Triglycerides are a different type of lipid. The body uses them to store extra calories. If you eat more calories than you are burning, some of them are converted to triglycerides. Then later when you need calories, the triglycerides are converted back. This number is supposed to be below 150, though many specialists argue that 100 would be optimal. Those same specialists do not think medicine should be used to lower triglycerides below 150 though. The side effects of the medications out weigh the benefits of being at 100. I brought this number down to where it is by mostly giving up hostess products. For some reason I really like that filling in Suzy Qs. I still have quite a way to go on this number, but I am hoping to see good results when I have my next round of blood work.

How Hard Can It Be

Most doctors seem to agree that the western diet is much too high in fat. They also know that the 30% calories from fat is much too high to make a significant impact on our health. Doctors do not recommend the 10% calories from fat to Americans because they do not believe that we would be willing to make the sacrifices needed to get there. Dr. Esselstyn believes that if the choice is more surgery or death, people are willing to do what is necessary. But it is still not easy.

Dr. Esselstyn's study lasted 12 years, and he still takes patients to help them halt and reverse their coronary artery disease. Making this lifestyle change is hard enough that he meets every two weeks with his patients for the first 3 months. In addition, there are phone consultations in between appointments. During the appointments blood is drawn for a total cholesterol check. The blood work is so that they can see that the hard work is paying off. It also helps to make sure that some source of fat is not being overlooked.

If you read my first post you might be saying to yourself that  since I am already a vegetarian, it has to be easier than for the average person. I say that just because I am a vegetarian does not mean that I make healthy choices. Most of my food choices are based on convenience. I have a busy day and try to keep food preparation to a minimum. That means lots of processed foods that are full of fats, and snacks that are not at all good for me. Giving up cheese and finding something that is quick and tasty is going to be a challenge. But, I am up for it.

Becoming Heart Attack Proof

The movie "Forks Over Knives" examines the idea that eating a plant based diet can help prevent, or even reverse, most of the degenerative diseases that are affecting so many of us. Dr. Esselstyn goes a bit further than just be vegan. He also think you should avoid all oil, nuts, and avocados. Though if you do not already have heart disease, avocado and nuts are acceptable. He believes that by eating a diet that consists of 10% calories from fat, you can halt and/or reverse coronary heart disease.

He started a 12 year study in 1985 in which heart patients that could no longer be helped by surgery or conventional medicine. All of his patients showed vast improvements in their total cholesterol, none of the patients that followed his diet exactly had any further heart attacks, and in some cases there were angiograms available as before and after pictures. It certainly gives me hope, and I am working on starting to eat a plant based, no oil, and no nut diet.

How Big is the Risk

I am a 45 year old, white, American male. I am a bit over 5'11" and weigh around 205 pounds. I have been a vegetarian, non-smoker, non-drinker for about the last 15 years or so. Prior to that I was a pretty heavy drinker and smoked one to two packs of cigarettes a day. I am pretty active, but I do not exercise beyond my daily activity. Just looking at me, you would not think that I was a heart attack waiting to happen. Looks can be deceiving.

I noticed in my late 20s or early 30s that my blood pressure was beginning to get too high. I decided to see a doctor and get checked out. The Dr. read over my family history, did some blood work, and began looking for medicines that could help me get things under control. My triglycerides were over 300, my total cholesterol was around 290, and my blood pressure was as high as 190 over 120 at times. I have been on lots of different medications over the years. Some that would occasionally make me feel as if I was sun burned all over my body, and many that did not seem to do anything at all. I have tried drinking a beer a day (not a fan of red wine you know), exercising (didn't change the numbers so I gave it up), and plenty of supplements to go along with my medications. I have had a couple of stress tests, including one where they injected a radioactive dye and took images of my heart. Somewhere in the middle of all that my doctor moved to an office in Mahomet, and I started with some one new. She quickly got my blood pressure under control and now we are just waiting for that heart attack.

I currently take Diltiazem (a calcium blocker for high blood pressure), Lisinopril/HCTZ (a combination of an ace inhibitor and a diuretic for high blood pressure), Pravastatin (for high cholesterol), and one full strength aspirin per day. In addition I take fish oil, flax seed oil, vitamin b, vitamin d, and glucosamine chondroitin. My blood pressure has remained steady at about 115/70 for several years now. My total cholesterol is 190 and my triglycerides are down to around 150. Unfortunately my good cholesterol is only around 32 instead of the 50 or better they would like to see it at. That also leaves my bad cholesterol up around 150 or so.

What I learned in "Forks Over Knives" is that there is another option. I will talk about that more next time.

Why the Journey

Recently I watched the documentary "Forks Over Knives". I learned a lot about nutrition, how it relates to coronary artery disease, and what you can do to help make yourself "heart attack proof". I am not going to argue with anyone about the science or theories presented in the film, I am only going to tell you that it is worth watching. This blog is going to be about my efforts to avoid the heart problems that run in my family.

My mom passed away from cancer at 57, and most of her life she had high blood pressure. Her mother and her mother's father both died suddenly of heart attacks in their early sixties. My dad's side of the family is even worse. Dad suffers from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and high blood pressure. He is 67 years old and has had two heart attacks, one major stroke, and dozens of "mini" strokes. One of his brothers died of a heart attack while still in his early 40s. All of his other seven siblings have had heart problems beginning in their late 40s and early 50s.

While heart disease is not hereditary, the risk for heart disease certainly seems to run in families. Both of the doctors that I have seen over the past 20 years have had the same advice for me, "Try to stay fit so that you can survive your first heart attack." The movie "Forks Over Knives", and the book "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" by Dr. Caldwell B Esselstyn Jr, has given me the first glimmer of hope that I might be able to avoid a heart attack all together. That is the goal of this journey.