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.