Anyone Vegetarian???Need advice...

by LyinEyes 27 Replies latest social physical

• 

  Scully

  Dede:

  If your triglyceride levels are so high, I would have expected your doctor to set you up for a consultation with a dietician AND give you a prescription for lipid lowering medication, something like Lipitor.

  You modify your diet, not necessarily by eliminating meat all together, but by substituting different varieties of protein instead of red meat (beef is the main offender).

  If you don't have any problems with allergies, you can try a couple of meals a week of fish (not salmon, though, too fatty; and preferably baked or broiled instead of fried) and a few meals a week of poultry (chicken, turkey) and limiting beef intake to a lean cut once every couple of weeks.

  If you want to try vegetarian dishes a few times a week, that's great too.... but you don't have to eliminate all meat from your diet forever and ever. Be careful with cheese and other dairy products - it comes from COWS(beef) - and unless you're using low-fat varieties (like skim milk mozzarella) - it might negate the fact that you're consuming less beef. (Cheese is my weakness too... I have to watch my intake..... the higher milk fat is always the stuff that tastes the best <sigh>)

  The other thing that will help a lot is to increase your veggies to compensate for the restricted meat intake. Veggies have lots of water in them and will help flush out all that bad stuff from your system. They also boost your fibre intake, meaning you'll feel full faster, with less calories. Watch the salad dressings.... a little olive or canola oil with lemon juice or vinegar is fine.... I actually like a wedge of lemon to squeeze on my salads - no fat, no calories. Season with herbs and spices when you bake, broil or poach your chicken and fish, instead of using butter or margarine for flavouring.

  Don't forget to drink lots of water, and try to do some moderate activity - even walking around the block - to help you burn fat and flush it out of your system.

  Let us know how things go!!

  Love, Scully
• 

  Introspection

  I don't see a problem with meat, though most people could be eating a LOT LESS of it. Even so, you might want to cut out certain types of meat for a while until things clear up.

  If you do to decide to go vegetarian, make sure you get enough of the nutrients that we usually get from meat - like iron and vitamin B12. (which means you may need to supplement) Also don't fill yourself up with a lot of nutritionally empty foods like bread and pasta, the way they are processed there's hardly any of the micronutrients left.

  It's easy to understand that there's a balance between how many calories you take in and how many are used up through physical and mental activity. The only practical way to find that balance is just to be aware of both. I think the biggest thing that health conscious people overlook is not the specifics of what kind of food to eat or what kind of exercise to do, but frankly they lack consciousness itself. It doesn't matter how great your health plan is, but if you follow it blindly you're bound to mess up, because your body is a living, dynamic thing. Instead of just being upset at feeling bad, a good question to ask would be WHAT am I feeling? See that actually tells you something, whereas you just don't look at it if you've identified something as "bad", it's kind of a dismissive label. So it's not just theory in the form of a diet or any kind of plan, but the reality is what's actually going on in your body right now, and if you're going to change that into a healthy body it only makes sense to be aware of it.
• 

  LyinEyes

  Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I have been doing alot of research on the internet and there are so many do this, and do that's , but I will find what works best for me and my taste and still stay on diet.

  My doctor is sending me a lot of info in the mail on diets, explaining the whole range of what is going on for me in greater detail. So when I got my results it was over the phone. He wants to see me back in 3 weeks, to see how I am doing, and he will retest my blood in about 2 months , after I get on track with getting the cholestoral out of my blood.
  He did say, that since my dad has inherited liver problems, ( he never has drank, or even taken more than an aspirin) so many on our side have this, that I probably will at some time need to go on the meds. I have an uncle on dad's side who has had 6 triple bypasses, diabetic, his other sister died blind from diabetes, 3 other sisters have diabetes, his baby sister the baby out of 11 kids,,,,, at the age of 33 had a heart attack, and has had two more operations and stints put in.

  This scared me finding out that my levels are that high, because I do feel chest pain at times, and feel like my heart skips a beat even. I feel tired, dizzy, and get very weak here lately. These are all systems of heart problems, and I started smoking like an idiot just this year. Bad idea.

  I am having some bad problems with my feet , and they both need surgery but I have put it off. I have a mortons neuroma in one and have been in pain for over a week with it. SO until I get my feet taken care of , I am going to join a health spa in town to swim in their heated pool. That will get me started on getting my heart muscle in shape, it will help all around, and no pressure on the feet. Plus I love to swim , that would not be exercise to me at all.

  I will keep you all informed , just in case someone eles has these problems. We are all getting older and things we didnt think about , like extending our lives on this earth are really becoming reality.

  I really sound like a mess huh???

  But I am used to that feeling of having so many problems,,,,,,, the feet are problems because of Juevinile Arthritis,,,,,,,, darn I am a mess LOL.
• 

  Valis

  Hey Lyin...here's some of my fave veggie foods...and a little exotic so as to make them more interesting to eat..

  I like lots of Greek and Middle Eastern stuff, but I didn't include gyro meat since we're tryin to avoid more fatty stuff(I love charbroiled fat...yummmm..and deadly..*LOL*..).......So click for recipies and get some nice pita bread lettuce, tomato, a couple of peppers, and some olives..BAM!! You got lunch!

  Falafel

  Hummus

  tzaziki sauce

  Oh and Boca Burgers are the best and probably easiest to find...in the frozen section.

  Sincerely,

  District Overbeer
• 

  setfreefinally

  If we were not supposed to eat animals why do they taste so darn good!
• 

  Introspection

  Valis I was going to say Boca Burgers too - and I don't know where you live but there are also those veggie burgers that are marinated in a special sauce like curry flavored ones (along with others) that come in a two pack, which are more expensive but very tasty.

  Just off the top of my head I would also say look into taking niacin for the cholesterol. I understand that you want to take 3000mg a day which would be 6 500mg caps, and the form is supposed to be significant - you want inositol hexaniacinate which is flush-free. Like anything else it can get pricey, so I would recommend checking out the online dealers and stocking up instead of buying retail. One place I like is www.swansonvitamins.com - they have an okay selection but realy good prices, something like this is certainly no problem. (BTW, if you get their brand I would go with the Swanson Ultras, I don't know why but they have a cheapy line and like a couple of better ones - I know the ultra is decent from the stuff I've tried and still really good prices)
• 

  Warrigal

  Hi Lyin Eyes; My neighbor has been on a statin drug to lower her cholesterol and her Dr. told her to include Co-enzyme Q-10 as the drug eliminates this good enzyme in the liver. Long term use of statin drugs, he said, can lead to sudden heart failure without the protective effect of CoQ-10. He suggested 30mg a day for her. Also, garlic lowers cholesterol, odorless garlic works just as well. You get to keep your friends! Warrigal
• 

  asortafairytale

  When I was a kid, I had high cholesterol (peaked at 400). I never ate red meat; everything was made with turkey instead. Turkey is pretty good, and it is the healthiest meat. No eggs or cheese; Egg Beaters instead. I drank skim milk rather than 2%. Wheat bread, rather than white bread. It is a much healthier diet, and it tastes pretty good, too. For everything that is bad for you, there is always an alternative!

  For non-meat, I'm w/ Valis on Boca Burgers. Harvest Burgers run along the same line, and are my personal favorite. Anything soy is good, also.

  ~~~Asortafairytale~~~
• 

  LyinEyes

  Valis I checked out recipes and that one for Hummus dip sounds really good and handy to have around.

  I like veggie burgers but like lots of mustard on them...I just saw an ad for Bocco burgers , so I hope I can find them here in town.

  I have tried the Harvest burgers and they are good.

  I am also going to try the supplements ya'll spoke of. I doubt I will go completely vegetarian ,,,,,I like a steak and fried chicken , but it will have to be for a treat. I may add some meat to my veggies and rice,,,,,, I like cooking with a wok. I hate milk so that is not a problem .

  On this site about being vegetarian, it said to do it in small steps and cut certain things out at a time,,,,,, not too fast or you might crave things you shouldnt eat,,,,,,,,so that is the way I amgoing to try this,,,,,,,
• 

  imanaliento

  Valis beat me in mentioning the Boca burgers, I have them while our boys eat their beef. Look for them in the frozen foods. I use to be on a vegan diet while figuring out what kind of health problem I had. I lost weight, my trigliceride levels were down, the bad cholesteral was a good number but the good cholesteral was a bad number.

  i went back to eating whatever, cooking that way was like a restaurant, ( it still is sometimes ) and my bad cholesteral went up to 245 so I was put on lipitor, 5mg. after a 3 month check up the hdl was still low and I was told to take 500 mg. of time release niacin at night. the next checkup it went up from 37 to 52. My doctor said that if the niacin bothered me ( the flush ) that I could take ibuprofen or aspirin with it. and too I take milk thisle and lecithin for liver protection as well as coQ10 and wheat grass supplements.

  My sister refuses to take lipitor and is just taking niacin. I still do a vegetarian meal 2 to 3 times a week. the vegan is harder because you don't eat dairy products. and when my boys are out of the house we will go back to it more often.

  and Dede, smoking doesn't help your health one i- o- ta. please quit, quit for Chance's sake, for the health of your family, for less wrinkles when your older and so on.

  you can request that your doctors office mail you the results of your tests.