Nutrition help - I'm going nuts!

[Momling]

I'm so confused!

I did a wellness check through our insurance yesterday and I want to make some diet changes before actually going to talk to my doctor. (Kind of like how I always brush and floss my teeth extra good the month before I see my dentist.) Anyway I learned at this wellness check that I apparently have quite high cholesterol, so I talk to people and read that eating oatmeal can lower it. But I also apparently also have borderline high fasting glucose level, so maybe I should stay away from carbs? But I also know from previous lab work that I am slightly anemic, so perhaps I should eat more red meat? But I understand people with high cholesterol should avoid it. Then I talk to a friend who insists going vegan is the way to lower cholesterol and my mom says Atkins is a miracle cure, then my father insists it's all about gluten. I don't think I can win.

 

I think I need to stop asking for anecdotal reports and start looking for actual evidence from studies... Maybe a good meta-analysis will clear things up? But then... There's got to be a ton of confounding factors in nutrition research because it's tricky to actually keep everyone eating the same food.

 

I'm not sure it's even that big of a deal as I am average weight and eat pretty well and exercise daily and don't smoke. But I'd just like to lower the numbers before my next yearly with my GP. So help me out. How do you make sense of conflicting nutrition advice?

[Jean in Newcastle]

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=54

[LibraryLover]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/women-cholesterol-medication_b_1219496.html

 

There is a lot of confusion out there.  There is some evidence to suggest that women with higher cholesterol levels actually live longer.

 

Eat lots of green and orange veggies,  some good fish etc. Stay away from trans-fats and limit sugar. Have some dark chocolate. :)   It's a start.

 

ETA: Love the oats link, Jean.

[Orthodox6]

I went vegan, and shall have the numbers run after a few more months.  My physician (a regular GP type) backed the decision solidly because he knew that I knew how to do it properly. 

 

http://www.theveganrd.com/  If you want to learn more, that seems a good place to start.  It is not the only good approach, but it is one of them. 

 

Yes, the decision-making can be awkward and difficult.  There are a number of dietary approaches that I consider pure bosh, although they have fervent supporters. 

 

Hope everything goes well for you!

[tabinfl]

Remember: Your doctor is the one who is supposed to help you sort all of this out, not someone you have to impress with how "good" you've been!

[Momling]

Remember: Your doctor is the one who is supposed to help you sort all of this out, not someone you have to impress with how "good" you've been!

I know that's *theoretically* true... :-) But... I don't know... I like to be proactive and honestly, I get a little competitive about numbers and feel a bit embarrassed that they are so high. But it's true it's just a number and not a reflection of much... my mom's side of the family are all on statins and have cholesterol levels well into the 300s. So it's kind of a family thing. I think I'm having trouble accepting that this problem (which I've always thought of as an old-person problem), might be my fate as well.

[bolt.]

It's fairly easy to get dietary cholesterol numbers, and you might be wise to eat somewhat less of foods with the very highest stats.

 

That shouldn't interfere with eating a 'reasonable' amount if red meat, just not an excessive amount. There are also other excellent sources of iron (specific veggies, legumes and grains, I think) that you could look into and try to incorporate more of.

 

As far as carbs: oats are a 'good' carb, really healthy in moderation -- in moderation because they provide lots of food energy in a few delicious spoonfuls. That's the main reason that carbs-in-general are easy to get carried away with.

 

Neither vegan-ism nor Atkins-style carb limiting qualify for my ideal of a 'balanced and moderate way of eating that is easy and satisfying over the long term' -- just my assessment of how they would fit into my life, that's all. Not meant to be an attack on people who do enjoy those diets.

 

Generally speaking:

 

1. Most people could literally double or triple their consumption of (unprocessed) fruits and veggies -- and find them tasty, and quickly get used to that 'new normal'. That would probably make the most difference.

 

2. Similarly, most people would benefit from eating much smaller (half-sized) servings of all of their usual simple starches (white/not-whole grains, pasta, potatoes, sweets, snack foods), and also switching to whole grains, whenever the result is tollerable. This is also a fairly easy shift to get used to -- same foods, or nearly the same, but different portion sizes.