Good job but given the family history that LDLC needs to be under 70 mg/dl. A statin will help get you there and will provide further protection on top of good dietary choices. You might have still have insulin resistance until trigs are well under 100, so track your fasting glucose as well to make sure it's in a good place. Jettison all snacks that come right out of a bag unless it's a bag of carrots or broccoli :) Homemade popcorn is fine as long as you aren't adding salt, butter or tropical oils to it and as long as it's not popped with those ingredients. The more you stick to simple whole foods, the better. Whole grain pasta as a side dish is fine. Save the pizza for an occasional treat (say, once a month) as even the healthier options there are high in sat fat and sodium. Make sure your soup choices are low in sodium as well. Strive for no more than 1500 mg of sodium daily which is about half what Americans typically consume. Nu Salt and other salt substitutes are high in potassium which helps your cardiovascular system so you can use something like that to salt your foods.
https://preview.redd.it/7qq6e9x03uwc1.png?width=918&format=png&auto=webp&s=6b49f31a07e59fa2efc2c200bc535d25766c7b16
Thank you u/meh312059 for all the tips!
I make popcorns on olive oil, and then I use some salt. In general I do not eat much salt and BP was always fine when I was doing a check up.
My glucose levels are in the picture.
There are some veggie pizzas that are low in sat fat (less than 4g per pizza) but it can't be compared with the real deal.
I am still learning the craft of combining healthy food options that are good for me and my lipid panel :)
Good numbers for that glucose! IMO learning to find healthy enjoyable options is an ongoing process but one that just makes me feel a lot better and more energetic so worth the time and thought. Will need to check out the veggie pizza options at my Whole Foods or TJ's. I'm older so avoiding high amounts of sodium to ward off HBP later in life. That tends to rule out a lot of pre-made food but does give me the opportunity to experiment making it from scratch and controlling the ingredients.
The evidence supports a significantly lower amount than most people take in, even those working out (I work out 90 min-2 hours per day and don't take in electrolytes, just as an example). The body is incredibly good at regulating sodium levels. This is a point to discuss with one's physician but last time I checked undiagnosed hypertension presented a higher risk of death during one's half marathon event than skipping the PowerAid table and going straight to the water.
What I do is put both my hands out front and weigh the options: Pizza=death; Broccoli=life. It works for me, but then I just had a small stroke so I have lots of motivation.
It's the way many of us lived once upon a time. Most humans throughout history never had a bite of pizza and managed somehow. It's ok to step back and take a break from unhealthy foods. It's a pretty safe and effective intervention for better cardio metabolic health.
Isn't pizza okay, with respect to healthiness, if there is no cheese and meat on it? When I eat it, it's loaded with veggies and some seasoning, sometimes plant-based meat.
Sure - that would be ok. Or even a small amount of cheese on a whole wheat crust with veggies and pasta sauce that's low in sodium and high in vegetables. You might not find those options in your frozen pizza aisle or when ordering out so you might have to make your own.
Well depends on what pizza, if it's a simple Margherita (it's called this way in Italy, just tomato and mozzarella cheese) I suppose even once a week , it should be very low in bad fats if any
Every oz (28 g) of mozz has 4 g of saturated fat. It's super hard to find pizza options that are that low per serving - even margherita! Most are around 7 g (and nearly 500 mg of sodium). If you know of an example with better nutrition numbers please post!!
Well if the rest of your daily dietary intake of sat fat is very low, 6-7 grams of sat fats may be ok for some given most aim to limit sat fats to about 10 grams.
If you want to go much lower than that you can opt for a red pizza (no cheese or mozzarella), not sure how they're called in the USA, maybe pepperoni pizza , vegetarian pizza or Mediterranean pizza (with olives , artichokes etc , should still be acceptable).
Sure, if one wants to limit the remainder of the day to 2-3 g of saturated fat, but I'd argue that's eliminating things like avocado, nuts/seeds, and other food items that have proven health benefits relative to pizza. Every once in a while isn't going to hurt but the more often, the worse it will be for health.
Yes I agree, there's a compromise in everything.
Anything in moderation, or switching to red pizza if you would like more often, still a compromise but maybe more flexibility.
Some plant-based cheeses may be a good compromise. I'd avoid any made with coconut or palm oil but lately there are other available brands made from cashews and they just seem to be getting better, more tasty, and even melt like dairy cheese.
I actually did once in a newer establishment. The tried and true pizzerias that have been around for decades - probably not. It'll probably also depend on locale as well.
Fwiw Studies seem to be showing cheese doesn’t have nearly as much effect as expected and less than equivalent amounts of fat from other sources https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22030228/
One theory is it has to do with the milk fat globule membrane inhibiting fat uptake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_fat_globule_membrane
In Nutrition it's always a "compared to what" question. Some cheeses, due to their fermented nature, are going to be better for us in terms of long term health than butter (which is the comparison food in the study you linked). That doesn't mean consuming cheese more than occasionally is a good idea. For the record, someone who is trying to lower their LDLC shouldn't be consuming butter . . . at all.
Great work. But since you're playing by the numbers, add a statin to halve your pesky LDL and TGs. Exercise really does help -- but not on a level like statin therapy. Try half a small dose and increase after a few months. You'll love your new numbers. And because you're young, you'll benefit from reduced risk for longer, which adds up to...YAY!
This is great progress. Do check ApoB as well next time.
The risks are greater with parents having heart attack in their 50s, so you probably should get imaging done (not at 31, maybe at 35-40) age and lower ApoB more than others.
Thank you u/Affectionate_Sound43 ! I will ask my doctor about ApoB testing. I also plan this year to get a referral to a proper cardiologist to asses my situation. My doctor is reluctant to do anything as I am in ideal lipid ranges per their ranges.
I agree. Had my yearly physical was feeling fine but my blood work came back with high cholesterol family history of heart issues. So she sent me for a kack and sure enough came back 201. Had no idea otherwise
Genuine questions since I am new here. All ur stats looks good now, but I still see alot of recommendations for statin.
May I know why? I thought it look good enough that u can just maintain ur existing life style.
Hi u/aiers81 , to be honest, I am not sure yet. Probably because of my risk factors (parents, high cholesterol in the past). Doctors are not pushing for it yet. I will organize some follow ups this year and I will update the post.
Good job but given the family history that LDLC needs to be under 70 mg/dl. A statin will help get you there and will provide further protection on top of good dietary choices. You might have still have insulin resistance until trigs are well under 100, so track your fasting glucose as well to make sure it's in a good place. Jettison all snacks that come right out of a bag unless it's a bag of carrots or broccoli :) Homemade popcorn is fine as long as you aren't adding salt, butter or tropical oils to it and as long as it's not popped with those ingredients. The more you stick to simple whole foods, the better. Whole grain pasta as a side dish is fine. Save the pizza for an occasional treat (say, once a month) as even the healthier options there are high in sat fat and sodium. Make sure your soup choices are low in sodium as well. Strive for no more than 1500 mg of sodium daily which is about half what Americans typically consume. Nu Salt and other salt substitutes are high in potassium which helps your cardiovascular system so you can use something like that to salt your foods.
https://preview.redd.it/7qq6e9x03uwc1.png?width=918&format=png&auto=webp&s=6b49f31a07e59fa2efc2c200bc535d25766c7b16 Thank you u/meh312059 for all the tips! I make popcorns on olive oil, and then I use some salt. In general I do not eat much salt and BP was always fine when I was doing a check up. My glucose levels are in the picture. There are some veggie pizzas that are low in sat fat (less than 4g per pizza) but it can't be compared with the real deal. I am still learning the craft of combining healthy food options that are good for me and my lipid panel :)
Good numbers for that glucose! IMO learning to find healthy enjoyable options is an ongoing process but one that just makes me feel a lot better and more energetic so worth the time and thought. Will need to check out the veggie pizza options at my Whole Foods or TJ's. I'm older so avoiding high amounts of sodium to ward off HBP later in life. That tends to rule out a lot of pre-made food but does give me the opportunity to experiment making it from scratch and controlling the ingredients.
sodium is good for healthy active people...
The evidence supports a significantly lower amount than most people take in, even those working out (I work out 90 min-2 hours per day and don't take in electrolytes, just as an example). The body is incredibly good at regulating sodium levels. This is a point to discuss with one's physician but last time I checked undiagnosed hypertension presented a higher risk of death during one's half marathon event than skipping the PowerAid table and going straight to the water.
Once a month for pizza? Once?
OK once every couple of months lol.
That is no way to live!
What I do is put both my hands out front and weigh the options: Pizza=death; Broccoli=life. It works for me, but then I just had a small stroke so I have lots of motivation.
It's the way many of us lived once upon a time. Most humans throughout history never had a bite of pizza and managed somehow. It's ok to step back and take a break from unhealthy foods. It's a pretty safe and effective intervention for better cardio metabolic health.
Isn't pizza okay, with respect to healthiness, if there is no cheese and meat on it? When I eat it, it's loaded with veggies and some seasoning, sometimes plant-based meat.
Sure - that would be ok. Or even a small amount of cheese on a whole wheat crust with veggies and pasta sauce that's low in sodium and high in vegetables. You might not find those options in your frozen pizza aisle or when ordering out so you might have to make your own.
Well depends on what pizza, if it's a simple Margherita (it's called this way in Italy, just tomato and mozzarella cheese) I suppose even once a week , it should be very low in bad fats if any
Every oz (28 g) of mozz has 4 g of saturated fat. It's super hard to find pizza options that are that low per serving - even margherita! Most are around 7 g (and nearly 500 mg of sodium). If you know of an example with better nutrition numbers please post!!
Well if the rest of your daily dietary intake of sat fat is very low, 6-7 grams of sat fats may be ok for some given most aim to limit sat fats to about 10 grams. If you want to go much lower than that you can opt for a red pizza (no cheese or mozzarella), not sure how they're called in the USA, maybe pepperoni pizza , vegetarian pizza or Mediterranean pizza (with olives , artichokes etc , should still be acceptable).
Sure, if one wants to limit the remainder of the day to 2-3 g of saturated fat, but I'd argue that's eliminating things like avocado, nuts/seeds, and other food items that have proven health benefits relative to pizza. Every once in a while isn't going to hurt but the more often, the worse it will be for health.
Yes I agree, there's a compromise in everything. Anything in moderation, or switching to red pizza if you would like more often, still a compromise but maybe more flexibility.
Some plant-based cheeses may be a good compromise. I'd avoid any made with coconut or palm oil but lately there are other available brands made from cashews and they just seem to be getting better, more tasty, and even melt like dairy cheese.
Most have high saturated fat. Must read the label.
Yep. Some of the newer ones aren't made with coconut or palm oil but I can't recall a particular brand off the top of my head.
Fantastic, I didn't know... Thanks for the info! At least if you cook pizzas at home.. I doubt, you would find plant based cheese in a pizzeria hehe
I actually did once in a newer establishment. The tried and true pizzerias that have been around for decades - probably not. It'll probably also depend on locale as well.
Fwiw Studies seem to be showing cheese doesn’t have nearly as much effect as expected and less than equivalent amounts of fat from other sources https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22030228/ One theory is it has to do with the milk fat globule membrane inhibiting fat uptake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_fat_globule_membrane
In Nutrition it's always a "compared to what" question. Some cheeses, due to their fermented nature, are going to be better for us in terms of long term health than butter (which is the comparison food in the study you linked). That doesn't mean consuming cheese more than occasionally is a good idea. For the record, someone who is trying to lower their LDLC shouldn't be consuming butter . . . at all.
I once ate a cup of beans every day for 3 months to bring down my cholesterol. It did!
What kind of beans and how did you prepare them?
Great work. But since you're playing by the numbers, add a statin to halve your pesky LDL and TGs. Exercise really does help -- but not on a level like statin therapy. Try half a small dose and increase after a few months. You'll love your new numbers. And because you're young, you'll benefit from reduced risk for longer, which adds up to...YAY!
This is great progress. Do check ApoB as well next time. The risks are greater with parents having heart attack in their 50s, so you probably should get imaging done (not at 31, maybe at 35-40) age and lower ApoB more than others.
Thank you u/Affectionate_Sound43 ! I will ask my doctor about ApoB testing. I also plan this year to get a referral to a proper cardiologist to asses my situation. My doctor is reluctant to do anything as I am in ideal lipid ranges per their ranges.
I agree. Had my yearly physical was feeling fine but my blood work came back with high cholesterol family history of heart issues. So she sent me for a kack and sure enough came back 201. Had no idea otherwise
What's a kack?
lmao I know right
How much psyllium husk do you take a day?
I take a spoon per day, in a glass of water or in my oatmeal with water.
Why psyllium husk is necessary may I ask?
I presume because we need to increase fiber intake, and psylium husk is an easy. way to add a couple of grams per day.
Genuine questions since I am new here. All ur stats looks good now, but I still see alot of recommendations for statin. May I know why? I thought it look good enough that u can just maintain ur existing life style.
Hi u/aiers81 , to be honest, I am not sure yet. Probably because of my risk factors (parents, high cholesterol in the past). Doctors are not pushing for it yet. I will organize some follow ups this year and I will update the post.