Lots of measurements this week.
On Monday I went to the doctor for a general check-up and blood tests. Everything was 'normal' except for my cholesterol levels, which showed a moderate elevation in LDL cholesterol. There is a history of high cholesterol in my family, so even though I eat well, I kinda thought they might be up there. While my other cardiovascular risk factors seem to be OK, I'll still need to keep an eye on my cholesterol levels, getting them checked every six to 12 months. What I'd like is for them to have come down the next time I get tested. So I've stuck my blood test results to the wall, along with some methods to get these numbers down:
Exercise 4-6 hours each week Have done this for the last two weeks. Need to keep it up.
Lose any excess weight In progress.
Eat nuts Will include two handfuls of walnuts or almonds daily.
Eat omega 3 fats Check.
Consume plant sterols/stanols I don’t eat margarine (enriched or otherwise), so will consider supplementation if all else fails.
Get some flax Will use 1-2 Tbsp of flaxseeds per day.
Eat cinnamon Will have 1/2 tsp per day.
Avoid saturated and trans fats Will limit saturated fats to 10-13 grams per day.
Eat more [soluble] fiber Will increase legumes to 1 cup per day.
Try some garlic Will use garlic in cooking when possible.
Drink green tea. I don't really like green tea so will 'hide' it by using cold green tea with my Vital Greens in the a.m.
Try replacing some animal protein with vegetable protein Check.
Get some soy Check, mostly soy milk.
Decrease refined carbohydrate intake Check.
Stay hydrated I suck at drinking water so am going to include more smoothies and soups in my diet to keep my fluid levels up.
Consume citrus Will aim to eat one piece of citrus per day (grapefruit if possible).
2 comments:
Sounds like a good plan! Hope it works! :-)
Looks good. On the green tea front, I have read multiple articles that say green tea extract is better than green tea. This might be good for you, since you aren't a fan in the first place! Ok, it's not that green tea extract is BETTER, but just that you would have to drink a lot of green tea (something like a reported 10 cups per day) to get the beneficial factors of it. I like it and used to drink a lot of it, but that is just too much! I went and found some green tea extract, taken in a gel cap like a fish oil, and I take 2 a day. Basically is just concentrated. check it out.
Post a Comment