If you are like me, you have a cast of characters in your family with varying opinions and a range of body types. Last Sunday, after being confronted with my alarming blood numbers, I had the opportunity to poll many of these family members all in one place.
We were hovering around my sister-in-law's aforementioned incredible crispy fried latkes (potato pancakes) at my brother's annual Hanukkah party.
My mom, 79, who never met a Buffalo Chicken Wing she didn't like, and who makes a beeline for the nearly blackened, many-hours-roasted turkey skin on Thanksgiving, submitted to statins two years ago. Her excuse? She didn't want to completely avoid all the bad food she loves.
My first cousin and his wife, a doctor and former nurse (now teacher) in their late 50's, have been on statins for the last couple of years. "We did the low-fat diet route and it didn't work," they said. Upon learning my cholesterol numbers, my gastroenterologist cousin said, "that's not high - when it gets over 300 or 400, then we're talking dangerous."
Second cousins in their early 60's, but who look like they're in their 30's have been on statins for years.
It was beginning to look like my cholesterol numbers had a major genetic component.
No-one I polled had adverse effects from the drugs, but still, it is my intention to avoid taking statins unless nothing else works. Can it be done? One success story came from a surprising souce; my brother.
My little bro' - David, 54 - had packed on the pounds over the years. He didn't take his rising cholesterol numbers seriously until they climbed over 300, at which point his thin and fit wife was terrified. She didn't want to be a young widow.
When I saw David on Sunday, he had lost most of his bulk, so far 25 pounds of it. He had slimmed down considerably. AND, his total cholesterol numbers had gone from "over 300" to 150; without taking drugs.
How did he do it? Over the course of three months, he cut down on carbs. He doesn't eat bread or desserts at restaurants. And he practices portion control. It sounds so easy.
I'll be a bit more extreme in my diet changes for now. I live with a Gluten-Free Vegan (GFV), and so I know a thing or two about plant-based diets. In the coming days, I will itemize my meals.
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| Yolen Family at Summertime Reunion |
My mom, 79, who never met a Buffalo Chicken Wing she didn't like, and who makes a beeline for the nearly blackened, many-hours-roasted turkey skin on Thanksgiving, submitted to statins two years ago. Her excuse? She didn't want to completely avoid all the bad food she loves.
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| Typical Travel-Writer Breakfast |
Second cousins in their early 60's, but who look like they're in their 30's have been on statins for years.
It was beginning to look like my cholesterol numbers had a major genetic component.
No-one I polled had adverse effects from the drugs, but still, it is my intention to avoid taking statins unless nothing else works. Can it be done? One success story came from a surprising souce; my brother.
My little bro' - David, 54 - had packed on the pounds over the years. He didn't take his rising cholesterol numbers seriously until they climbed over 300, at which point his thin and fit wife was terrified. She didn't want to be a young widow.
When I saw David on Sunday, he had lost most of his bulk, so far 25 pounds of it. He had slimmed down considerably. AND, his total cholesterol numbers had gone from "over 300" to 150; without taking drugs.
How did he do it? Over the course of three months, he cut down on carbs. He doesn't eat bread or desserts at restaurants. And he practices portion control. It sounds so easy.
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| Gluten-Free Vegan Husband With Approved Snack on Walkway Across the Hudson, Poughkeepsie, NY |
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