December 26th - Lab results

The lab results came back as I expected - 267 total cholesterol, HDL level @ 69, LDL level @ 194. I have three choices...do nothing, go on medication, or try to lower my cholesterol through exercise and change in diet. I'll try the diet and exercise option first.

I met with Lake Region Hospital's Dietician (Julie) and reviewed my diet. I'm not a big breakfast eater so what is "normal" for me is a bowl of cereal (i.e. Captain Crunch with Crunch Berries) and coffee. Most days it's just 4-5 cups of coffee. If I choose to eat lunch at work I'll have whatever is on our menu which usually includes soup or salad, some type of meat, potato, vegetable and dessert. Our cooks know I have a healthy appetite so I usually receive a large portion of whatever I order. Supper at home consists of chicken, beef or pork prepared in a variety of ways, potatoes, hotdishes, spaghetti (my favorite!) and pizza on Fridays. Again, my portion sizes are usually large and I'll often have seconds.

I told Julie my hope is to not change my diet entirely but focus on the food choices that are good for me and be conscious of the choices that are not so good. Here's what Julie recommended:

Breakfast - Cut out the sugar-based cereal like Captain Crunch with Crunch Berries, Sugar Frosted Flakes, etc. This type of cereal will provide a "sugar high" short-term energy boost but very little nutrition. A good diet will include 25 grams of fiber each day. A cereal high in fiber (Raisin Bran) or oatmeal is good. Fresh fruit and/or fruit juice is also good. I'm not a big fan of oatmeal so I'll go with a bowl of high fiber cereal, fruit and/or juice each morning. I'll also try to cut back on the coffee.

Lunch & Supper - Julie recommended 5 servings of fresh fruit or vegetables each day. She also suggested having a salad before/with each meal and cutting my normal portion sizes in half. Replacing the 2nd half of the plate with fresh vegetables will help fill me up. I didn't know that cholesterol was found in animal and dairy products. Cutting back on cheese can't hurt. I'm a big fan of meat so cutting back on my steak size (8 oz. steak vs. 16 oz.) will probably be the hardest. Lean meats/hamburger and taking the skin off the chicken would be helpful too.

One surprise was that pizza is not entirely bad for you. Hawaiian pizza (Canadian Bacon & Pineapple) or vegetarian pizza is way better for you than Meatlover or pepperoni pizza. Mozarella cheese is also better than the other variety of cheeses. Cutting back to just a couple slices vs. 5-6 can also help. Julie also recommended staying away from garlic cheese bread.

What I like about this plan is that I don't have to stop eating many of the foods that I like. Reducing portion sizes, filling up on salads and vegetables, and starting off my day with a better breakfast is what I plan to do.