Thanks to my wonderful friend and, as of yesterday, Roomy #2, Mara, I was able to find a Doctor I love right nearby my apartment. The Comprehensive Wellness Center has almost everything you would want from a doctor's office for general needs. From Gynecology to Mental Health. The head Doctor is also a vegetarian and a certified dietician. I went there recently for a check-up, which I have to get for my summer job, and they ran a whole bunch of blood tests. Luckily I'm in quite stellar health. I am really curious about my blood though.
You see, almost 5 years ago, I had my blood checked and I had high cholesterol and high triglycerides. Yes, my cholesterol was mostly HDL, the good stuff, but the overall number was quite high. And what's up with the triglycerides? I ignored it all then. But a few years later I had the same results, so I decided to do a bit of research, not much though, and came to the conclusion that the high triglycerides, which I was more worried about, were caused by my love of sweets. The vague knowledge didn't really change anything in my behavior. This time, I had the same results, and I was frustrated, but I also knew that I hadn't been eating very well by my standards. So I bought Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Dr. Esselstyn. It is a very interesting book, and it has a lot of tie-ins with The China Study, which I read a while ago.
There is a fair amount of dispute surrounding the China Study, and plenty of criticism regarding the studies used and discussed in the text. So, I did try to read Esselsyn's book with a critical eye and not take it as gospel or anything. It is still quite compelling and hard to dispute since he applied a low-fat plant-based diet to many of his sick and dying patients. They were able to heal themselves and their heart disease. I'm not claiming I have heart disease, but I'd like to not degenerate as I get older and suffer into my final days. I'd like to die like the yogis and many people from more traditional cultures. I'd like to live vibrantly and energetically until I'm very old and simply die one day, no tubes or long painful procedures, paralysis or dementia. If cardiovascular health is the main player to keep us vibrant into old age, then I want to keep my blood happy and my vessels singing.
I'll be discussing my results with the doctor next week, so that's good. Since then, I've been trying to eat almost no nuts, a staple in my diet, and no extracted oils, so no olive or coconut oil in my case. I give myself a bit of leeway one day a week, but I still keep things moderate. My body has definitely reacted very quickly and very well already, which is great. My stomach is happier, probably ate too many nuts, and my skin is happier too strangely enough. I'm excited to chat with the Dr. and see what she has to say about it.
You see, almost 5 years ago, I had my blood checked and I had high cholesterol and high triglycerides. Yes, my cholesterol was mostly HDL, the good stuff, but the overall number was quite high. And what's up with the triglycerides? I ignored it all then. But a few years later I had the same results, so I decided to do a bit of research, not much though, and came to the conclusion that the high triglycerides, which I was more worried about, were caused by my love of sweets. The vague knowledge didn't really change anything in my behavior. This time, I had the same results, and I was frustrated, but I also knew that I hadn't been eating very well by my standards. So I bought Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Dr. Esselstyn. It is a very interesting book, and it has a lot of tie-ins with The China Study, which I read a while ago.
There is a fair amount of dispute surrounding the China Study, and plenty of criticism regarding the studies used and discussed in the text. So, I did try to read Esselsyn's book with a critical eye and not take it as gospel or anything. It is still quite compelling and hard to dispute since he applied a low-fat plant-based diet to many of his sick and dying patients. They were able to heal themselves and their heart disease. I'm not claiming I have heart disease, but I'd like to not degenerate as I get older and suffer into my final days. I'd like to die like the yogis and many people from more traditional cultures. I'd like to live vibrantly and energetically until I'm very old and simply die one day, no tubes or long painful procedures, paralysis or dementia. If cardiovascular health is the main player to keep us vibrant into old age, then I want to keep my blood happy and my vessels singing.
I'll be discussing my results with the doctor next week, so that's good. Since then, I've been trying to eat almost no nuts, a staple in my diet, and no extracted oils, so no olive or coconut oil in my case. I give myself a bit of leeway one day a week, but I still keep things moderate. My body has definitely reacted very quickly and very well already, which is great. My stomach is happier, probably ate too many nuts, and my skin is happier too strangely enough. I'm excited to chat with the Dr. and see what she has to say about it.
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