Katya's Vegan Experiment for Lowering Cholesterol

Almost 2 Years of Being A VEGAN

2012-02-15T11:57:00.002-08:00

Well, in 7 days it will be 2 years of being VEGAN. It's not easy, but I like it. Cholesterol is down, but I have also lost 15 lbs and excercise a lot and have started jogging. About the cholesterol, it's not super low, it's hovering around 120 which is at the very top of normal. Maybe if I lost a few more pounds?

European Vacation

2010-08-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

My whole family went on a vacation to Portugal and France. I knew it was going to be difficult to maintain the VEGAN lifestyle. Earlier in the summer I went to Toronto for a month and stayed VEGAN the whole time, besides that one chicken dinner at The Q (it’s really special chicken). It was easy in Toronto. Firstly I was staying at my sister’s house, so I could cook for myself and the restaurants all had vegetarian choices, if not VEGAN. Plus I went to a great RAW restaurant called Rawlicious. Anyway, I was sure that Europe was going to be harder, especially since I was either cooking for two families at the villa in Portugal or eating out. I came prepared with an over-the-counter drug called Cholest-off that supposedly blocks Cholesterol from being absorbed. I took two of these pills before any meals that I knew were going to contain cholesterol. In Portugal, the worst of it was the pastries and I had to have some of that dried ham, like a prosciutto. But I didn’t have any meat besides that and had cod fish three times. In Paris as well, besides some chocolates, I really didn’t slip up too badly except for one overpriced shrimp salad at the Café de la Paix. I really do not want to eat any eggs, dairy or seafood. They are the worst in cholesterol. Of course I don’t eat meat either. I think a reasonable amount of salmon once a week is probably good.

The Dieting Vegan - Miso Soup

2010-04-15T05:58:00.000-07:00

So the fact is even VEGANS have to watch their calories. Ok, so I haven’t gained any weight being vegan, but so many times I’ve read that people loose weight when there is no animal fat in a diet. Anyhow, now I plan to have miso soup every day. There’s a recipe for it in Alicia Silverstone’s book The Kind Diet. Basically, you have to get the miso paste from the health food store and dilute it in water. You can add any vegetable into it like onions, carrots, shittake mushrooms, green onion and leeks. Now I had never eaten leaks before and I find them really delicious. Also Bok Choy can be added. I have never bought this cabbage, but I plan to. Don’t forget to cut up the veggies cute to help fool you that this is really a very thin broth with boiled vegetables.

The Fat Vegan

2010-04-14T05:56:00.000-07:00

It’s all in the calories I guess. Yesterday I ate a wonderful 8 oz. Israeli couscous salad that turned out to be a whopping 720 calories! Go figure! I don’t get it. Not fair. It was not swimming in oil!

The Results are In ... 202!

2010-03-26T13:38:00.000-07:00

There’s good news for sure! My cholesterol went down 85 points. Down to 202 and I don’t have to take any cholesterol medicine. It only took 30 days of being strict vegan. I was so happy. But now I have to continue being a vegan. So I will keep on blogging about staying VEGAN. If the following numbers mean anything to you, here they are: HDL which is the good cholesterol went from 80 to 63, still good. LDL which is the bad cholesterol went from 197 to 122, fairly good, but could be better. Triglycerides went from 52 to 86.

So the experiment was successful. I must tell you though that I did fall off the wagon yesterday when I was in limbo, having taken the blood test, but not having the results yet. It was King Crab Legs that my husband brought home. Worthy of a slip-up. My kids were bugging me to have something at McDonald’s, but I told them that if I were to go off the diet, I wouldn’t do it at McDonald’s. BTW they don’t have chicken nuggets or burgers at McDonald’s. They had a chicken wrap and a chicken sandwich.

Blood Test Tomorrow

2010-03-23T16:40:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the big day: Cholesterol test. On the 30th day of being VEGAN I will have my blood drawn. A full month of full-on VEGANISM. I swear to you that I have not cheated. I found out that I have a will of iron. I can’t wait to see the numbers. But I am not optimistic. I am simply scientific in my approach. I read on the internet that a guy lived VEGAN for a year and his cholesterol number actually went up.

Breakfast Change

2010-03-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have stopped eating my delicious cold cereal that I told you about earlier and now have been eating OATMEAL for the past week. It is absolutely tied with lowering cholesterol and probably a bunch of other healthy benefits. I sprinkle it with nuts and granola. I only make ½ a cup, don’t want to fall into the FAT VEGAN trap! As of this morning I have lost the the 3 lbs. I gained after the initial 2 lb. loss and lost one additional pound. All this is fairly minor, for all the trouble I'm going to. So after a month of VEGANISM, I would have to say it’s not a weight loss program and I still have to count calories.

Fresh Sprout Beans

2010-03-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

Here’s a picture of some fresh, not dried beans that I found as a crunchy snack at the health food store. The beans shown are in order: adzuki beans, mung beans, green lentils, red lentils and green peas. Hydroponically grown and only $1.69 for 6 oz. It's a great snack when you know you shouldn't be eating anything more. The beans are so tiny, that it takes a long time to eat just a little, plus it's got to be healthy. Better than chips.

The Fat Vegan

2010-03-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

I have managed to lose the 3 extra pounds that I gained after the 2 initial pounds that I lost, the first week of being VEGAN. I must tell you that I have not cheated one bit. I did it by going deeper in my quest for health and weight loss and cholesterol reduction. Now I must cut all FAT (oil, fake butter spreads) from my diet. I know, what’s left? Whole grains, complex carbohydrates such as: brown rice, potatoes, squash, broccoli, and apples. I am taking advice from the McDougal Diet. A doctor who realizes that there is such a thing as a FAT VEGAN.

Granola – who coined that term?

2010-03-18T06:20:00.000-07:00

Granola has always been touted as a health food and was invented in 1894. The food and name were revived in the 1960s, and fruits and nuts were added to it to make it a health food that was popular with the hippie movement. At the time, several people claim to have revived or re-invented granola. I bought my favorite granola (Goodrun) today, first time since going VEGAN and I was shocked to find out at home that it had 6 mg of cholesterol per serving! So it is totally not vegan because cholesterol only comes from animal sources and sure enough, this super tasty and not too high in calorie granola that comes from the health food store in a homemade looking container has condensed milk and butter in it! Buyer beware! Plus I’m sad because this cashew granola is delicious! Next is Muesli!

Who or What is Seitan?

2010-03-17T16:45:00.000-07:00

Seitan is a protein alternative to meat. It is made from wheat gluten (something you’ve heard that some people are allergic to), but if you’re not (which most people are not), it’s low in fat and carbs. The box says “Great in stir frys or on it’s own” I would have to say so not, even though it looks like foie gras and maybe that’s what I was thinking about when I took a bite of this totally not tasty treat. If I was putting something into a stir fry, I would stick with tofu and tempeh (which is really tasty). I wonder if Satan had anything to do with this wheat gluten health food? Plus it also cost $5. for a little bag of it. But then again a steak that size would cost as much!

Roasted Vegetables

2010-03-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Last night's dinner was the following roasted veggies: eggplant, cauliflower, red onion, red pepper, zucchini, garlic. Sprinkled with Lowry's garlic salt, herbes de Provence, pepper and olive oil spray . I roasted it for 40 minutes at 375. If you don't like vegetables, VEGAN lifestyle would be difficult. Kiddies had mac 'n cheese and carrots. They refused the ham that I offered them. Pictured are the veggies before I put them in the oven. I also had half a cup of black beans.

My Perfect Sandwich

2010-03-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Whole wheat Skinny bun
Red pepper hummous
Avocado slices
Thin slice of red onion
Slice of tomato
Fresh cilantro sprigs
If you're missing a "burger" type thing here, you can easily add a veggie burger (sold either fresh or frozen)

Carboterian or Carboholic?

2010-03-13T11:37:00.000-08:00

Long ago I swore off all the white carbs, so I think I’m naturally doing well in that area, now that I’m a vegan. But it is a real concern because I have to eat something and since I feel I am quite deprived in meat, dairy and eggs, carbs are the lesser of the two evils, well perhaps they are, but bad carbs, sugar etc… are not good.

Anyway, I’m unhappy to report that I have GAINED 2 lbs. on my VEGAN diet. It’s just not fair. I’m not having any sugar or white carbs (which I haven’t indulged in for years). Really just eating vegetables, some fruit, beans, tofu, tempeh, nuts, one whole wheat skinny bun a day and cereal with almond milk. Well, I thought the 2 lbs. would disappear before I had to report on them here, but no, they stuck. I will now have to be more vigilant about the freaking quantity of aforementioned food. And still not getting any meat or cheese! Who said there are no fat VEGANS? But the experiment still holds, as the focus is on lowering cholesterol, but who doesn’t want to lose a few? After just typing up what I eat, I realize that perhaps I should add more whole grains to my diet. Will investigate and will let you know if and when I lose any pounds.

What I Have for Breakfast Every Day

2010-03-12T07:10:00.000-08:00

Every day I have the same breakfast; a mixture of two Fiber One cereals, the original and the Honey Clusters. I eat this cereal because it is very high in fiber content and relatively low on sugar. Into that I also throw in some oat granola, nuts, seeds and half a chopped apple. The milk I use is of course Almond Milk. I also have 2 cups of coffee, no sugar and a 1/4 cup of fat-free milk in it. That amounts to less than 2 mg of cholesterol and it is my only little concession. BTW I have this in a small soup bowl, not the giant trough bowls that husbands use late at night.

Tempeh

2010-03-11T05:57:00.000-08:00

If you’ve never tried this soy product, you must try it. I had never tried it before and was surprised how delicious it is. It is in the refrigerated section of my regular supermarket and comes already marinated. Whereas tofu is nothing like meat, tempeh, which is fermented soy beans, has a solid composition. I thought it was rice when I opened the package!

Question for Katya

2010-03-10T11:51:00.000-08:00

Do you think you might continue being a vegan even if the experiment doesn’t lower your cholesterol the way you are hoping it will? That's a good question. Will I continue to be a vegan? If I lose weight I will be tempted to continue. Because I thought it would be hard to be vegan, I have paid less attention to quantity, it also appears that it takes more vegan food to keep going (so you get to eat more actually). I am super strict on this diet because I am very curious as to the results and treat this as a scientific experiment. If the cholesterol does go down, that will be scary because I'll have to continue. But I will then think about adding fish/seafood to my diet 2x a week. I have lost 2 lbs. at the very beginning. I don’t know if I'll lose more, I do feel lighter. I think I'm drying out though, dryer skin, lips, possibly because of no animal or dairy fat. Well, at least I haven’t gained weight!

One Egg Can Blow Your Day

2010-03-09T14:43:00.000-08:00

One egg contains 200 mg of cholesterol. The National Cholesterol
Education Program (NCEP) recommends that your daily consumption of cholesterol should not exceed 200 mg a day. However, the liver is capable of making all of the cholesterol needed to meet our daily requirements, so none of it really needs to come from the diet. So if you have 2 eggs for breakfast (which doesn't sound ridiculous) and nevermind all the other stuff you would have throughout the day, you're already double your daily allowance of cholesterol. See how easy it is to get high cholesterol? BTW 3 slices of bacon only have 15 mg of cholesterol.

I Love Almond Milk

2010-03-08T12:15:00.001-08:00

I drank soy milk for a couple of years until I found out it’s really not good for you (there’s been a lot about soy milk causing cancer). Plus it didn’t really taste good unless you got the Vanilla flavored one. For the past 5 months, even before going vegan, I started drinking Almond Milk, original flavor, in the refrigerated section, right next to cow’s milk, and it is SO good. I absolutely love it in my cereal, although I’m not quite there yet to have it in my coffee. Besides having no cholesterol it has fewer calories than fat free milk (skim milk). Almond milk has the added vitamin D like cow milk, with Almond milk also having vitamin E. I’m not into Rice milk because it has a lot of calories. And anyway, aren’t we supposed to stay away from white rice? Anyhow, it sounds like I’m selling Almond Milk, I’m not, but you have to try it!
Skim milk: 90 cal per cup, 13g carbs
Almond milk: 60 cal per cup, 8g carbs

A Word on Exercise

2010-03-07T09:26:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine passed on the following information to me:

“Did you know that in addition to dietary changes--one of the most effective ways to lower cholesterol is through exercise? 5X per week, 60 minutes at a minimum of 60% of your heart rate maximum (220-age= maximum bpm)”

I do the required exercise. Have for a long time. My BPM would be 174 by that formula, so 60% of that is 104. I will try to count my beats per minute.

Pesto Doesn’t Need Cheese and a Spaghetti Analysis

2010-03-06T17:00:00.000-08:00

I made a pesto sauce for pasta. I made it the regular way, fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and NO PARMASAN CHEESE. And you know what? It tasted really good and I didn’t miss the cheese. I’m tempted to say it tasted the same! I also put in some fresh cilantro (my favorite herb).

I made Smart Taste spaghetti by Ronzoni for the kids, and Healthy Harvest Whole Grain spaghetti by Ronzoni for myself. But when I analyzed the nutritional facts of both spaghettis I was shocked to learn that the white smart pasta actually has more dietary fiber than the whole wheat one! Countered with one more gram of protein in the whole wheat. So I am not going to try and force my family to eat the whole wheat one when the white, SMART pasta with Calcium, vitamin D and Fiber added is just as or better.

Introducing NIACIN

2010-03-05T14:03:00.000-08:00

A famous doctor that I know, upon hearing that I have become a VEGAN has recommended that I start taking 2000 mg of NIACIN a day. I find this to be a genius recommendation because not only has NIACIN shown to reduce bad cholesterol, increase good cholesterol and reduce triglycerides; the highest concentrations of Niacin are found in meat, dairy and eggs. So I surely would eventually have shown deficiencies in Niacin, also known as vitamin B3.

Don't Get Me Wrong About PETA

2010-03-04T11:16:00.000-08:00

I'm turning VEGAN for health reasons. I really believe in PETA being People Eating Tasty Animals. Of course they should be slaughtered humanely and not kept in cramped gages and fed properly and be allowed to run around. I am not against people eating meat and animal products. But the simple fact is that cholesterol is only found in animals and their by-products. Apparently people produce all the cholesterol they need for their bodies to function and any additional source is superfluous or dangerous. Some people can't handle the excess cholesterol and it builds up plaque in the arteries and leads to heart desease. So if I eliminate all cholesterol in my diet by being VEGAN and then find that my cholesterol level is still elevated, I will know that my cholesterol was not coming from an external source, but my own body. And that is what this whole experiment is about.

Kids not Vegan

2010-03-03T15:02:00.000-08:00

I am not putting my kids (ages 7 & 11) on the vegan diet and to tell the truth I've been making bacon for THEM for a couple of years now and do not have ANY, even though I love bacon. As for my husband, also not on vegan diet, but I wish he would try it. At least I am exposing my children to good eating habits. Today my daughter, 7, actually wanted to try artichoke leaves (the fresh steamed kind you strip off with your teeth) She liked it and ate half of it. We dipped it in melted Earth Balance Buttery Spread. No cholesterol.

Thai is Very Veggie

2010-03-02T17:22:00.000-08:00

I went to the Thai Wasabi Restaurant today on SR 64 E in Bradenton. Really nice and an easy choice for a vegan meal. I had Panang Curry which was Curry in coconut milk with a viriety of vegetables and tofu. I love spicy coconut sauce, and it's just as creamy as real cream. I told the waitress I was vegan and she told me I could not have the usual starter of egg roll and soup. Of course there's egg in egg roll and the soup was chicken. She said all the vegetarians get salad. No problem and she made it sound like she gets this request all the time. I'm also staying away from white carbs, so I had the brown rice.

Going Vegan to Lower Cholesterol

2010-03-01T07:33:00.000-08:00

I am a 46 year old woman and I have high cholesterol (287 total on 1/6/2010). HDL 80, which is good and LDL 197, not good. Triglycerides 52, which is good.

This is my record of experimenting with Veganism to see if it will reduce my cholesterol.

After being on Lipotor for a few years and trying a variety of other methods to reduce cholesterol like losing weight (although I'm not really fat at 150 lbs and 5'5"). I am now ready to eliminate all cholesterol from my diet, which is ALL ANIMAL PRODUCTS.

I started on FEBRUARY 22, 2010. NO MEAT OR FISH OR CHEESE OR EGGS. But I must admit I still take fat free milk in my coffee, but it only amounts to 1/4 cup day which is less than 2mg of cholesterol.

Ok, I lied about being 150 lbs. I'm currently today 154 lbs. But I think of 150lbs. as my normal weight. Although I'd like to lose 15 pounds, but would be super happy to weigh 140.

Why VEGAN and not VEGETERIAN? Simple, because the more cheese you eat the faster you will die. Eggs also are one of the most cholesterol laden things you could eat.

I bought 2 VEGAN cookbooks, The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone because she's cute and was on TV a bunch of times with food everyone said was delicious and The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein because it promised to make vegan dishes without all those strange replacement meat and cheese substitutes.

Anyhow, today is Monday March 1, 2010 and I've been VEGAN (minus that little bit of milk and a small slice of birthday cake for my son) for one week.

What does it consist of? Salads, beans, lentils, vegetables, apples, Fiber One cereal, apples, eggplant Chana Masala (luckily I love Indian food). Wine, it's a fruit right?

I have a bood test for cholesterol coming up on March 24th. I will report the results.

By the way I also take 2x 1,000mg fish oil capsules, a multi vitamin, vitamin D and 2x Cholesterol Relief by Finest Natural which by the ingredients is just soybean oil in a gelcap.