I do wish my paper on capitalism and fascism was as easy to write as a 'blog post.
I have been working on DSD and our eating habits lately. I am not sure where my desire to eat healthier, be healthier has come from, but that, combined with my need to reduce my carbon footprint, has produced a clash or two... a week. Especially at the grocery store. He wants to buy pre-prepared boxed dinners: chicken marsala, jambalaya, beef stroganoff, and what's wrong with the occasional Raman noodles? I say, "I can make it cheaper, healthier, tastier," (take your pick). Sometimes he gets mad, "why change up things?" sometimes he just moves on.
Three weeks ago he went to the doctor for a physical. I have been pestering him to go for at least two years, partly to see if there was ANYTHING to be done about his snoring and parly because he did have cholestorol issues in the early part of the decade that we managed to get under control so that he didn't have to continue to take medication. The doctor was thorough and immediately sent him for blood work and asked that he (DSD) take his blood pressure every other day. DSD returned for the results this week:
BP: OMG! On medication
Good cholestorol: 28
Bad cholestorol: Unable to be measured
Overall: 256
Triglycerides: 1250--- ONE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED FIFTY!! Crazy.
Sugars: Normal (which is actually the one we were concerned about because his father has type II diabetes)
He was given an EKG and sent for a chest x-ray and was sent for MORE blood work. He has an appointment for Monday 11 October to get the results of all of the above. We have fought. Quite a bit. He doesn't want to change the way he eats. He doesn't want to stop his alcohol intake. He doesn't want to CHANGE. Who does?!?!?
I don't want to lose him.
We went grocery shopping today and he was fabulous. We spent A LOT of time looking at the fat levels and sodium levels of everything. He even bought ketchup with no salt added.. which sounds gross, but I don't eat a lot of ketchup.
We started composting in March and he will build our raised garden bed in the next few weeks, now that it is not 100 degrees every day. I have radishes, tomatoes, and broccoli growing in containers right now. Maybe next year we will produce enough tomatoes that I will be able to can my own ketchup (and tomato sauce and salsa), but no.matter.what I would really like it if DSD were here to help (or hinder, but don't tell him that!) .
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8 comments:
Those triglyceride levels sound scary! Was diet the culprit, or some other condition?
I wish you both luck in adopting healthy eating habits.
At least you know the score and can make an attempt to fix the diet a bit. A healthy diet doesn't have to be disgusting and neither does a lower sodium one. I don't know what it is about us men and our aversion to doctors but a lot of us go through life,up until the crisis, ignoring things like sodium and cholesterol.
Wine, lemon juice and vinegar (acids really) is the key to making tasty food with less salt.
We actually eat pretty well, Ahab, a lot of grilled chicken and salad. His doctor is assuming the test was a fluke, but DSD loves an afternoon beer and an evening drink.. or two. Unfortunately his mother (who was grossly obese) died of a heart attack before she turned 50! So heredity is not great also.
Thanks FM, I figured I could count on you for some super advice. I will keep the acids in mind. Plus less packaged stuff. I have been on his about the sodium forever. I cook with a lot of garlic and onions and try to use garlic and onion powders a lot.
And more fish!
Real food rocks! Of course, we farm and are a little bit biased, but you are so right...you CAN make it better, cheaper, tastier!
Best to you.
Keep the faith, sister; you're doing all the right things to help your man, including being willing to survive the occasional dust-up without backing down or taking it personally. I'm betting that the more food he grows for himself, the more he'll love his vegetables straight up.
My hard-drinking fighter pilot who was raised on good beef in Kansas City is now, at 65, a tee-totaling exerciser who supplements my vegan meals with fish or chicken or turkey once in a while. I really do love him and want to keep him; that's a hard position to argue with forever.
You should read this book, "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes: http://www.amazon.com/Good-Calories-Bad-Controversial-Science/dp/1400033462/
We had been eating "healthy" for a long time, not buying processed stuff, eating only whole grains, etc., but my father in law had extremely high blood pressure even on medication, high cholesterol and snored like crazy anyway. After reading this book, he went on a strict low carb/high fat diet, and his numbers are now excellent and he's stopped snoring.
I got talked into reading it, being a skeptic to begin with, and while reading this, I got so damned angry. It will make you so mad.
Basically, everything (as usual) that they tell you is a lie. There is no evidence that fat is bad for you, on the contrary there are lots of studies that show that refined carbohydrates and sugar are like poison to your body. There is no study that shows unequivocally that fat has any impact at all on your cholesterol or that it's bad for you. Taubes goes through all of the studies they've done, and draws the conclusion that the press and nutritionists cherry pick data and facts. I'm of the mindset that it has to do with money, because if everyone ate nothing but meat and veggies, what ever would these food corporations sell? Take a look at the aisles in the grocery store, it's all boxed crap.
Anyway, I stopped eating carbs, and started eating only meat, eggs, fish, and nuts (which is pretty much what our paleolithic ancestors ate). I've lost 35 pounds. The significant other got talked into it too, and he's also stopped snoring and has lost 20 pounds.
OMG!!!
I can't breathe. Do I complain constantly on here that DSD snores like crazy? Because he wakes me up several times a night.
Thank you! I will take a look as soon as I can.
I bought it, on my KINDLE. Wonderful!
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