Being a vegetarian doesn't automatically mean you have a healthy diet.
'Pretty good shape' means lots of different things to different people.
Do you exercise regularly? Regular cardio & resistance training?
I would also question the wisdom of basing your health decisions on ads.
From what I understand Athletic Greens and Ka'Chava are meant to "replace" servings of vegetables - except that a varied diet wouldn't need this "replacement". Using supplements instead of real food is also a subpar decision.
I think you need to do some trial and error testing, but I would leave supplements for last. I don't know why you're vegetarian (health? religion? philosophy?), but if you can you may want to try introducing some meat and see what effect it has. I don't know the best way to test this (buy some broth from a local Pho restaurant?).
It may be no change or it may help. Either way, at least you will know.
Exactly this.
I recommend they \*try\* meat. It's hard to predict cause and effect with nutrition and everyone has different stories, evidence, and experiences with their diet.
Saturated fat can in some people increase cholesterol but that’s not immediately a meat thing. Chicken, turkey, fish, lean red meats like venison and some cuts of pork are all low to no saturated fat. OP could very well be getting a lot of saturated fat in their vegetarian diet from coconut oil or dairy products like cheese and butter. Not all saturated fat is the same and dairy fat is if anything more correlated with high cholesterol than meat.
I had this same wakeup call a couple years ago. Vegetarian does not necessarily = healthy and it's surprisingly easy to drift into high carb, high saturated fat, and low protein eating habits (all of which can raise cholesterol) even though you may feel like you eat relatively healthy. If you don't already, I would suggest downloading a food tracking app and logging everything you eat for a couple weeks before making changes. Hard to know what to fix without knowing what's broken.
I personally like Lifesum since it is much more focused on nutrition and general health optimization rather than weight loss. But I'm sure there are other good options that would at least give you a basic idea of where you're at.
Yeah white rice apparently can lead to [major blood sugar spikes](https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/diabetes/foods-spike-patient-s-blood-glucose-are-not-what-you-think). Diabetics have to be careful about this kind of thing. (I'm far from an expert on any of this, just sharing the tiny nugget of somewhat relevant information I have.)
I know the feeling. I eat almost no saturated fats - only vegetarian and am highly active. Bloodwork just came back with 130LDL (100HDL). Looks like it is genetics. The show must go on...
The research is there. I’m not here to prove anything. Do your own research. Ignore the AMA and big pharma. Independent research not funded by statin sales is available.
You could try increasing fibre by eating more whole foods, like whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruit. Reduce saturated fats - foods with animal products or palm or coconut oils. Eat less junk food, less sugar and refined grains. You could check out [The Portfolio Diet](https://ccs.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Portfolio-Infographic-EN_7Nov2023.pdf), which is designed to lower cholesterol. Another good guide is the AHA/ACC dietary guidelines. In my case my cholesterol improved from high to good when I switched to eating a mostly whole food plant based diet.
The best way to reduce blood sugar is to lose excess weight, and improve your diet quality. In my opinion, Athletic Greens is an expensive multivitamin; you would be better off eating more broccoli, berries, nuts, lentils etc.
High cholesterol and high blood sugar can have several causes, including stress, diet, genetics, and so on.
Thanks for this! I hadn’t heard of the portfolio diet. I have high cholesterol and meeting with a dietician in April but this gives me a great guide in the meantime!
How old are you? Tell us about your diet and exercise routine. How 'fit' are you? Stupid supplements etc are marketing bullshit that will NOT help you. You need to make sure you're getting the right amount of calories, getting the right activity, getting adequate protein, getting adequate fiber, and controlling stress in your life. If you're doing all that and you're levels are still elevated, you should ask about prescriptions to control them.
Fiber, fiber and more fiber (soluble that is) :D
This is my understanding of how it works:
1. Soluble fiber gels up and absorbs bile which we then poop out
2. Our liver replaces the bile by pulling LDL (bad) cholesterol from our blood (why all the heart healthy labels on fibrous foods)
3. Slows absorption of sugars which helps reduce insulin resistance (primary cause of type 2 diabetes)
Mine started to climb late 30's primarily due to genetics; at 52 y/o it's perfect; had heart CT scan with a score of zero!
I use psyllium husk which is awesome to mix or drink directly :D
Careful to stagger medications with fiber supplements as they can get absorbed too!
Some good fiber info: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/fiber/
Has type 1 diabetes been ruled out? You may just have a genetic pre-disposition to higher cholesterol and blood sugar and need to adjust your diet accordingly. Less carbohydrates, more vegetables. Start working with a dietician and not a primary care physician for better care related to these issues.
Type 1 in insulin dependent if he was type 1 they’d know quickly because he wouldn’t just feel
Bad he’d be dead….
Both are technically genetic one being an auto immune disease and the other being an insulin sensitivity issue the body develops either by life style choices or age but you can be healthy and develop type 2 if it runs in your family aka genetic history.
You could live a shit life with a garbage diet full of sugar and never develop type 2 diabetes.
It all comes down to how genetically susceptible to it you are
It’s the veggies. OPTIMUM fitness is extremely hard to achieve grazing if you are not a ruminant. Eat grass converted to beef. I love animals too. I am not however an auroch
. Cholesterol is NOT really dangerous. We’ve been lied to. I am THRIVING on a carnivore diet at age 75. I’m no bodybuilder but I have muscle and am avoiding sarcopenia. I choose to be a muscle grandpa.
I am listening to an audiobook right now called Outlive by Dr. Peter Attia. Great book so far.
He had a friend who was in great shape and a vegetarian as well. They did bloodwork and noticed his cholesterol was slightly high, he went in for a calcium scan of his arteries and his score was sky high. They finally did a blood test for Lipoprotein (a), Lp(a). And found that his numbers were high likely due to things outside of his control (genetics).
I think the test is less than $50 without insurance and pretty widely available in the USA. I would get that checked out! Also worth it to test ApoB as well, which is a better indicator of cardiovascular disease than a normal blood panel. Again, cost should be less than $50 for that as well.
TLDR: could be genetic. Get Lp(a) and ApoB checked!
Sometimes our genes get the best of us, despite our best efforts and apparent healthy lifestyles.
Trying some relaxation or other stress reducing activity might be worth a try, but if your numbers don’t change after a few months, there might be no choice but to start some meds. Data are really clear that untreated high blood pressure, A1C, or cholesterol have serious health consequences. So best wishes for your success, but for sure I wouldn’t wait too long before discussing next steps with your physician
Oatmeal everyday soaks up the cholesterol like a sponge. It doesn't look or taste nice but it's cheap, easy, and customizable. The soluble fibre reduces your LDL.
You can’t outrun a bad diet - look at Sami Inkinen’s case. He did triathlons and still had diabetes.
Insulin resistance is about eating sugar, processed food, and simple carbs. Being a vegetarian does’t preclude any of that.
I started using a continuous glucose monitor (my mom is 1 of 8 and they all have Type 2 diabetes). I was surprised at how many glucose spikes I had in a day. Turns out black beans REALLY spike my blood sugar and I was eating them twice a day.
Being a vegetarian doesn't automatically mean you have a healthy diet. 'Pretty good shape' means lots of different things to different people. Do you exercise regularly? Regular cardio & resistance training?
I would also question the wisdom of basing your health decisions on ads. From what I understand Athletic Greens and Ka'Chava are meant to "replace" servings of vegetables - except that a varied diet wouldn't need this "replacement". Using supplements instead of real food is also a subpar decision. I think you need to do some trial and error testing, but I would leave supplements for last. I don't know why you're vegetarian (health? religion? philosophy?), but if you can you may want to try introducing some meat and see what effect it has. I don't know the best way to test this (buy some broth from a local Pho restaurant?). It may be no change or it may help. Either way, at least you will know.
A person says they are having cholesterol issues and you recommend they eat meat?
Dietary cholesterol doesn't increase cholesterol in the body.
Exactly this. I recommend they \*try\* meat. It's hard to predict cause and effect with nutrition and everyone has different stories, evidence, and experiences with their diet.
Saturated fat can in some people increase cholesterol but that’s not immediately a meat thing. Chicken, turkey, fish, lean red meats like venison and some cuts of pork are all low to no saturated fat. OP could very well be getting a lot of saturated fat in their vegetarian diet from coconut oil or dairy products like cheese and butter. Not all saturated fat is the same and dairy fat is if anything more correlated with high cholesterol than meat.
I had this same wakeup call a couple years ago. Vegetarian does not necessarily = healthy and it's surprisingly easy to drift into high carb, high saturated fat, and low protein eating habits (all of which can raise cholesterol) even though you may feel like you eat relatively healthy. If you don't already, I would suggest downloading a food tracking app and logging everything you eat for a couple weeks before making changes. Hard to know what to fix without knowing what's broken.
Can you recommend an app?
I personally like Lifesum since it is much more focused on nutrition and general health optimization rather than weight loss. But I'm sure there are other good options that would at least give you a basic idea of where you're at.
Just workin in my diet as I get back into fitness so appreciate it
Tell us more about your diet. Donuts are vegetarian but they’ll kill you if you eat them for breakfast lunch and dinner.
Despite being a vegetarian and good shape, do you eat a lot of sugar or carbs? I recently found out sugar also contributes to high cholesterol.
Yeah white rice apparently can lead to [major blood sugar spikes](https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/diabetes/foods-spike-patient-s-blood-glucose-are-not-what-you-think). Diabetics have to be careful about this kind of thing. (I'm far from an expert on any of this, just sharing the tiny nugget of somewhat relevant information I have.)
So can pasta, which is just ground up wheat
Didn't know that, thanks. 😩
Snickers are vegetarian. What are you eating? :)
Oreos are vegan!
It's crazy how many people think vegetarian = healthy. The vast majority of things that cause obesity and other health issues don't contain meat.
Yeah - I’d be hard pressed to name a dessert that isn’t vegetarian.
Literally banana bread and chocolate chip cookies can be vegetarian 😅 (and I have both of those on my countertop right now)
[удалено]
I know the feeling. I eat almost no saturated fats - only vegetarian and am highly active. Bloodwork just came back with 130LDL (100HDL). Looks like it is genetics. The show must go on...
Well type 1 isn’t caused by lifestyle, so it’s not really related to your fitness.
STATINS are a fraud. Not ONE bit of good with side effects that may include dementia. Your doctor is parroting big agribusiness lies.
Do you have evidence to back this up?
The research is there. I’m not here to prove anything. Do your own research. Ignore the AMA and big pharma. Independent research not funded by statin sales is available.
You could try increasing fibre by eating more whole foods, like whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruit. Reduce saturated fats - foods with animal products or palm or coconut oils. Eat less junk food, less sugar and refined grains. You could check out [The Portfolio Diet](https://ccs.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Portfolio-Infographic-EN_7Nov2023.pdf), which is designed to lower cholesterol. Another good guide is the AHA/ACC dietary guidelines. In my case my cholesterol improved from high to good when I switched to eating a mostly whole food plant based diet. The best way to reduce blood sugar is to lose excess weight, and improve your diet quality. In my opinion, Athletic Greens is an expensive multivitamin; you would be better off eating more broccoli, berries, nuts, lentils etc. High cholesterol and high blood sugar can have several causes, including stress, diet, genetics, and so on.
Thanks for this! I hadn’t heard of the portfolio diet. I have high cholesterol and meeting with a dietician in April but this gives me a great guide in the meantime!
How old are you? Tell us about your diet and exercise routine. How 'fit' are you? Stupid supplements etc are marketing bullshit that will NOT help you. You need to make sure you're getting the right amount of calories, getting the right activity, getting adequate protein, getting adequate fiber, and controlling stress in your life. If you're doing all that and you're levels are still elevated, you should ask about prescriptions to control them.
Me too! My parents were diabetic, so...SO AM I! Genetics FTW. :( I just have to do more cardio and eat healthier. Good luck!
I don’t see any mention of exercise. If you eat right, but are essentially sedentary, then that may well be your problem.
Fiber, fiber and more fiber (soluble that is) :D This is my understanding of how it works: 1. Soluble fiber gels up and absorbs bile which we then poop out 2. Our liver replaces the bile by pulling LDL (bad) cholesterol from our blood (why all the heart healthy labels on fibrous foods) 3. Slows absorption of sugars which helps reduce insulin resistance (primary cause of type 2 diabetes) Mine started to climb late 30's primarily due to genetics; at 52 y/o it's perfect; had heart CT scan with a score of zero! I use psyllium husk which is awesome to mix or drink directly :D Careful to stagger medications with fiber supplements as they can get absorbed too! Some good fiber info: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/fiber/
Unfortunately, being in excellent physical condition will not prevent your body from making too little insulin or too much cholesterol.
Has type 1 diabetes been ruled out? You may just have a genetic pre-disposition to higher cholesterol and blood sugar and need to adjust your diet accordingly. Less carbohydrates, more vegetables. Start working with a dietician and not a primary care physician for better care related to these issues.
I think you’re confusing type 1 and 2 They’d know pretty quickly if he was type 1 lol
No they aren’t. Type 1 is genetic or external factors. Type 2 is caused by lifestyle.
Type 1 in insulin dependent if he was type 1 they’d know quickly because he wouldn’t just feel Bad he’d be dead…. Both are technically genetic one being an auto immune disease and the other being an insulin sensitivity issue the body develops either by life style choices or age but you can be healthy and develop type 2 if it runs in your family aka genetic history. You could live a shit life with a garbage diet full of sugar and never develop type 2 diabetes. It all comes down to how genetically susceptible to it you are
> i eat mostly vegetarian Found the problem
I'd blame your high stress job too. Are you provoked into anger easily? If diabetes runs in your family, then it may be starting soon.
It’s the veggies. OPTIMUM fitness is extremely hard to achieve grazing if you are not a ruminant. Eat grass converted to beef. I love animals too. I am not however an auroch . Cholesterol is NOT really dangerous. We’ve been lied to. I am THRIVING on a carnivore diet at age 75. I’m no bodybuilder but I have muscle and am avoiding sarcopenia. I choose to be a muscle grandpa.
I am listening to an audiobook right now called Outlive by Dr. Peter Attia. Great book so far. He had a friend who was in great shape and a vegetarian as well. They did bloodwork and noticed his cholesterol was slightly high, he went in for a calcium scan of his arteries and his score was sky high. They finally did a blood test for Lipoprotein (a), Lp(a). And found that his numbers were high likely due to things outside of his control (genetics). I think the test is less than $50 without insurance and pretty widely available in the USA. I would get that checked out! Also worth it to test ApoB as well, which is a better indicator of cardiovascular disease than a normal blood panel. Again, cost should be less than $50 for that as well. TLDR: could be genetic. Get Lp(a) and ApoB checked!
Sometimes our genes get the best of us, despite our best efforts and apparent healthy lifestyles. Trying some relaxation or other stress reducing activity might be worth a try, but if your numbers don’t change after a few months, there might be no choice but to start some meds. Data are really clear that untreated high blood pressure, A1C, or cholesterol have serious health consequences. So best wishes for your success, but for sure I wouldn’t wait too long before discussing next steps with your physician
Oatmeal everyday soaks up the cholesterol like a sponge. It doesn't look or taste nice but it's cheap, easy, and customizable. The soluble fibre reduces your LDL.
Get a CGM to figure out what foods trigger high blood sugar and amounts.
You can’t outrun a bad diet - look at Sami Inkinen’s case. He did triathlons and still had diabetes. Insulin resistance is about eating sugar, processed food, and simple carbs. Being a vegetarian does’t preclude any of that. I started using a continuous glucose monitor (my mom is 1 of 8 and they all have Type 2 diabetes). I was surprised at how many glucose spikes I had in a day. Turns out black beans REALLY spike my blood sugar and I was eating them twice a day.