I had my annual physical this week: My doctor said “not only are your numbers good, they’re WAY good”. He was really impressed and said “keep doing what you’re doing”. I told him about the Forks Over Knives video that was my inspiration, and said he’s going to watch it. I also told him about The China Study book.
My wife (she is a registered dietitian) and I started the plant-based diet at the start of December. I didn’t start to lose weight until March when I became more disciplined about limiting snacks. Since March I lost 25 pounds. In June I cut way down on sweets, which I learned is a factor in the triglycerides number.
The table below shows my lab numbers. The first number is late January, the second number (in parenthesis) is the latest reading last week.
Cholesterol 182 (124)
Triglycerides 247 (108)
LDL 93 (66)
In addition, my thyroid appears to be functioning again (it’s been more than 10 years since I went on thyroid medication and my dosage increased steadily over the years). My new numbers indicate that there’s a possibility my thyroid is working well enough to eliminate the thyroid medication completely! The doc is now cutting my thyroid medication dose in half, and we’ll know more in the next few months, as it will take time to determine the proper new level. I've learned from my wife that thyroid problems (and other issues) can be caused by an auto-immune response to animal-sourced proteins in food. (As I understand it, some proteins in food closely resemble the amino acids in our own organs, and in attacking the foreign substance our body attacks itself.)
I'm 60, and there is a family history of coronary disease. I have no issues now nor am I on any medications other than thyroid, but I prefer the idea of "food as medicine" and want to avoid meds and associated side-effects that commonly degrade the lives of aging people. I'm also determined to improve my odds of avoiding the early deaths of my parents/grandparents and maintain health as long as possible.
Since I started the plant based diet I have more energy throughout the day and better digestion. I can tell my intestinal system is much happier now. An improved and more constant energy level (like a veil of mild tiredness was lifted) was especially noticeable when we first started the plant-based diet but now it just seems “normal”. This experiment has gone from “I’ve got nothing to lose by trying it” to “it’s better, it works for me”.
I've been telling most people I know and only a few show interest. It's incredible that I can show these lab numbers to people who are on statins and beta blockers who have heart issues, and they don't take interest in a way to improve their health and reduce risk without meds and associated side-effects. (Seems they'd rather take a pill and live with disease the best they can than avoid it altogether.)
Some people get it, others think I'm doing "extreme" eating -- but I think it's more radical and extreme to ignore this information when there is so much to gain and so little downside. Yes I love the taste of a well-cooked steak, but I know that it doesn't love me and "I can live without it". So I don't miss it, and my wife and I are discovering new ways of cooking and new uses for spices, and enjoying lighter foods more than ever before.
Fabulous!! Good for you!
