So, I finally gave in to my cardiologist’s demands and agreed to go on a statin. I’ve been eating 0 cholesterol, shunning oil, and downing greens by the bushels to clear my cardiac arteries, but only dropping the cholesterol by a steady but slow twenty points per year. Then this year, it didn’t drop at all.
I had to admit I had official everything I was capable of doing. I was pissed. But I agreed and went on the damn medication three months ago.
I just did the follow up blood work. Cholesterol dropped more than 100 points. Both total and LDL are now even lower than Dr. Esselstyn’s recommended levels. And in all his studies, I must say, his patients were also on statins.
Now this proves to my doc and finally to me, that my cholesterol was not coming from my diet. (Dietary cholesterol only comes from animal foods, but excess fat can be converted into arterial plaque too.) It really was a matter of my live producing too much, and the statin is the only way we currently have to stop that.
Confession Time
Here’s the thing.
When I first went on the statin, I was so angry that I revenge ate. Do you understand this? I said, “Fuck this, if I have to take the damn drug anyway I’m going to eat some GD fat!”
I used non-dairy butter on several rounds of sweet corn and I even made buttered toast. I had a Beyond Burger, and some Ben & Jerry’s Dairy Free ice cream. (Cherry Garcia.) And a few other goodies I’ve been steadfastly (if not always too consistently) refusing for years. I ate all that shit and my cholesterol dropped 100 points plus anyway.
I mean, I also gained like five pounds, so there’s that. Apparently, while the statin prevents the fat from getting into your bloodstream, it does not prevent it from going straight to your ass.
But you know, I had my little rebellion. I’m not gonna eat like that forever. But I’m probably going to be a little bit more lenient with my diet now that I’m pretty sure it’s not going to kill me.
Food Safety Checklist
What a pain in the ass this is. It reminds me of when we were washing our groceries during the early days of Covid.
Here are some things to do, but first, a rundown of the current food born illnesses.
Cyclospora: the “explosive diarrhea” parasite in Taylor Farms lettuce and cilantro.
Campylobacter: Recently acquired by a couple in a Binghamton NY restaurant
Salmonella: Taylor farms eggs
e.Coli: Greenwise Frozen Blueberries
Two people in Michigan have died from the lettuce.
We all know why it’s happening, if we’re paying attention. But surviving the our dysfunctional government’s reign long enough to vote it out, is more important than placing blame right now. We need to know how to get through this.
Buy as much of your produce locally as you can. Smaller operations are far less likely to be contaminated.
Wash every single bit of produce before you eat it. And wash it in physical ways, where something is brushing over the produce. The contamination can stick and isn’t easily rinsed away.
Wash veggies and berries in a solution of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water.
Using a Salad Spinner to remove the water from your produce has been shown to remove 70% to 90% more contaminants than washing along.
I stated before that I felt safer with frozen greens. I was mistaken. Freezing does not kill a lot of these bugs.
Do not allow animal products in your kitchen. Do not allow meat, eggs, or dairy to come into contact with your fridge, your pots and pans, your freezer, your stove, your oven, your dishes, or your outdoor grill.
That’s it for today. Be safe out there! See you next week.
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