The Doctor Said I'm Gonna Die. So...Who Wants a Beer?

[FormerCallingCardRep]

I will start this off with the disclaimer that I am not a medical professional. I am a cardiac patient that has to keep my cholesterol level down and to keep my cardiac arteries dilated as much as possible.

My Cardiologist told me to either take L-Arginine supplements of eat more foods with L-Arginine in them. My cholesterol levels have came down to being where he wants them.

You can take this with a grain of salt, but it has worked for me.

[Jester]

Um, what is L-Arginine?

[Food Lady]

I think it's a mineral or amino acid. It's supposed to take down inflammation/promote healthy blood flow. It's in some skincare products to promote healing. I have no idea what foods contain it, but a google search should do the trick.

[Amethyst Hunter]

If I got told that I could no longer eat certain foods, I would kill myself.

No joke. There are things I REFUSE to give up, both because I a) enjoy them, and b) have absolutely no willpower in resisting. Even if I had horrid allergies to something, it would not happen. I agree about the whole quality of life thing - have you ever seen a happy nuts-and-berries eater? (I don't mean your standard vegan, I mean those wackos who are so die-hard they eat ONLY nuts and twigs and dirt and stuff. And then they either drop at 50 or turn into bitter(er) old prune people.)

But I'm probably knocking on death's door anyway, so I don't care. Eat whatever makes you happy, I say.

[42_42_42]

Momentary derailment of topic- who in their right minds puts FLOUR into alfredo or cheese sauces? Cream, yes. Parmesan, romano, fontina, provolone, cheddar, and other cheeses, HELL yes. Garlic, sure. Touch of white wine, okay. Salt, not so much, the cheese usually has plenty. FLOUR?? Um... if you need flour to thicken your alfredo or cheese sauce you're doing it wrong.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled topic.

Alfredo and cheese sauces both start with a base of roux...which is flour and butter. The flour's not just for thickening, it's more for stabilizing. I honestly have no idea how you'd make either without roux.


Jester and Panacea: try the NatureMade brand Triple Omega (3, 6, 9) capsules. There's no reflux with those at all.
http://www.naturemade.com/Products/S...s/Triple-Omega

Jester: definitely try eating oatmeal or cheerios. Try the cheerios with light soy milk.

Do you like red wine? Maybe you could switch a few of your beers our for a glass of red wine a day. It's supposed to help raise the good cholesterol.

In addition to cranberry juice, any juices, fruits, veggies high in antioxidants are good for fighting cholesterol. Garlic is another cholesterol fighter.

All citrus fruits, along with strawberries, grapes and apples are good fruits to eat, according to a recent Harvard medical school report which also includes okra and eggplant as especially helpful veggies.

Instead of completely cutting out any foods, just try cutting back on them. If you normally eat bacon once a week, maybe eat it once a month instead. You'll enjoy it that much more for it being a rare treat.

I, for one, would like to keep you around for as long as possible, and definitely for longer than just another 10 years.

[MoonCat]

Alfredo and cheese sauces both start with a base of roux...which is flour and butter. The flour's not just for thickening, it's more for stabilizing. I honestly have no idea how you'd make either without roux.

Mr. Food's version of alfredo is just a tablespoon or 2 of melted butter, tablespoon of half & half, and grated cheese. It's very light and still very tasty. It's the only alfredo sauce I really like, the stuff that comes in jars is like glue.

[Jester]

Jester and Panacea: try the NatureMade brand Triple Omega (3, 6, 9) capsules.

And these capsules are for....what, exactly?

Jester: definitely try eating oatmeal or cheerios. Try the cheerios with light soy milk.

I rarely eat cereal at all, or breakfast, for that matter. It's an occasional thing. But I am not a big fan of oatmeal. And light soy milk? Sorry, not happening.

Do you like red wine? Maybe you could switch a few of your beers our for a glass of red wine a day. It's supposed to help raise the good cholesterol.

Love red wine. Not as refreshing after a hot sweaty day of work, of course, but perhaps I should engage in some more wining. Good idea.

In addition to cranberry juice, any juices, fruits, veggies high in antioxidants are good for fighting cholesterol. Garlic is another cholesterol fighter.

All citrus fruits, along with strawberries, grapes and apples are good fruits to eat, according to a recent Harvard medical school report which also includes okra and eggplant as especially helpful veggies.

Considering the amount of produce I eat, and the amount of garlic in my regular diet, I should not only be cholesterol free, I should be immune to vampires!

Instead of completely cutting out any foods, just try cutting back on them.

That is my basic plan, I'm thinking.

If you normally eat bacon once a week, maybe eat it once a month instead.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Um...no.

Bacon? Once a MONTH? Not...bloody...happening. If I ate it only once a week in one form or another, that would be cutting it down. As I've said many times before, bacon makes everything better!

There are many things I am willing to compromise on, and many things I am willing to cut down on. And I am fine cutting down on bacon. But ONCE A MONTH? Are you MAD?!?!

I, for one, would like to keep you around for as long as possible, and definitely for longer than just another 10 years.

Yes, but the question is, do you want to keep me around as I am now, a fun-loving, generally cheerful Jester, or do you want a cranky, annoyed, pissed off, hating-life-so-much-that-serial-killers-cross-the-street-to-get-out-of-my-way Jester?

Something to think about, that goes back the whole quality of life issue I brought up in the OP.

[BroSCFischer]

And these capsules are for....what, exactly?

Omega Fatty Acids at WebMD

And light soy milk? Sorry, not happening.

There's Almond Milk (including Dark Chocolate) and Coconut Milk in the dairy aisle now. Both are supposed to be healthier than regular milk.

Considering the amount of produce I eat, and the amount of garlic in my regular diet, I should not only be cholesterol free, I should be immune to vampires!

I always say you can never have too much garlic.

SC

[Dilorenzo]

*Fries up some bacon, serves with beer*

Your life, your choice - but glad you're at least considering some changes. I'd have reacted much the same to "orders" from a doctor. Have been, actually!

[Ellain]

Jester and Panacea: try the NatureMade brand Triple Omega (3, 6, 9) capsules. There's no reflux with those at all.

One way to counteract reflux with the fish oil pills is to freeze them. So, if you have trouble finding ones that don't cause the nasty burps, you don't have to suffer.

[Solumina]

There's Almond Milk (including Dark Chocolate) and Coconut Milk in the dairy aisle now. Both are supposed to be healthier than regular milk

If you are watching your fat intake then stay away from the coconut milk, same goes for cooking with coconut oil, coconuts have some great stuff in them but unfortunately they are also high in saturated fat. Almond milk, in pretty much all available flavors is a really good addition to pretty much anyone's diet, both in terms of being enjoyable and being good for you.

[Jester]

I do thank everyone for their comments, but I do have to point out that milk is not a huge part of my diet. I recently bought my first quart of milk in MONTHS, and that was mostly for use with my eggs, to make omelets. This was, of course, before the Doctor's Ultimatum. Not that I am now not going to use said eggs and milk...of course I am.

That being said, one of my favorite things in life is the occasional Carnation Instant Breakfast, which I discovered years ago when I was 16 and had broken my jaw, and thus had it wired shut. Hence the CIBs. I mix them with milk. The very idea of mixing them with skim milk makes me nauseous. So that is NOT going to happen.

As I said, I will cut down somewhat on some of the things I eat. But eliminated them? No. Not gonna happen. And my doctor and my arteries can go piss up a rope if they don't like that.

[42_42_42]

Um, what is L-Arginine?

Arginine is a non-essential amino acid, meaning that it's one of the ten the body produces on its own (the other 10 are the essential ones, the ones we have to get from our diet). The "L-" bit is chemistry short-hand for the left isomer. I won't go into more detail than that b/c it's not really important other than that pretty much all of the amino acids our bodies use are the L ones. According to wikipedia, there is some evidence that taking this supplement helps decrease hypertension. Didn't see any mention of cholesterol in relation. As with any supplement, you should ONLY take this under doctor's supervision, especially since our bodies normally produce all we need. Unless tests are done to show your body has some sort of deficiency in producing it, I wouldn't think you'd need to take it anyway.

[Victory Sabre]

I know I posted a joke from the late Redd Foxx earlier in this thread. Well, in all honesty, I don't follow his advice. If he hadn't followed it, he might still be alive entertaining the world with his humor. I'm not in awesome shape, but am working on it.

I do take fish oil caplets, and garlic (love garlic). I also work out (though with a knee injury, not as much this week). Swimming is one hell of a workout. I also like to walk, and that's how I hurt my knee (walking on an icy path was a terrible idea). With the awesome climate there you should be able to easily do those activities more often. Cut down on the alcohol a bit. I've cut down from 2-3 talls when playing poker (24 oz), to 2-3 bottles (12 oz). Yeah, I know, cheap drunk.

Also: keep doing the good things you're doing.

[Der Cute]

A few years ago I had some pretty elevated cholesterol in mah body. Doc wanted to put me on pills asap but I told him give me 6 weeks and I'll do what I can.
He said Deal.
Because my gall bladder was also inflamed, I had to work pretty hard for this stuff.

I ate oatmeal. But was very careful about the sugar in it, due to my gallbladder. As much oatmeal as I could.
I made rice with veggie/chicken/beef stock, and added spices to make it taste better. I also cooked some pretty lean meat. Like chicken, duh, but also turkey, lean beef, etc. The taste was also upped via spices.
I ate a lot of veggies, steamed and or frozen. I'd stick a bowl of hard veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots) in a cereal bowl and put about 2T or 1/4c of water in it, nuke for 30 sec to a minute. You could add a tiny bit of butter for yourself.
All that stuff = lowered my cholesterol.
For you, Jester, make a small change and hold it for 3 weeks. So, if you keep on your salads, try to find dressings that are made with GOOD oils. Don't go straight for the Low Fat ones, the taste is fixed by using sugars. Top shelf stuff will be best for you.
Ok, then, what about using 2% milk for a month or so? Don't jump, step. I drink 1% milk and if I have to get 2%, I can taste it. Going down is easy with milk, but going back up, it's weird.
Gradual here, buddy.
You already exercise and drink water, since you're in the tropics, so that's great!
I'm glad you're working on this already.