hungryman

I used to drink Silk and other soy milks, but was told to switch by my doctor because the phytoestrogen in soy products can be problematic if too much is consumed by men.

I now usually drink fat-free Lactaid lactose free milk or rice milk.

Don't know if those options are workable for others, but they do fine for me.

  On 4/16/2010 at 1:02 AM, jerseyangel said:

Wow--just saw this old post of mine.

Update: I had my cholesterol tested last summer and was shocked to see that in 2 years it had gone up to 305! My bad cholesterol was up also.

I managed to lower the total number to 212 by February of this year by cutting down on full fat dairy, fatty meats like bacon, and sugar. I began taking Citrical Heart Health which contains plant sterols, and incorporated flax meal into my diet as well as other seeds.

It was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be.

I would ask whether you added any exercise to assist with lowering your overall cholesterol.

Diet if fine, but if you aren't exercising as well, you are missing out on additional health benefits.

I am a man in his 50s, who had problems with choleseterol in part because I ate red meat, butter, eggs, etc., religiously rather than lower-fat alternatives, and because I take medications that raise both the overall cholesterol, the LDL cholesterol and the triglycerides.

I cannot take statins because they interact with one of the other meds I take. I can, however, take fish oil, Niaspan and red yeast rice, all of which have helped.

I would recommend anyone who wishes to lower their lipids first concentrate on cutting out the fats in the diet, both man made and natural. That goes for fried foods as well. Cut down on the red meat, making it a treat rather than a staple, reduce the number of eggs you eat to only two a week, and cut down on the amount of sugar you consume.

The sugar and high fructose corn syrup that is in everything really don't do much for you, except to add on pounds. My doctor said that losing just 10 pounds can help lower just about anyone's cholesterol.

Next, incresase the amount of whole grains and fiber you eat, drink more water, eat a couple of vegetarian meals a week, eat fish at least twice a week, and pile on the veggies.

Adding olive oil or flax oil also helps.

This is often referred to as a Meditteranean diet, although I think the South Beach diet is somewhat similar.

I now have good cholesterol levels, thanks to sticking to this diet relatively closely (special treats and special occasions notwithstanding) and exercising just three days a week for two hours.

I would, of course, check with your doctor to let him/her know what you are doing, but I have seen this combo of diet and exercise do wonders for people.

Peace,

M

  On 1/20/2010 at 5:30 AM, woodnewt said:

This is not surprising. "Gluten-free" with no law or guidelines to back it up means "gluten free" is a diet fad right now. Never mind it is currently the only treatment for people who suffer from celiac disease. In corporate eyes it's a marketing gimmick to make extra cash.

The logic is quite simple really.

Can of PAM oil spray - you look at the back, it says 0 g fat per serving.

It's a can of oil.

<1g fat per serving = 0 fat = purchases from the low-fat fad diet crowd.

Until there are official guidelines set in place, "we didn't add any gluten ingredients" = "gluten free."

I was at Wal Mart today. I have been buying the Walmart brand honey ham sandwich meat because it alway said "gluten free." They are coming out with new packaging.

The old packages say "gluten free," the new packages don't. Now, they have added Spanish translations of the ingredients list instead.

Wally World knows where their bread is buttered.

I had given up luncheon meats until I found that one. Now, I don't know that the ingredients have changed, but it does make me wonder.

I guess I will be buying the Hormel brand that clearly states it is gluten free - even the turkey breast.

  On 1/26/2010 at 3:02 AM, yolo said:

Hi,

A simple question. Is green tea supposed to be an auto immune stimulant or not?

If yes, as it sometimes is claimed, is it safe for those of us who have celiac?

I stopped taking all kinds of things like echinacea for instance due to its immune stimulant effects.

Any body know??

I started drinking green tea to increase my collagen production actually, and so far it does not seem to be harming me. In fact I have a bit more energy. Probably due to the caffeine, however I am not adversely affected by it like I was to chocolate or coffee.

Bea

Hi Bea,

From my understanding, green tea, black tea, white tea, etc., are supposed to be good antioxidants. They are supposed to reduce the damage done via oxygenation in the blood by removing free radicals.

In other words, they don't really stimulate the immune system, they just help the body to function more efficiently.

I work with people who are immune suppressed and who would jump all over green tea were it proved to boost their immune systems.

Echinacea is supposed to boost the immune system, but my doctor told me the other day a recent study casts doubt on that claim.

I have been gluten intolerant for nearly a decade now, and have never come across any claims or documentation that indicates green tea was bad for us.

Mark