Time for a Change
... in diet.
I was at St. Luke's BGC on Monday for a consultation with the doctor regarding my annual physical exam results. Most of the tests came back ok - kidney stones did not recur, blood profile is good, etc. But there is one area I need to be concerned about. The evil C-word -- cholesterol. Mine is borderline high.:( My HDL (good cholesterol) is also borderline high but the main concern now is the LDL and total count.
The doctor said that the level can still be reduced by diet changes and exercise, no need for medication. If it was the latter I would have panicked! I need to avoid fatty meat, innards (kare-kare, sisig) and egg yolk. Goodbye taba ng baboy sa sinigang... Goodbye sunny-side up which I used to eat everyday... Although I eat in moderation, my choices on what I eat have not been consistently smart and they are now manifesting in the numbers.
Fortunately, I have models in my family who have decided to make lifestyle and diet changes and have successfully stuck to them. Nang Lani has sworn off sugar for over two years and Manong Mike has adapted a mostly vegetarian diet. With the grace of God, I can do it, too!
After that initial disappointment, I am now feeling committed to take positive action. I really appreciate knowing about the condition early enough that I can still do something about it. We are given the wisdom and grace to know and act on things that will be beneficial for us. It would be foolishness to ignore the information and just hope that things won't turn out so bad. Plus, there is a bigger goal like keeping myself healthy for my family and to continue to fulfill my purpose in this life. It's all worth it.
I was at St. Luke's BGC on Monday for a consultation with the doctor regarding my annual physical exam results. Most of the tests came back ok - kidney stones did not recur, blood profile is good, etc. But there is one area I need to be concerned about. The evil C-word -- cholesterol. Mine is borderline high.:( My HDL (good cholesterol) is also borderline high but the main concern now is the LDL and total count.
The doctor said that the level can still be reduced by diet changes and exercise, no need for medication. If it was the latter I would have panicked! I need to avoid fatty meat, innards (kare-kare, sisig) and egg yolk. Goodbye taba ng baboy sa sinigang... Goodbye sunny-side up which I used to eat everyday... Although I eat in moderation, my choices on what I eat have not been consistently smart and they are now manifesting in the numbers.
Fortunately, I have models in my family who have decided to make lifestyle and diet changes and have successfully stuck to them. Nang Lani has sworn off sugar for over two years and Manong Mike has adapted a mostly vegetarian diet. With the grace of God, I can do it, too!
After that initial disappointment, I am now feeling committed to take positive action. I really appreciate knowing about the condition early enough that I can still do something about it. We are given the wisdom and grace to know and act on things that will be beneficial for us. It would be foolishness to ignore the information and just hope that things won't turn out so bad. Plus, there is a bigger goal like keeping myself healthy for my family and to continue to fulfill my purpose in this life. It's all worth it.
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