Need help with dietary stuff ...

September 1, 2002

Sorry for the mass mailing ...

My DH has just been diagnosed with sky-high triglycerides. Unfortunately he

didn't get the numbers from the doc, but it was bad enough that she gave him

some statin samples to start once he's redone the tests and had it

confirmed. We are of course looking at controlling this with diet as much as

possible. He is, not surprisingly, quite depressed at the prospect of

cutting out sugars from his diet, not to mention the few remaining fats,

mostly dairy. I have been cooking in a low-fat fashion, using only olive

oil, for several years now, but obviously we need to do better.

We are lacto-ovo vegetarians, and have no intention of reintroducing meat or

fish into our diets any time soon, so suggestions in that direction would

not be appreciated. However, anything else you can suggest would be most

gratefully considered!

Thanks, Hadass in Winnipeg.

--

Hadass Eviatar

Winnipeg, Canada

http://www.superhwy.net/~eviatar

To do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy G-d. Micah 6:8.

September 3, 2002

On Sun, 1 Sep 2002, Hadass Eviatar wrote:

> My DH has just been diagnosed with sky-high triglycerides. Unfortunately he

> didn't get the numbers from the doc, but it was bad enough that she gave him

> some statin samples to start once he's redone the tests and had it

> confirmed. We are of course looking at controlling this with diet as much as

> possible. He is, not surprisingly, quite depressed at the prospect of

> cutting out sugars from his diet, not to mention the few remaining fats,

> mostly dairy. I have been cooking in a low-fat fashion, using only olive

> oil, for several years now, but obviously we need to do better.

>

> We are lacto-ovo vegetarians, and have no intention of reintroducing meat or

> fish into our diets any time soon, so suggestions in that direction would

> not be appreciated. However, anything else you can suggest would be most

> gratefully considered!

Omega 3 fatty acids can lower triglycerides, and they are often difficult

to get in a vegetarian diet. Ironically, if you're following a low-fat

diet it can be particularly difficult to get enough Omega 3s from diet

alone. (Omega 3s are *fatty* acids, after all.) Most Omega 3 supplements

are made from fish oil, but you can get vegan ones from

<www.veganessentials.com>. Ground flax seeds and flax seed oil, soybean

and canola oil, and walnuts are also good sources of Omega 3s.

----

Patricia Bullington-McGuire <patricia

President, The Arlington Cooperative Organization

The brilliant Cerebron, attacking the problem analytically, discovered

three distinct kinds of dragon: the mythical, the chimerical, and the

purely hypothetical. They were all, one might say, nonexistent, but each

nonexisted in an entirely different way ...

-- Stanislaw Lem, " Cyberiad "

September 3, 2002

Hadass,

Wow, that must be really tough on your son. Does he

normally get his levels tested or was he sick? He is

so young to have this problem. I know from my own

experience mine fell quickly when I stopped eating

dairy (I was vegetarian for years prior to going

vegan, but it didn't have much of a positive affect on

my health until I went vegan). I've read that raw

garlic (try it in a drink or hummus), ground flax

seeds (not the oil), and some herbs (I can look them

up) help.

Good luck!

Linda

Finance - Get real-time stock quotes

http://finance.

September 4, 2002

Hadass,

More info is needed to get the whole picture before nutrition therapy can be

recommended as hypertriglyceridemia can be a result of many variables. For

example, equally as important as your DH's TG numbers, what were his

HDL-cholesterol numbers? Is he overweight? Does he have a genetic

predisposition? His elevated TGs can be secondary to a health problem such as

diabetes or kidney disease. How active is he? How much alcohol does he consume?

All of which can adversely or positively affect his TG levels.

Giving generic nutrition advice (I, too, am opposed to drug therapy if it can be

avoided. I don't even take aspirin.), Omega 3s are a good suggestion (someone

had mentioned). For vegetarians, flax is the best source -- there are vegetarian

supplements, or just use the seeds and add them to your salads and cereals --

which just reminded me, there are also flax cereals. You can also get omega 3s

from walnuts. There are even bars that contain flax such as " Kashi Go Lean " and

" Flax & Soy. " If his TG levels are that elevated, it is really important your DH

limit saturated fat and cholesterol in his diet. He doesn't have to eliminate

dairy, he just has to consume non fat products, although he should still only

have the recommended 2-3 servings daily. Refined CHO (carbs) also need to be

limited, ie the oh so popular, yet much maligned starches. If your DH has been

consuming a high CHO but low fat diet, that would also be a culprit in his

elevated TG levels. Certainly, alcohol, too, should be limited.

That's the best I can do with what I've got. I hope this is helpful.

Robin (MS Nutrition, RD-in progress)

-

Hadass Eviatar

Tuesday, September 03, 2002 7:58 AM

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