Guest guest Posted November 4, 2003 Report Share Posted November 4, 2003 Is anyone concerned about his total cholesterol level? What is the purpose of eating raw, if not to avoid fats, oils and cholesterol? Does anyone in the group have a cholesterol level of 120 or below? I am still tapering off many things, but my goal is a cholesterol level of 100, which will guarantee me freedom from cardiovascular disease, according to Deene Ornish, M.D. Fruits and veggies have no cholesterol. Anybody know what I'm talking about? Ron McClure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 4, 2003 Report Share Posted November 4, 2003 The cholesterol issue is really off base somewhat. The body really needs fats and actually produces it's own cholesterol. What is important is the types of fats that you are getting in your diet. The essential fatty acids are, well essential fro optimal brain and nerve function. Impotant considerations for freedom from cardiovascular disease is keeping the blood clean so that the sticky platelets do not adhere and excersize. I am not really familiar with what Dean Ornish says but I recommend looking into Gabriel Cousens encycopedic book on diet and food, which I think is one of the best out there and specifically deals with raw food, Conscious Eating. One note more is that if you really want to get any untoward cholesterol cleaed up, one of the best things is grapefruit. Remember to retain as much of the inner white pulp as well as it contains valuable bioflavinoids. RawSeattle , " rlmftw " <rlmftw> wrote: > Is anyone concerned about his total cholesterol level? What is the > purpose of eating raw, if not to avoid fats, oils and cholesterol? > Does anyone in the group have a cholesterol level of 120 or below? > > I am still tapering off many things, but my goal is a cholesterol > level of 100, which will guarantee me freedom from cardiovascular > disease, according to Deene Ornish, M.D. Fruits and veggies have no > cholesterol. Anybody know what I'm talking about? > > Ron McClure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 5, 2003 Report Share Posted November 5, 2003 Hi, Ron - I monitor my cholesterol level because of my family history of heart disease. (My personal motivation for making dietary changes in the first place was to avoid the heart problems (and surgeries) that my mother went through.) While a raw diet avoids the intake of cholesterol, a healthy, balanced raw diet does not eliminate fats and oils, indeed those are vital to good health. Oils exist in plant products, more or less, depending on what you eat. Our bodies make all the cholesterol that we need, and may at times make more than we need, using those vital oils as the base structures for the cholesterol. Thus some people are able to maintain lower levels of cholesterol than others are. Besides the dietary factors, there are also genetic factors involved. My levels tend to run higher than would be expected of a raw vegan, in the 160-170 range. As I was transitioning to raw, it actually went up over 200 at one point, likely my body was cleaning out stuff that had been stored for years, and was mobilizing fat along with cholesterol into the bloodstream, temporarily elevating the readings. They subsequently declined again, so be patient with your body. Of course, there are no guarantees in anything...the fellow who was the founder and president of the American Vegan Society, while not raw, was 100% vegan for many years. He died of a sudden heart attack at a fairly young age (late 60's, I believe, or early 70's) a little over 3 years ago. Keep up the good work! Sue rlmftw [rlmftw] Monday, November 03, 2003 5:26 PM RawSeattle [RawSeattle] Cholesterol Is anyone concerned about his total cholesterol level? What is the purpose of eating raw, if not to avoid fats, oils and cholesterol? Does anyone in the group have a cholesterol level of 120 or below? I am still tapering off many things, but my goal is a cholesterol level of 100, which will guarantee me freedom from cardiovascular disease, according to Deene Ornish, M.D. Fruits and veggies have no cholesterol. Anybody know what I'm talking about? Ron McClure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 5, 2003 Report Share Posted November 5, 2003 Hi, Sue- You mentioned that your cholesterol is 160-170 on raw foods, but that you are concerned about cardiovascular diseases. I am also interested in raw foods as a way to lower my cholesterol and prevent/arrest a number of chronic, degenerative diseases of the aged in our society, since I am 60 years old. For two months I experimented with eating only fruits and veggies, excluding nuts, seeds, avocadoes, olives and soy products (which are the vegan sources of fats and oils). During this two months my cholesterol dropped from 179 to 115. I was pleased, because I had read several reports that contend that a cholesterol level below 120 causes the body to actually vacuum the plaque and fat off the interior artery walls. I'm curious. If your cholesterol is 170, would you be interested in lowering it to 100? If so, please come to Fruits and Veggies Forever at and join us. We are looking for some more support. Ron McClure RawSeattle , " Sue Aberle " <sue@a...> wrote: > Hi, Ron - > > I monitor my cholesterol level because of my family history of heart > disease. (My personal motivation for making dietary changes in the first > place was to avoid the heart problems (and surgeries) that my mother went > through.) While a raw diet avoids the intake of cholesterol, a healthy, > balanced raw diet does not eliminate fats and oils, indeed those are vital > to good health. Oils exist in plant products, more or less, depending on > what you eat. Our bodies make all the cholesterol that we need, and may at > times make more than we need, using those vital oils as the base structures > for the cholesterol. Thus some people are able to maintain lower levels of > cholesterol than others are. Besides the dietary factors, there are also > genetic factors involved. My levels tend to run higher than would be > expected of a raw vegan, in the 160-170 range. As I was transitioning to > raw, it actually went up over 200 at one point, likely my body was cleaning > out stuff that had been stored for years, and was mobilizing fat along with > cholesterol into the bloodstream, temporarily elevating the readings. They > subsequently declined again, so be patient with your body. > > Of course, there are no guarantees in anything...the fellow who was the > founder and president of the American Vegan Society, while not raw, was 100% > vegan for many years. He died of a sudden heart attack at a fairly young > age (late 60's, I believe, or early 70's) a little over 3 years ago. > > Keep up the good work! > > Sue > > > > > rlmftw [rlmftw] > Monday, November 03, 2003 5:26 PM > RawSeattle > [RawSeattle] Cholesterol > > Is anyone concerned about his total cholesterol level? What is the > purpose of eating raw, if not to avoid fats, oils and cholesterol? > Does anyone in the group have a cholesterol level of 120 or below? > > I am still tapering off many things, but my goal is a cholesterol > level of 100, which will guarantee me freedom from cardiovascular > disease, according to Deene Ornish, M.D. Fruits and veggies have no > cholesterol. Anybody know what I'm talking about? > > Ron McClure > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 6, 2003 Report Share Posted November 6, 2003 Thanks, Ron - I'm always interested in keeping it down, but there's also that other factor, the c-reactive peptide, that has been found to be also a marker for cardiac risk, I need to monitor that as well. It was " sky-high " during my transition, but last time I had it checked it was normal, so there again I expect that it was a transitional thing. But definitely the raw foods should help keep those both in a normal range, perhaps even lower. The fact that yours dropped so dramatically indicates that you may have the genetic predisposition toward lower cholesterol levels. (There was an article on last night's news about a community in Italy whose HDL cholesterol levels are always low, which in our world would increase risk of heart problems, but they have virtually none, because of a genetic mutation.) I'm not too much behind you age-wise, so I also appreciate the desire to avoid the chronic degenerative diseases that typically hit the older folks in our culture. The loss of my mother 10 years ago was hard, but it was also hard watching her deal with the chronic heart disease (congestive heart failure, quadruple bypass, mitral valve replacement, + carotid artery cleaning out) that shortened her life. I quickly decided that I did not want my chest split open, nor did I want to feel as poorly as she did the last couple of years of her life. Thus my dietary adventure began. I'd love to join your group, but one " " group is enough, given the trouble that I have keeping on the list!! (I get periodically taken off this one, so I need to get back on again, etc. I think they don't like the higher security that my husband has on our computers!) I might try on the weekend. Sue rlmftw [rlmftw] Wednesday, November 05, 2003 7:32 AM RawSeattle [RawSeattle] Re: Cholesterol Hi, Sue- You mentioned that your cholesterol is 160-170 on raw foods, but that you are concerned about cardiovascular diseases. I am also interested in raw foods as a way to lower my cholesterol and prevent/arrest a number of chronic, degenerative diseases of the aged in our society, since I am 60 years old. For two months I experimented with eating only fruits and veggies, excluding nuts, seeds, avocadoes, olives and soy products (which are the vegan sources of fats and oils). During this two months my cholesterol dropped from 179 to 115. I was pleased, because I had read several reports that contend that a cholesterol level below 120 causes the body to actually vacuum the plaque and fat off the interior artery walls. I'm curious. If your cholesterol is 170, would you be interested in lowering it to 100? If so, please come to Fruits and Veggies Forever at and join us. We are looking for some more support. Ron McClure RawSeattle , " Sue Aberle " <sue@a...> wrote: > Hi, Ron - > > I monitor my cholesterol level because of my family history of heart > disease. (My personal motivation for making dietary changes in the first > place was to avoid the heart problems (and surgeries) that my mother went > through.) While a raw diet avoids the intake of cholesterol, a healthy, > balanced raw diet does not eliminate fats and oils, indeed those are vital > to good health. Oils exist in plant products, more or less, depending on > what you eat. Our bodies make all the cholesterol that we need, and may at > times make more than we need, using those vital oils as the base structures > for the cholesterol. Thus some people are able to maintain lower levels of > cholesterol than others are. Besides the dietary factors, there are also > genetic factors involved. My levels tend to run higher than would be > expected of a raw vegan, in the 160-170 range. As I was transitioning to > raw, it actually went up over 200 at one point, likely my body was cleaning > out stuff that had been stored for years, and was mobilizing fat along with > cholesterol into the bloodstream, temporarily elevating the readings. They > subsequently declined again, so be patient with your body. > > Of course, there are no guarantees in anything...the fellow who was the > founder and president of the American Vegan Society, while not raw, was 100% > vegan for many years. He died of a sudden heart attack at a fairly young > age (late 60's, I believe, or early 70's) a little over 3 years ago. > > Keep up the good work! > > Sue > > > > > rlmftw [rlmftw] > Monday, November 03, 2003 5:26 PM > RawSeattle > [RawSeattle] Cholesterol > > Is anyone concerned about his total cholesterol level? What is the > purpose of eating raw, if not to avoid fats, oils and cholesterol? > Does anyone in the group have a cholesterol level of 120 or below? > > I am still tapering off many things, but my goal is a cholesterol > level of 100, which will guarantee me freedom from cardiovascular > disease, according to Deene Ornish, M.D. Fruits and veggies have no > cholesterol. Anybody know what I'm talking about? > > Ron McClure > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 6, 2003 Report Share Posted November 6, 2003 Sue: Hope to see you at Fruits and Veggies Forever, a devoted to preventing chronic, degenerative diseases. Hopefully, you can keep your total cholesterol level below 120 and never have to worry about cardiovascular problems--no matter what your age. It also seems that if you don't smoke you won't have to worry about lung cancer and emphysema; if you don't drink you can't die from alcoholism, etc., etc. These things all scare me to death! When I see my coworkers drop out one day and hear that they suffered a stroke and are now in a nursing home, or when I watch people my age starting to suffer gout, diverticulitis, kidney stones, and other ailments associated with the Wesern diet and sedentary lifestyle it scares me to death! Hang in there. Ron RawSeattle , " Sue Aberle " <sue@a...> wrote: > Thanks, Ron - > > I'm always interested in keeping it down, but there's also that other > factor, the c-reactive peptide, that has been found to be also a marker for > cardiac risk, I need to monitor that as well. It was " sky-high " during my > transition, but last time I had it checked it was normal, so there again I > expect that it was a transitional thing. But definitely the raw foods > should help keep those both in a normal range, perhaps even lower. The fact > that yours dropped so dramatically indicates that you may have the genetic > predisposition toward lower cholesterol levels. (There was an article on > last night's news about a community in Italy whose HDL cholesterol levels > are always low, which in our world would increase risk of heart problems, > but they have virtually none, because of a genetic mutation.) > > I'm not too much behind you age-wise, so I also appreciate the desire to > avoid the chronic degenerative diseases that typically hit the older folks > in our culture. The loss of my mother 10 years ago was hard, but it was > also hard watching her deal with the chronic heart disease (congestive heart > failure, quadruple bypass, mitral valve replacement, + carotid artery > cleaning out) that shortened her life. I quickly decided that I did not > want my chest split open, nor did I want to feel as poorly as she did the > last couple of years of her life. Thus my dietary adventure began. > > I'd love to join your group, but one " " group is enough, given the > trouble that I have keeping on the list!! (I get periodically taken off > this one, so I need to get back on again, etc. I think they don't like the > higher security that my husband has on our computers!) I might try on the > weekend. > > Sue > > > rlmftw [rlmftw] > Wednesday, November 05, 2003 7:32 AM > RawSeattle > [RawSeattle] Re: Cholesterol > > Hi, Sue- > > You mentioned that your cholesterol is 160-170 on raw foods, but that > you are concerned about cardiovascular diseases. I am also > interested in raw foods as a way to lower my cholesterol and > prevent/arrest a number of chronic, degenerative diseases of the aged > in our society, since I am 60 years old. > > For two months I experimented with eating only fruits and veggies, > excluding nuts, seeds, avocadoes, olives and soy products (which are > the vegan sources of fats and oils). During this two months my > cholesterol dropped from 179 to 115. I was pleased, because I had > read several reports that contend that a cholesterol level below 120 > causes the body to actually vacuum the plaque and fat off the > interior artery walls. > > I'm curious. If your cholesterol is 170, would you be interested in > lowering it to 100? If so, please come to Fruits and Veggies Forever > at and join us. We are looking for some more support. > > Ron McClure > > > RawSeattle , " Sue Aberle " <sue@a...> wrote: > > Hi, Ron - > > > > I monitor my cholesterol level because of my family history of heart > > disease. (My personal motivation for making dietary changes in the > first > > place was to avoid the heart problems (and surgeries) that my > mother went > > through.) While a raw diet avoids the intake of cholesterol, a > healthy, > > balanced raw diet does not eliminate fats and oils, indeed those > are vital > > to good health. Oils exist in plant products, more or less, > depending on > > what you eat. Our bodies make all the cholesterol that we need, > and may at > > times make more than we need, using those vital oils as the base > structures > > for the cholesterol. Thus some people are able to maintain lower > levels of > > cholesterol than others are. Besides the dietary factors, there > are also > > genetic factors involved. My levels tend to run higher than would > be > > expected of a raw vegan, in the 160-170 range. As I was > transitioning to > > raw, it actually went up over 200 at one point, likely my body was > cleaning > > out stuff that had been stored for years, and was mobilizing fat > along with > > cholesterol into the bloodstream, temporarily elevating the > readings. They > > subsequently declined again, so be patient with your body. > > > > Of course, there are no guarantees in anything...the fellow who was > the > > founder and president of the American Vegan Society, while not raw, > was 100% > > vegan for many years. He died of a sudden heart attack at a fairly > young > > age (late 60's, I believe, or early 70's) a little over 3 years ago. > > > > Keep up the good work! > > > > Sue > > > > > > > > > > rlmftw [rlmftw] > > Monday, November 03, 2003 5:26 PM > > RawSeattle > > [RawSeattle] Cholesterol > > > > Is anyone concerned about his total cholesterol level? What is the > > purpose of eating raw, if not to avoid fats, oils and cholesterol? > > Does anyone in the group have a cholesterol level of 120 or below? > > > > I am still tapering off many things, but my goal is a cholesterol > > level of 100, which will guarantee me freedom from cardiovascular > > disease, according to Deene Ornish, M.D. Fruits and veggies have no > > cholesterol. Anybody know what I'm talking about? > > > > Ron McClure > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 24, 2003 Report Share Posted December 24, 2003 During my 2nd year raw, my good cholesterol jumped 10 points. That really impressed my ND (Bruce Milliman.) He said that can take several years for people to raise it 10 points. I wasn't even trying. I was just eating raw foods that I liked. During that year I did eat a lot of mature coconuts, as well as young coconuts. My exercise level was probably about the same as it had been. Jeff >It might not be related (because I'm not a raw foodist yet) but my >ND told me that my " good " cholesterol was low, and that the only >non-pill way to raise it was to get more exercise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 24, 2003 Report Share Posted December 24, 2003 My HDL has raised 17 points from 1995 to 1999 right before I turned all raw. During that time I was just vegan and on 75%-80% raw food. 1999 I was about 80%-90% raw, summer time sometimes 100%. I think avocado helps to increase HDL. I read that years ago on Readers Digest. Helen - " Jeff Rogers " <jeff <RawSeattle > Tuesday, December 23, 2003 11:16 PM RE: [RawSeattle] Cholesterol > During my 2nd year raw, my good cholesterol jumped 10 points. That > really impressed my ND (Bruce Milliman.) He said that can take > several years for people to raise it 10 points. I wasn't even trying. > I was just eating raw foods that I liked. During that year I did eat > a lot of mature coconuts, as well as young coconuts. My exercise > level was probably about the same as it had been. > > Jeff > > > >It might not be related (because I'm not a raw foodist yet) but my > >ND told me that my " good " cholesterol was low, and that the only > >non-pill way to raise it was to get more exercise. > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 25, 2003 Report Share Posted December 25, 2003 Gee Helen... A cholesterol of 1999 is a BIT HIGH!!! (and that's only an increase in 4 points, not 17!) (just kidding!) >My HDL has raised 17 points from 1995 to 1999> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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