Physical & Blood Work
Pleasures of a physical
I went in for a standard physical the other day. The last time I did this was when I was a teenager (not that far off, but definitely not getting any closer).
Anyway, they took some blood samples to run a standard lipid profile and fasting blood glucose.
Here are the results of the lipid profile:
Total Cholesterol: 175
HDL: 90
LDL: 78
Triglycerides: 36
The blood lipid numbers are great as my Total Cholesterol to HDL Ratio is 1.95 and my Triglycerides are pretty much non-existant. To give you background on what standards doctors look for in a lipid panel I have listed the “norms” below:
I must be doing something right as I was well within the “Optimal” level in all categories. I thought it had to be my diet, since I switched it up about six months ago. Out of curiosity I took a look at what a Heart-Healthy Diet is, as suggested by the American Heart Association.
What does a “Heat-Healthy-Diet” look like? Well, they want a diet rich in:
vegetables and fruits (check),
with whole grains (Is bacon a whole grain!?),
high-fiber foods (check…the fruits & veggies),
lean meats (I’ve got lean and fat covered),
and poultry (check),
fish at least twice a week (errr, sometimes),
and fat-free or 1 percent fat dairy products (uh-oh, heavy whipping cream is a no no?).
Some key dietary goals are:
-Low Total fat (25-35% of daily calories should come from fat)
This is not looking good for me…
-Very little saturated fat (Less then 7% of daily calories from saturated fat)
I can hear my funeral march…
-Limit Cholesterol consumption to under 300mg a day
It’s official, where’s my casket..
Damn. Here is why I am a little downtrodden after reading what a “Heart-Healthy-Diet” is. Take a look at a normal day of eating for me, as inputed into DailyBurn:
See why I can feel the soft lining of my casket? Not even a bit close to that “heart-healthy-diet” am I?
But wait…
My HDL is beyond “optimal”,
My triglycerides are WAY below “optimal”,
And, the nurse practitioner said “I had the best blood work she has seen in a long time”.
How is this possible? I eat saturated fat by the bundle (NATURAL saturated fat like coconut milk, fat in meat, and fat found in FULL FAT diary). My normal breakfast has about 940mg of cholesterol and my diet is composed of 60% FAT!
The only answer must be that I am a medical anomaly and that in this case n=1 (that reference is for your math geeks).
If you can not sense the immense amount of sarcasm through-out the above post, then I am sorry… but the post was SATURATED with it (Haha, saturated… get it? Saturated fats… saturated post… I made a funny)
Take a look at the following sites to try to get an understanding of why I am not nervous about my diet, and why I actually think my diet contributes to the positive numbers.
I try not to be apathetic and let a doctor, trainer, family member, or a blogger dictate how I handle my life. I try to inform myself the best I can, and own the decisions I make about my health and life.
I like eating some bacon and having pretty damn good blood work while doing so. If you want to go to town with your “Healthy Grains” and your marathon training, then have at it. Just don’t expect me to do the same anytime soon.
Links:
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com/2010/05/arteriosclerosis-and-sulphation-factor.html
http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/
Beyul Training 