Nowadays I could describe myself as a perfect specimen of health. I eat a healthy diet, I exercise frequently, I sleep enough, don't drink too much blah, blah, blah. I'm lucky enough to have a really wonderful doctor. I've seen her a few times recently because there's a few things in my blood that have caught her attention. I'm not sure that the average doctor would worry about it but she is a superdoc.
On a visit last week she revealed to me that my cholesterol was higher than it had been. I was taken aback. Not me. With my healthy lifestyle. At 36. She did explain to me that while it wasn't in the dangerous range, it was at the top of the acceptable range. Knowing how much I pride myself on my health, she knew I wouldn't let it lie.
We went through my diet which she was quite happy with although she advised me to eat cheese in moderation as well as peanut butter which is my junk food of choice at the moment because I am avoiding sugar. I HAVE TO BE BAD SOMETIMES!! It really won't be hard to bring it down. Just a less saturated fat will do the trick. Eating low fat dairy which I do mostly (but I admit I am a sucker for cheese and Greek yoghurt), lean protein (cutting the fat off) and no chicken skin (boring).
She also recommended that I start using psyllium husk, just a spoon on my cereal in the morning. It has been shown to help reduce cholesterol while eating a low fat diet. There are other benefits for individuals who have problems with their guts but I won't worry about going into that now - you understand!!
It made me realise that while I know how lucky I am to have such a GREAT doctor who really cares, I'm glad that I can do something about this now and then take care of it for the rest of my life so that when it could become a real issue, I have it under control. It also made me so happy that I don't get sick that often because going to the doctor all the time is such a pain!!
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