cholesterol

Current work: still wrestling with outline (it worked three months ago, so why doesn’t it work now? Or maybe I need a weekend off…)
Listening to: Corelli
Reading: Jillian Michaels, Winning by Losing (very interesting)

I knew before my appointment on Tuesday that my BP was going to be sky high, and I explained to the nurse why that was before she took the reading. She sympathised, but wasn’t happy with the readings, so I’m back to see my GP next week. I think it’s a going to mean a change to my meds, because the situation stressing me isn’t going to improve for a while.

What I wasn’t expecting was that my cholesterol levels, which have always been really good, would suddenly zoom upwards. The only big change I’ve made in my eating habits in the last year was to swap my breakfast porridge for an omelette. Guess that’s a swap back, then. And I need to exercise more and reduce stress. (The theory for that last one is a lot easier than the practice. I think I'm going to have to have a major hissy fit.)

In the meantime, it’s another look at my diet because I want those levels well down at my next blood test in three months’ time. I’m already meeting the main dietary guidelines: six or seven portions of veg a day; main proteins are poultry and salmon; no processed carbs; red meat once a week max; dairy stuff is all low-fat, and cheese intake is hugely reduced from what it was. So it’s a matter of tweaking. (Great. Now I sound like my editor. ‘A few tweaks’… except mine are tweaks and not rewrites!)

Oats are very good for lowering cholesterol (soluble fibre), so that’s breakfast switched back to porridge – though this time I’m using soya milk and adding a handful of blueberries. (Good thing about being a nerdy science person AND a foodie: you have solid reasons for your choices.) I’m also experimenting with cholesterol-lowering drinks, even though they’re horrible. (Mainly because there are sweeteners in them. Dear manufacturers, do you have to add sugar and sweeteners to everything? 5% of my daily sugar in one of your little bottles is not good.)

Also upping the oily fish intake. Mackerel for lunch, or maybe salmon twice a week for dinner. The asparagus can stay as that also lowers cholesterol (thanks to soluble fibre and saponins). Add in some spinach (I do actually like spinach, but persuading the rest of the family might be interesting). And maybe swapping chicken for white fish once a week. Monkfish, perhaps, wrapped in parma ham or served on a bed of spiced lentils; or, thinking about it, my favourite chicken stew recipes would work for fish as well. And it’s a good excuse to spend lots of time on the BBC Good Food website. (Ha, more tweaking. Am I the only one who finds it hard to stick to a recipe and just adapts it as I go along?)

Does anyone have any favourite (healthy!) fish recipes? Would love to hear them :o)