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Monday, July 11, 2011

We have high cholesterol--the good kind--maybe because of foods like this

Last night's Minimal Meat Meal: Squash Tomato Garbanzo Medley
Yeah, branching out from always calling things a "mish mash." ;)
   Despite the pics you saw yesterday of some of the road food we've eaten at locally owned joints in the last year, we seldom eat fried foods. Mainly because I am too lazy to clean up the mess in my own kitchen.
   Our blood work tells the tale: we eat fairly healthy most of the time.
   Hubby and I have both been tested and told we have high cholesterol...of the GOOD kind, the HDL. Though I couldn't point to just one thing, I think our abundance of good cholesterol may be attributed to the fact that we consume plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables and raw nuts, ground flax seed and LOTS of olive oil. I cook up primarily minimal meat meals, and the lion's share of the protein nowadays consists of what Hubby brings home, including wild turkey, wild caught fish and venison. If, for instance, we have grilled venison steaks one night, the leftovers will be cut up into a stir fry of mostly vegetables for the next night. Minimal meat meals save us both time and money!
   We eat dairy too, including cheeses. These days I eat 6 ounces of organic whole milk plain yogurt daily. I often cook with butter, never margarine. Hubby drinks whole milk. We eat the skin anytime I cook a humanely raised chicken. We sometimes have whole eggs for breakfast, and in the last year or so these eggs have been organic and certified humane.
   Hubby's cholesterol improved once he retired, but my HDL moved up to "amazing" even before we switched to leaner, organic meats. Maybe because I love fish, eat minimal meats & eat ground flax seed on an almost daily basis??? I'm also addicted to sweets, but that's probably not at play here. ;)
   I may have mentioned this before: A few years back, I quit buying "low fat" products after reading REAL FOOD: What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck. Her book just made sense to me, and then a few year's later I learned that Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food also validated the principle of eating real foods. For the most part, we just aim to follow Pollan's mantra to eat the way our great grandparents would have eaten.
   Now, it goes without saying: I'm not a doctor and I don't play one on TV. Can't say this method of eating would work for anyone else, just sayin' what works for us. Capiche? ;)

(Ingredients in the squash medley: olive oil, sliced sweet onion, zucchini and yellow squash, minced garlic, about a half cup of cooked organic sausage, dried oregano, freshly ground pepper, red pepper flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoons of chicken base, half a can of garbanzo beans, pimiento-stuffed olives, plus about 14 ounces of chopped, fire-roasted tomatoes. Added a little bit of cornstarch and water to make a bit of thickened sauce, and added about 3 tablespoons of minced fresh basil at the end.)

10 comments:

Al Firdaus lifestile & interior said...

Oh I like post, so true!I think the food industry is working well to make us sick.."the way our grandparents have eaten" is really a great statement. I´m often impressed how our relatives in rural morocco eat!never saw someting healthier..

JenMuna
(sorry my English:/...)

Annie Jones said...

I agree! I don't worry much about the amount of fat I eat, as much as I do the TYPE of fat I consume. We use olive oil, peanut oil, coconut oil, real butter and yes...bacon fat here. We never use margarine, shortening, canola, corn or vegetable at home and try to avoid it elsewhere.

Like you, meat is often an ingredient rather than a prominent feature on our plates. We eat lots of venison, farm raised eggs, and drink whole milk (although our milk consumption has naturally declined the past year or so). We eat the poultry skins, too.

I figure the "whole-er" the food, the better, but we're not perfect and could eat better. We also tend to eat whatever we want when we go out to eat. We don't go out that often (except on vacation).

Food Glorious Food! said...

Totally with you! Eating real food the right way! Love your recipe! Have a great week ahead!

Practical Parsimony said...

I often eat differently when eating out, so I was not horrified at your food choices. My cholesterol numbers are great and I don't always eat what I know is best for me. But, I try harder all the time. Now, I am really hungry.

Tightwad Mom said...

I totally agree. I just had some blood work done, and my good cholestrol was super high. I really do attribute it to the fact that I eat mostly fruits and veggies, beans, legumes, flax seed, chicken, and venison. Since cutting out most of the processed foods in our diet,and basically cooking from scratch I have noticed a huge difference in my families health!

Dmarie said...

I don't want to give the wrong impression though, I also make BAD choices on a regular basis. But because we don't eat out much, my "overload on cookies days" involve homemade cookies! ;)

{ T G L } said...

Garbanzos are great - with or without meat - and that stew looks delicious!

Blessings,
This Good Life

Lindy Mint said...

Medley, Mish-Mash, either way it looks delish!

My husband has struggled with the bad cholesterol, mostly because a lot of his meals are on the go. I'd love it if we could both slow down and stuff ourselves with the good stuff instead. Thanks for sharing!

john bain said...

This was food for thought. I do my best eating wise. But often lapse. Laziness I guess.
Thanks for your comments on my blog.

armouris said...

more info on cholera here - What is Cholesterol

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