Calling All Vegetarians...

[Over50Newbie]

I just got back from my physical and my blood work shows that my cholesterol is too high . My HDL and triglycerides are very good, but my LDL number was not. My ratio of HDL to Total Cholesterol was also good. Here are the numbers

Total Cholesterol: 241
HDL: 54
Triglycerides: 101
LDL: 161

We had a long discussion about the numbers. She says that my HDL and triglycerides are good because of my commitment to exercise and eating healthy. But she really didn't like my LDL number and wants me to try to bring it down. Surprisingly, she wasn't really concerned about my total cholesterol number even though it was high.

So, instead of immediately putting me on a statin drug, my doctor and I decided that I would only eat only vegetarian food for the next 4 months and then be retested in August. I really like this idea! I don't want to go on any drugs if I don't need to.

The meat that I eat now is almost always chicken (and beef every now and then). I also eat eggs, cheese, butter, and yogurt on a daily basis, which, as you know, are animal by-products.

She gave me the option of eating vegetarian, or if I want to be more extreme, to eat vegan for the next four months. My choice. I'm not sure which I should choose. Any suggestions would be welcome.

So...

I need some help. I would like to add tofu and more soy to my diet, but I don't have a clue where to start. Is there a really good cookbook that you guys can recommend? Or maybe some really easy recipes?

I am very good at cooking all sorts of beans, legumes, and vegetables, but I have never tried cooking with tofu, tempeh, or those vegetarian crumble thingys (don't know the name of them). And it is sooo confusing with all the different types of tofu - silken, firm, extra firm, etc. And what exactly are tempeh, bean curd and those vegetarian crumble things?

I am such a novice in this area!

And are there any animal byproducts in the Beverly Chocolate Muscle Provider? Do I also need to give up my protein shakes? Please help!

I'm a bit overwhelmed and would appreciate any help at all.

Lynette

[Becky]

I'm neither a vegetarian nor a doctor, but my (limited) understanding is that saturated fat is what raises LDL cholesterol. So, cutting out cheese, full-fat dairy, and butter should go a long way towards bringing LDL down.

Can't help you with the soy questions. I'm interested to see what others have to say, as it wouldn't hurt me to east some tofu every now and then.

EDIT: Dr. Google turned up this page, which I found useful: http://www.lowfatlifestyle.com/cholesterol.htm

[divingbiker]

She gave me the option of eating vegetarian, or if I want to be more extreme, to eat vegan for the next four months. My choice. I'm not sure which I should choose. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Welcome to the vegetarian life! I've been a vegan for 18+ years, so of course that's what I'd encourage. You'll see the most dramatic and quick results if you eliminate all animal products, but it can be a challenge for some people.

I need some help. I would like to add tofu and more soy to my diet, but I don't have a clue where to start. Is there a really good cookbook that you guys can recommend? Or maybe some really easy recipes?

I am really good at cooking all sorts of beans, legumes, and vegetables, but I have never tried cooking with tofu, tempeh, or those vegetarian crumble thingys (don't know the name of them). And it is sooo confusion with all the different types of tofu - silken, firm, extra firm, etc. And what exactly are tempeh, bean curd and those vegetarian crumble things?

I don't really use a cookbook, so I can't recommend any one in particular. I have a lot of them, though, and I'd be happy to mail you a few to use during your four-month experiment so you can get some ideas.

You can find some good recipes here; of course there are lot of other vegan sites also.

Silken tofu, usually found on the shelf in aseptic packaging, is best used in desserts. I usually use extra firm or firm tofu, the kind that comes packed in water, when cooking.

Tempeh is a fermented soy product. The trick to using it is to cut it into pieces and steam it for about 15 minutes before using it in a dish; the steaming removes a nasty bitter flavor.

The vegetarian crumbles are a soy product that can be used in place of ground beef in recipes. They're pretty tasty. Another option is to buy texturized vegetable protein (TVP) crumbles at Whole Foods or a co-op, and use them instead of hamburger.

One of my favorite easy dishes is to saute a chopped up onion, bell pepper and some mushrooms in a bit of olive oil, add a jar of Barilla sauce (my favorite is green and black olive), and a half a bag of Boca crumbles. Serve it over whole wheat pasta.

And are there any animal byproducts in the Bevery Chocolate Muscle Provider? Do I also need to give up my protein shakes? Please help!

I hate to tell you, but it's all animal products--whey and egg white. You can buy soy powder to add to smoothies if you feel you need a protein shake. (Many people think that it's hard to get enough protein when you're a vegetarian, but that's really not true if you eat a balanced diet.)

I'm a bit overwhelmed...

Relax! It's not that hard.

Janice

[Jolt]

Not a vegetarian (though I don't eat that much meat either), but figured I'd share my thoughts. As for vegan vs. non-vegan, I would go ovo-lacto if I were you. The reason is that there are nutrients (the one that immediately comes to mind is vitamin B12) that one can only get from animal products, aside from supplementing. To me, that indicates that a vegan diet is unnatural for humans (in fairness, so are a lot of other things we eat nowadays). Adding milk/eggs allows you to get what you would be missing by eliminating animal products entirely. I also have my concerns about the "fake meat" products (Boca, Morningstar etc.) as they are so processed--I just don't think they can be that good for you. Protein, as mentioned, is not a major issue one way or the other--complete proteins can pretty easily be obtained from plant foods by combining things like grains/legumes (such as a dish based on rice and beans). This may be getting a bit off topic, but I'm surprised your doctor didn't say anything about eating fish. Oily fish like salmon, herring etc. are high in omega-3 fatty acids which are good for the cardiovascular system (and the two I mentioned are also lower in mercury than a lot of other fish; mercury is a problem in some types of fish). Hope this helps and didn't offend anyone; that was not my intention.

[divingbiker]

Protein, as mentioned, is not a major issue one way or the other--complete proteins can pretty easily be obtained from plant foods by combining things like grains/legumes (such as a dish based on rice and beans).

Actually, the theory of protein combining has been debunked.

[Thorn]

My suggestion....pick up a copy of Veganomicon (see also the website from the author at http://www.theppk.com/ ). My suggestion is to aim for vegan and if you fall "off the wagon" you can fall to low fat dairy. Eating vegan is easy if you cook at home; if you dine out, vegan is harder to do than ovo-lacto.

As divingbiker said, start simple. Pick up some TVP and use it where you'd normally use ground meat. If you don't want to use TVP, bulgar wheat also works well. I make a chili where I fry up the onions, garlic, pepper, toss in the bulgar and spices, sautee until slightly toasty and then add the beans and tomato. Simple changes.

Disclaimer: I've been vegetarian for more than 20 years--I've yet to find a good vegan substitute for bleu cheese I come from a family of high cholesterol and, even as a vegetarian I've had my cholesterol too high. Oatmeal in the morning; red wine in the evening and consuming only a small amount of fat-free or low fat dairy has got me under control (well, except for that bleu cheese habit)

Good luck.

[Jolt]

Actually, the theory of protein combining has been debunked.

Good to know--thanks for the info.

[Bike Goddess]

I live in a vegetarian household and have been cooking vegetarian meals for about 5 yrs.

My LDL was a bit high a couple of years ago although my HDL was proportionately high as well. (LDL 150mg/HDL 92mg/Tri 45mg) Since my doc was concerned about the LDL numbers, I just cut back on some of the high in fat dairy products I was using. Now I use low fat milk in my tea, don't eat a lot of cheese, and don't use cream sauces as much as before. I still use butter on my toast and eat boiled or poached eggs almost everyday. I think by eliminating some of the saturated fats from my diet did the trick. I also eat nuts (in salads) regularly as well.

This year my LDL was down and my HDL was about the same as it was before. (LDL 118mg/HDL 89mg/Tri 51mg)

We eat pasta, potatoes, rice for dinner along with vegies (now I steam them as I like that better)and a huge salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dressing. I cook with Canola Oil and occasionally Olive Oil and butter. We rarely eat dessert. I don't do much with soy products so I can't help you on that one. Also I react to beans (gas) so we don't have that in our diet.

It is easy to cook vegetarian. You'll find lots of cookbooks on vegetarian cooking. Since I don't spend a lot of time cooking, I don't use many recipes from cookbooks. I have found some yummy recipes from Real Simple magazine which I have incorporated into our meals. I haven't checked, but I believe they would be on the internet as well.

Keep up your cycling! I'm a strong believer that the more exercise we get into our everyday lives, the healthier we are. When I ride a lot, I tend to want the "healthy" as opposed to the "junk" food!

[OakLeaf]

Actually, the theory of protein combining has been debunked.

Only to the extent that you don't need all 8 essential amino acids in the same meal to survive. Your body still needs all of them to build tissue. So, recovery protein should be complete. A day's total protein intake should be complete. But if you eat mostly grain for breakfast (like most Americans), then you don't need to complete your bean dinner with grain if you don't want to.

[Karma007]

Definatley theppk, fatfreevagan, and the VRG (vegetarian resource group).Congrats on going veg. Even if you don't go 100% vegan, bear in mind that dairy (esp. cheese, which I had to give up entirely and it's easier than you think) can add calories very quicky, and is really unnessary.Try not to depend on them too much. It's really a much easier transition than you think, and you don't nessesarily need a bunch of meat alternatives or soy to make it work, but can make the transition easier. Congrats! You can be a strong competitor w/out meat and dairy. For a post ride shake, try 'Vega' . Nutritionally balanced, 100% vegan and loaded with all kinds of amazing things!

[mayanorange]

My suggestion....pick up a copy of Veganomicon (see also the website from the author at http://www.theppk.com/ ).

1+ I'm a meat eater, but love some of these recipes. Just not the vegan mac n cheese... sorry, it's just wrong....

[Susan Otcenas]

I'm going to recommend vegetarian, not vegan.

I ate vegetarian for about 11 years, only recently adding meat back into my diet (but that's a topic for another day...)

It's not hard to be a vegan at home, but unless you live someplace where vegan restaurants are widespread, you will find it very difficult to have a social life. The menu choices for vegetarians are already quite limited in many restaurants, vegan way more so.

Also, unless you have many vegan friends, it's hard to eat dinner at a friend's house or attend a potluck (unless you only want to eat what you yourself brought along.)

Susan

[Karma007]

1+ I'm a meat eater, but love some of these recipes. Just not the vegan mac n cheese... sorry, it's just wrong....

I hereby disagree! This is AWESOME! Especially if you've gone w/out cheese for a while. It's creamy and comforting. Try it w/out the breadcrumbs, b/c they soak up too much sauce.

This is VN's signature Macaroni & Cheese, and we absolutely couldn't live without it.

Serves 6
What You Need:
4 quarts water
1 tablespoon sea salt
8 ounces macaroni
4 slices of bread, torn into large pieces
2 tablespoons + 1/3 cup non-hydrogenated margarine
2 tablespoons shallots, peeled and chopped
1 cup red or yellow potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup onion, peeled and chopped
1 cup water
1/4 cup raw cashews
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon paprika
What You Do:
In a large pot, bring the water and salt to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until al dente. In a colander, drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
In a food processor, make breadcrumbs by pulverizing the bread and 2 tablespoons margarine to a medium-fine texture. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, add shallots, potatoes, carrots, onion, and water, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.
In a blender, process the cashews, salt, garlic, 1/3 cup margarine, mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne. Add softened vegetables and cooking water to the blender and process until perfectly smooth.
In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta and blended cheese sauce until completely coated. Spread mixture into a 9 x 12 casserole dish, sprinkle with prepared breadcrumbs, and dust with paprika. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese sauce is bubbling and the top has turned golden brown.

[ny biker]

Even if you don't go 100% vegan, bear in mind that dairy (esp. cheese, which I had to give up entirely and it's easier than you think) can add calories very quicky, and is really unnessary.

It would not be easy at all for me to give up dairy. I love cheese and it most definitely is not unnecessary to me. However I buy 2% milk or skim milk versions of most of the dairy products that I buy, which reduces the fat content but still leaves the taste and texture that I like.

In terms of whether to choose vegan or vegetarian, Lynette, I would say that for your purposes it doesn't have to be either/or. You could decide to be mostly vegan, but still have a couple of dairy products, like yogurt made from skim milk, if you really like them. Or you could start out vegetarian and then try the switch to vegan after a few weeks or a month or whatever. Or, to address Susan's point, you could be vegan at home but not when you're eating out. Because I think it's important for you to make changes that you're happy with and that you feel you could live with long-term.

Good luck!

[Tuckervill]

I've heard Dr. Dean Ornish on the radio talking about taking people off diabetic, cholesterol and blood pressure meds by going vegan. Maybe you don't want to go that radical, but he wrote a book about the whole spectrum of healthful eating. In fact, it's called The Spectrum:

http://www.pmri.org/lifestyle_program.html

The thing I liked that he said was not to think about how you can replace what you like to eat with something that doesn't contain meat, but to find things you like and are good just the way they are. You are going into the growing season right now and the variety of fresh produce will be wonderful and tasty! Eat vegetables close to their whole form. Do soups and chilies. Use lots and lots of spices to make the food tasty and inviting. It's not just about eating vegan or veggie, but enjoying your food.

And by the way, my dad is one of those Atkin's diet success stories, who went off cholesterol medication by eating bacon and butter! I can't do Atkins because I get sick during the induction phase, but it works for him, which is just proof that there is no one right diet for every person. That's what Ornish's book is about.

Karen