Cardiac rehab at Nuvance hospitals offers a preventative program called Level 2. This is me on the 36/36 monitored sessions.
As a reporter for the Redding Sentinel, I interviewed a participant in the Nuvance Rehab program and director. (p. 6) Here’s the article hanging in the gym
I ate one meatball Thursday at a happy hour and it's taken my stomach two days to recover.
I hadn't eaten meat, poultry, fish, eggs, or dairy except for one tblspn in the morning of half and half in my espresso and again in the afternoon; plus chocolate occasionally and nonfat yogurt for months.
FTR my LDL is 72. My weight is 51 Kilos. I don’t have diabetes but have heart disease and am medicated.
For decades I have been mostly “followed” a vegetarian, frequently vegan diet, but occasionally eat meat, fish, egg, and dairy, and especially do when I’m out with friends or eating at their home. I think it is rude to talk about my diet restrictions and ask for adjustments. Very rude. I’m old school and understand this is not any sort of rule, just my way. I love being treated to meals and very humbly accept that.
The books convinced me
The dietary restrictions started in the 1980s when I was finishing college and read Diet of a Small Planet and Animal Factories - warning, this one is sad - and immediately eliminated all formerly live animals and fish from my diet, but not animal products, for 6 years.
I did however, remove milk, opting for espresso, until my pregnancies (3) in the 80s-90s for the baby’s nutritional needs; and I nursed after. I bought into the narrative at the time that you could not provide sufficient protein and essential nutrients without eating animals/fish, eggs, yogurt, etc.
But after baby one turned toddler and in daycare expressing interest in what the other kids were eating - cold cuts, hot dogs, chicken nuggets - that was the 1980s diet for kids - I went back to non-vegan eating too.
In those young years of my kids I cooked the IAD-Italian American diet.
Personally, I stepped in and out of vegan eating, and in mostly, once diagnosed with heart stuff in my 40s, that was present in my 30s but not diagnosed properly.
Since then I follow science. When my LDL moves up, I check and recheck what I've eaten. It’s always related to animals/dairy. It is irrespective of my fitness. I work out every day for 18 years; before that several times a week. My cholesterol currently is checked every 3 m and I take 2 statins to keep LDL under 70, a AHA says we should and my MD agrees.
Food police, sorry
The reason I'm writing this is for kindness.
I would suggest the food police which we all have been or know others, think about this. And I apologize humbly to anyone I have affected if so.
It is entirely personal what somebody weighs, eats, and learns from the science with their medical team UNLESS they share the information with you and want to exchange tips.
And on the matter of personal. I think it is very personal what someone weighs, or how their body looks, and unless there is something nice to say, we should not speak about it UNLESS they want to talk about it.
And in my OLD SCHOOL - I’m not a prude but learned manners this way - we not only refrain from telling our dietary restrictions, but we also try unless it would make us sick, food items your host has lovingly prepared for you.
I was out with friends who wanted meatballs. I’m a team player. My stomach is better. But this weekend I’m back to eating vegan. I am NOT a vegan. I am me. I don’t consider it a label. It’s just a diet.
Thanks for reading
Interesting column, Donna! I like the no-label status.