Lab Results Are In : I'm Now a Die-Hard Flexitarian :D !!

 I just received my blood test results in the mail, and I am ECSTATIC to report that after only a 12-Day Juice Fast my health stats are remarkable !!  I expected to see some improvement overall, but these results are over the top.... great. (Note:  to read my daily blog with tips and insights during my juice fast from Day 1, click here: Karen's Juice Fast Reboot )

          Tested 6 months ago at:         Now:                            Comments:
Cholesterol...........220.......................114 (optimal is <180)....220 was with Meds
Triglycerides........180.......................121 (optimal is 30-150)...with Niacin regimen
LDL.....................98...........................57 (optimal is <100)..this is the BAD cholesterol
HDL.......................36................................38 (Optimal is > 40)...this is the GOOD cholesterol 
VLDL.................................................24 (Optimal is 4-40)
Chol/HDL..........................................3.5 (Optimal is <4.4)
Non-HDL Chol...................................81 (optimal is <130)

My Thyroid Results are:
TSH, 3rd Gen. ..........1.30 (optimal is 0.3-5.0) 
FREE T4...................1.24 (optimal is 0.71-1.76) 

I am in the optimal range of every single category, except my HDL!!! But, my HDL did go up (a good thing), and I didn't exercise as hard as I usually do during the fast (and I know exercise raises HDL).... so I'm ok with that result.  

Basically, I am in optimal health in these areas after only 12 days on the Juice Fast....amazing.  I'm so happy.  I just KNEW that the way I felt had to be measurable and scientifically/physiologically supportable, and here it is: undisputed lab result truth. The juice fast WORKS! I plan to cut my cholesterol meds in half and retest in about 4 months to see if I've maintained these great levels.  I am waiting to hear back from the doctor about my thyroid meds...I know that the results above are great, but I don't know exactly what the numbers mean by way of being able to reduce my medication or not. You don't want to play around with your thyroid.

Now, I simply have to maintain this healthy lifestyle and way of eating: include 24-32 oz of juice every day (and going on a once-a-month 2-5 day juice fast to reboot)...and eat mostly plant based, organic, clean foods, with occasional meat, fish (high quality without hormones, etc.), and even a treat once in a while (like holiday meals, etc.) !

Easy...since I'm already doing that:  it's habit now, and I actually prefer this to "the old" way of eating.

 PRASAD Health bar in Portland

Jake and I went to Powell's bookstore in Portland on our little trip last weekend, and I perused the Healthy Eating section while he was wandering around the Welding/Blacksmithing aisle :). 

I found several guides and cookbooks on a whole new genre of people that embrace a lifestyle of eating exactly the way that I eat now:  FLEXITARIANS.  Maybe this isn't a new term (I guess it was coined about 15 years ago!), but I've never heard it before. 

Anyway, I'm a flexitarian by definition! I think of it simply as "the way we were created to eat"...but hey, it's fun having a categorical name for it so when people ask.....
Here are some things I gleaned from the internet to define and explain the term. 

Flexitarian Defined

Being a vegetarian can now have many names. According to vegetarian information site Veggie Visitors, true vegans do not eat animal products whatsoever, while lacto-ovo vegetarians eat eggs and dairy, and pesce-vegetarians eat fish. Flexitarian is a term for those who eat vegetarian food most of the time but occasionally add meat to their diets. Flexitarians are considered semi-vegetarians (or, part time vegetarians! :D)

Benefits

The main benefit of following a flexitarian plan instead of eating only vegetarian is that you have more options. You won't get bored from eating only beans or tofu as your main source of protein and you won't have to give up your favorite meat dishes. According to green-living website The Daily Green, focusing your diet on fruits and vegetables can help you ward off stroke, heart disease and prostate cancer. Being a vegetarian is also kinder to the environment since it reduces greenhouse gas emissions created in the production of meat products.

I Like This Point The Best:

It's a guideline, not a religion: Your friends are in town, and want to meet at Texas Jack's House of Steak for lunch. Go for it, but just eat just a reasonable amount—about the size of a deck of cards, and switch to vegetarian fare for dinner. Eat as realistically vegetarian as you can at least 2 meals a day, eat small amounts of (really good, organic!) meat at night or only 2-3 times a week, and you'll eventually adapt to eating smaller portions. You could eat nothing but Snickers bars all day and technically be eating vegetarian, but that's not the point—use your meatless meals to inspire your eating lifestyle, not constrain it.

Expert Insight

According to Medical News Today, becoming a flexitarian and reducing your meat intake will in turn increase your lifespan. In fact, vegetarians live an average of 3.6 years longer than meat eaters. A flexitarian diet will also help reduce your cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure. Medical News Today points out that vegetarians tend to weigh less than meat eaters, which keeps them healthier and stronger.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/214136-what-is-the-flexatarian-diet-plan/#ixzz1XUP1pX8t

I wish you rich blessings as you move forward with your quest for good health and well being for yourself and your family...

Carpe Diem!