chilegirl Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 My husband and are on day 10. We started the Whole30 because we wanted to try to change some bad habits (like too much sugar, wine/beer drinking, dairy) and reset our digestive tract. I had some blood tests done in mid August and the results were great in most areas, but in things like Liver and Kidney- they were only good (still well within range, but instead of being on the bottom range where the other results were- these showed more in the middle range). Prior to starting the Whole30 we ate mostly whole grains and fruits and veggies (and wine and beer ) with probably only two to three meals that included meat. Our protein mostly came from dairy, legumes and nuts/seeds. On Whole30, we eat eggs every breakfast, mostly chicken and fish for our meat proteins and have had three meals with red meat. This is all with generous helpings of veggies with each meal. My husband has a family history of heart disease and is currently on a statin for high-cholestrol. I have read It Starts With Food, so understand the science behind it. That said, my husband's best friend is a cardiologist who FREAKED out when he told him the foods we have been eating. Additionally, I know according to the timeline we are in the "bloat stage" but our body comp just seems flabby right now- especially my husband. He has a spare tire now that he didn't have 10 days ago. My husband is supposed to have his blood tested at the end of the week for a life insurance check. I am really worried that his cholesterol is going to be very elevated and the rest of the work will be off. More importantly, I am really worried that maybe his body/genetics is really not meant for this type of diet and that staying the course for the rest of the month is putting him at a health risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Dietary cholesterol has very little impact on blood levels of cholesterol. Any cardiologist who doesn't know this needs to do a little research. That said, you should also be aware that sometimes blood levels of cholesterol will be temporarily elevated if someone is losing or has just lost weight. This is nothing to worry about and should resolve itself with time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuilterInVA Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Not all doctors graduate at the top of their class or keep up with the latest scientific studies. Even the AHA and FDA now say that they got the fat thing wrong and dietary fat is now okay. Genetics has more of an impact on cholosterol levels than what you eat. I can't believe eating a healthy diet would kill your husband. The beer and wine is probably more harmful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafarer Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Last time I did a Whole30, and had blood work done immediately afterwards, my results were the best ever, by quite a stretch. Two years, and a number of blood tests later, I can pretty much tell you where my cholesterol (& all other) levels are going to be depending on whether or not I have been eating Whole30 style or not. W30 wins every time! If, for some strange reason, his blood tests are off, ask to have them done again at the end of your 30 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
never2late Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 One of my friends completed a whole 30 and her cholesterol went down 50 points! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edesia Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 I have a strong family history of heart disease. My cholesterol was elevated for the first time ever in 2014. Fast forward to completing a W30 in March 2015 and continuing on after that. I had a blood test in June to check, because I was worried about the same thing you are. PostW30, my cholesterol was down, especially the LDL cholesterol, and back in the ideal range. It put my mind at ease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirkor Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 That said, my husband's best friend is a cardiologist who FREAKED out when he told him the foods we have been eating. What foods did he freak out about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilegirl Posted September 23, 2015 Author Share Posted September 23, 2015 Thanks everyone for your comments. I'm feeling a little better about this. We are still committed to completing the Whole30, but just want to make sure we are doing it in the most healthy way possible. One question- should my husband cancel the blood work that is scheduled for a Life Insurance policy on Friday (we would be on day 13 at that point) because, I don't think they will let him retake it. Its either "we will insure you or not"? We can try to reschedule for the end of the Whole30. As far as the best friend/cardiologist - first, this wasn't a office visit with him, just my husband telling him over the phone what we were up to. I think he was mostly worried about the saturated fat, but since I wasn't on the phone with him I am not sure what what said. It just gave my husband and I pause about the diet with his genetic background. What I know was said was that eating whole foods and lowering sugar is great- but too much saturated fat and salt not so great. He also said from a digestive standpoint there is something to be said in drinking beer because how fermentation provides probiotic. But, I am taking that with a grain of salt because said cardiologist likes his small-batch micros as much as my husband and will find any excuse to drink it. Thanks again for your reassurances! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannlib Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 He's right, too much salt isn't great. But when you eliminate all processed foods you eliminate all salt. Which is why we can and in fact must salt our food freely. There are other fermented foods than beer, many of which are w30 compliant ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 I'm in agreement with Miss Mary. A couple of weeks doesn't amount to a hill of beans in the big picture. Some of the best cardiologists are roaming around in the sagebrush. They can afford to work where they want to live. They will caution someone about high trigly's... but those are due to eating a highly refined diet that's loaded to the gills with sugars/carbs/transfats. The ones I know live for hunting, they all eat the best quality beef and enjoy a good snort of high end alcohol on occasion. I can't think of a single time they've smacked anyone down for eating meat. It's the sugars, their body weights and only the blood tests they concern themselves with. They do like good numbers but common sense prevails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 As far as the best friend/cardiologist - first, this wasn't a office visit with him, just my husband telling him over the phone what we were up to. I think he was mostly worried about the saturated fat, but since I wasn't on the phone with him I am not sure what what said. Saturated fats found in high-quality real food sources make you healthier. The harmful kind of saturated fat comes from eating too many refined carbohydrates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilegirl Posted September 25, 2015 Author Share Posted September 25, 2015 Thanks again everyone for your input. He took the blood test today, so we will wait and see what the results look like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuilterInVA Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 Please let us know how his blood test comes out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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