At that time the Dr put him on Lovaza which is just a prescription high dose fish oil and suggested diet changes. We were also recommended to visit with a dietitian to discuss changing diet. We had every intention of doing just that, but well life kinda got busy. Casey started working out of town a lot that year and just as he was back in town I ended up pregnant again and well excuse after excuse followed.
Fast forward to two weeks ago and Casey is having health issues, we haven't rechecked his triglycerides just yet but that's coming at the end up the month. However his total cholesterol was still high. This time the Dr feels its more genetic since we have been eating healthier and Casey has a very active lifestyle. (He's an electrician which is a very active job). So we decided we needed to stop putting off going to the dietitian and we did so last night. We learned some very interesting things and we are in the process of making some BIG changes.
So last night we had our appointment, she starts off by asking what our diet consists of. We very proudly tell her we have been eating healthy meals for dinner (mostly chicken,turkey and low fat pork). We eat at home all week now (except last night) instead of eating out and I'm making real meals instead of the processed crap you can just throw in the oven or microwave. Casey proudly tells her instead of eating fatty fast food he's been eating at Mr Goodcents and getting a turkey sub. She asks if he eats breakfast and he says he tries to grab a nutigrain bar to take with him on his way out. We discuss how we've switched to whole wheat breads instead of white and I've been trying to wean us off the soda stuff. Casey tells her that he snacks in the evening but its normally grapes, apples and oranges (good stuff). She nods and says that's good BUT.........
So it turns out what she thinks is happening (she's very certain and it makes sense to us that she would be right) is that Casey body is unable to process carbs the way it should. While we have been trying to limit bad carbs we really need to limit ALL carbs. As well as all grains (even whole wheat). She said she's going to recommend an extreme diet and said we need to understand that this is not something she recommends to everyone. She said in fact if she still worked at KU Med she'd probably get fired for recommending this diet its so extreme. But if we don't get Casey's Triglycerides under control then he will end up with type 2 diabetes. We SO don't want that, Casey's Grandfather on his mom's side was recently diagnosed with that and since this issue genetic we think that's probably what happened to him because prior to a couple of years ago he was on Lipidtor and once he went diabetic that changed to his insulin. Anyway, the diet she recommended is called a Paleo Diet.
Since Casey's body isn't processing the carbs the way it SHOULD its all turning to sugar and over working his liver to get it out of the body. She said we don't want to do the Adkins diet extreme but we really need to try and follow this pyramid instead. We were so proud of us cutting out the red meats and stuff and she actually told us that red meat is fine if its LEAN. She also said it needs to be Grass-Fed and organic. She said any meat should be Grass-fed, Wild or pasture raised animals. She said Bison is actually a really good meat to eat. She also said no Corn (Grain) and no potatoes (starch/carbs) Also means more expensive but if that's what we need to do to keep Casey healthy we are going to do it. She said for me personally I can join Casey on the Paleo diet if I wanted to but I shouldn't restrict the kids to it yet, I figured what I would do is some of it. She said Fruits and veggies are a good thing, so we'll be incorporating more of all that stuff but I will still allow myself to have a little bit of the grains and stuff (like whole wheat bread). She also said Soda's (which I knew that and I've been trying to get him to cut back) are a HUGE source of carbs and he REALLY needs to cut it out completely. (Yay!) I used to NEVER keep soda in my home till I married Casey and right away we had cases and cases of Soda. I personally drink maybe 1 soda a day if that.
So more big changes going on! I'm going to learn to fix fish and hopefully like it. But most of all we're going to try our best to go as organic as possible! Something I've been wanting to do for awhile to begin with. She recommended getting a membership to Costco, she said that they have a lot of organic meats and veggies for a good price. She said don't be fooled into thinking just because its at a farmers market that its organic. She said a lot of stuff at farmers markets are NOT organic. But they are so pricey too! So Here's to an even HEALTHIER lifestyle. She did tell us we were doing a good job to begin with and normally that would be a great diet for most people. But we are not normal (I could have told you that!) So we need a more extreme diet.
I want to stress that she stressed this diet is NOT for everyone and should be followed carefully. I plan on lots of research.
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