One of the best things you can do to lower cholesterol is to eat less (red) meat AND more greens…but for many of us a vegetarian or vegan diet is too large a shift. One small step that can pay big dividends is to incorporate more ‘plant-based’ (aka vegetarian or vegan) meals into your meal planning.
But I’m often at a loss for vegetarian meal ideas—it just feels so much easier to throw chicken on the grill. So when the New York Times recently launched a newsletter called THE VEGGIE I decided to give it a try.
One of the best things you can do to lower cholesterol is to eat less (red) meat AND more greens…but for many of us a vegetarian or vegan diet is too large a shift. One small step that can pay big dividends is to incorporate more ‘plant-based’ (aka vegetarian or vegan) meals into your meal planning.
But I’m often at a loss for vegetarian meal ideas—it just feels so much easier to throw chicken on the grill. So when the New York Times recently launched a newsletter called THE VEGGIE I decided to give it a try.
Health issues due to the pandemic affected nearly everyone in 2020. Lockdowns and working from home wreaked havoc with exercise routines. For many, stress eating and drinking replaced healthy habits. The result: millions of Americans know they gained weight last year. But many may not realize that weight gain alongside months of anxiety and stress might also have elevated blood pressure. And that is alarming as weight gain, alcohol consumption, and elevated blood pressure all increase risk of heart disease… sometimes significantly.
So if you’ve had—or are about to have—an overdue physical, don’t be surprised if your doctor newly diagnoses you with high cholesterol (or high blood pressure or diabetes.) If that happens,
While searching for an easy dinner to make while on vacation (why I’m cooking on vacation is another story), I found an article in the New York Times by Ali Slagle, with a recipe for Crisp Gnocchi with Brussels Sprouts and Brown Butter. I tried it because the opening line said:
“For a fantastic meal that can be ready in 20 minutes…”
That was all I needed to hear.
That said, I almost didn’t try this recipe as it calls for 6 tablespoons of butter (and, um, has ‘butter’ in the title). But when I scanned the recipe comments,
Did you know that there’s a non-invasive test that can help you and your doctor decide if you truly need a statin medication to lower cholesterol?
It’s called a Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) Scan. While this test is not right for everyone, if your personal risk of heart disease is uncertain it can help guide your medication decision.
That’s what happened with me, which I wrote about in my 2017 post, Coronary Calcium Scan Illuminates Heart Disease Risk. Since then, the CAC scan is being more widely used and it’s something everyone who falls into the ‘unclear’
