I generally have my cholesterol checked every five years which is the current recommendation endorsed by the American Heart Association although I waited six years this time. I've never had a problem with high cholesterol, however I made some significant changes with my 50s diet and I wondered how it would affect my "bad" cholesterol. Sure, I'm smaller on the outside, I lost four inches around my waist, I have more energy and mental clarity, but high cholesterol can be a hidden danger when you don't know your numbers.
I had my cholesterol checked in August 2007. At that time my diet consisted of a high percentage of processed diet foods such as frozen meals, Weight Watchers "high fiber" breads and desserts with inulin. I also ate very little real cheese because I knew it was high in fat so I took calcium supplements and at fat free cheese "product." I rarely if ever ate whole eggs and instead bought pre-packaged egg whites. When I fell off the diet wagon every few days I ate Oreos, apple pie with lots of whipped cream, chocolate cream pie, supermarket birthday cake when it wasn't anyone's birthday (although it's always someone's birthday I rationalized), entire bags of Smartfood popcorn and cookies.
I started using fitday in the beginning of 2007 so I'm able to look at detailed data of my food and nutrition. I began my diet from modern day diets by going 1950s in January 2010. While still counting calories I made the following dietary changes by eating:
- Minimally or non-processed foods
- Naturally occurring fiber by eating more fruits and vegetables and cut out all inulin, polydextrose, etc.
- Real, whole organic eggs more often than egg whites out of a carton
- 2-3 servings of organic hard cheese daily instead of none and stopped taking a calcium supplement
- Cut out all refined carbs and sugars the first year and now allow myself an average of one tablespoon of added maple syrup daily
- Organic oatmeal and raisins instead of prepackaged cereals
- More whole grains and potatoes
- Cut out all gluten because it was contributing to IBS and worse causing me inexplicable muscle pain for years. When I went gluten-free I experienced a significant reduction in pain and no longer have chronic stomach aches
- Real whipped cream over baked apples or ice cream made from scratch as an occasional treat instead of low or non-fat processed desserts
- Red meat more often than chicken and more spinach since I wasn't getting enough iron in my diet
- Salads made from vegetables with blue cheese instead of a few leaves of lettuce, croutons from a package and sugar-laden bottled dressing
- NO Genetically Modified Foods (that I am aware of)
So how did I score in 2013 compared to 2007? I assumed that my cholesterol would have gone up since I'm now eating whole eggs, hard cheeses and more red meat. But a strange thing happened. My overall cholesterol fell by forty points with the biggest drop being in my "bad" LDL cholesterol!
My current LDL is a mere 78! My numbers are all optimum! But wait, there's another surprise. In 2007, 29% of my calories were coming from fat and about 19 grams
of that was saturated. In 2013 I am averaging 34% of my calories from fat with 26 grams of it being saturated. Doesn't this go against what we read over and over? Shouldn't my cholesterol have gone UP? This is only my profile and reaction to the 1950s diet, so I of course would never claim that if you do the same you will have the same results.
Here's some more data. My average fiber intake in 2007 was 21 grams. Today it's 36! I can see that eating more whole foods, veggies and fruits while cutting out all pre-packaged junk and refined carbs has made a difference.
Finally, 24% of my diet came from protein in 2007. Even though I'm now eating hard cheese and more red meat my overall protein consumption has dropped to an average of 18% of my diet. I am finding that the smaller portions of what I am eating are overall more satisfying. So while I am eating more fat and more of the "bad" kind I am balancing it with eating more real, whole fiber foods and a more active lifestyle and weight loss.
People in the know will point out that there were more deaths in the 1950s due to heart disease then today. But those same people should also know that smoking is a major contributor to heart disease and smoking rates have declined significantly since then:
Self-reported adult smoking peaked in 1954 at 45%, and remained at 40% or more through the early 1970s, but has since gradually declined. The average rate of smoking across the decades fell from 40% in the 1970s to 32% in the 1980s, 26% in the 1990s, and 24% since 2000.
Additionally, there are more drug treatments today then the 1950s.
Wouldn't you love to see a controlled study on the effects of a 1950s diet on the weight and cholesterol levels on overweight non-smokers? While the 1950s offers hard proof that the eating practices of Americans led to an overall thinner nation, we shouldn't assume that what they ate was solely responsible for an increase risk in heart disease.
