By the numbers

With all the tri training and changing to a (mostly) plant-based, gluten-free diet in the spring, I was curious if it would have any effect on my cholesterol scores. People are usually surprised to hear I have high cholesterol, but such is the way of genetic inheritance. I come by it honestly, from my Dad's genes. He's tall and trim, but also has the high cholesterol. Part of the motivation behind all my athletic pursuits is a desire to avoid cholesterol meds (don't trust their safety, don't want to live with the side effects) and avoid heart problems further down the road. It's an investment in my future health, with benefits in the here and now. It helps that I enjoy being active and athletic; this stuff is fun for me.

As part of the TNT training, one of the coaches shared how changing to a vegan diet had changed his life. Hearing that someone's cancer went into remission was pretty amazing, but my interest was really piqued by the increase in energy and lessening of allergy symptoms that he experienced from dietary changes. I was willing to give it a try, even removing gluten from my diet. I'm grateful that I'm not Celiac, because going gluten-free has been the most challenging, and the area in which I'm most likely to be inconsistent. However, I have had a noticeable increase in energy. Not surprising, since for me eating pancakes is the equivalent of taking a sedative. I continued to eat oats for awhile, but noticed the same sedative effect once I'd dropped other forms of gluten. So, with some sadness, I gave away my last tin of Irish oatmeal. In addition to having more energy, I discovered that gluten was contributing to general sinus congestion and stuffiness. Within a week of going GF, my sinuses, while never a big problem, were noticeably clearer.

I took to the plant-based diet pretty readily, and made some new discoveries. Millet rocks. Cooks up similar to cous-cous, but energizes me, instead of making me sleepy. I can't imagine eating white rice by choice, much preferring the heartier taste and texture of brown rice. Quinoa is not to be eaten by itself. There are some excellent quinoa-based pastas with the texture of traditional pasta, which makes them far better than rice and corn-based GF pastas, which tend toward unappetizing mushiness. Chard tastes like dirt. Mustard greens are spicy, and not in a good way. Kale and collards have risen to the top of the greens pile to become staples. Organic greens taste better than conventionally-grown.

The ease of transitioning to the gluten-free (mostly) plant-based diet was surprising, until I remembered that as a child, I enjoyed plucking and eating young tender blades of grass, and that I liked sampling the grains in the horse feed out in the barn. I had the makings of a vegan from way back. It also helped that I was already mostly sugar and caffeine-free.

Six months after making these changes, I finally got my cholesterol checked. My total cholesterol, while still considered high, dropped 34 points; my LDL (bad cholesterol) dropped 40 points; and my HDL rose 6 points. In general, I feel better, breathe easier, and have more energy, so it looks like the changes are here to stay.

More numbers of note
Since January of this year, which had an auspicious start with an 8 mile run, I have logged the following distances:
Cycling: 1021 miles
Running: 258 miles
Swimming: 26,544 yds or 15 miles
I think it's time for a new pair of running shoes!