Lab results came back - no bueno. I’ve always been proud of the fact I take no daily medications but if these numbers don’t change I’m goin in the prescription treadmill.

Changing diet seems to be key. I eat pretty clean anyway, but the Mediterranean diet is cleaner yet and I want to get closer to that model. I like everything in it so there is that. The Ohio Tavern diet has to go.

Tofu comes highly recommended. I’ve had it in Pho but I’ve never cooked with it. It’s not cheap, God knows why, but neither is beef

What do I do with it?

Find a recipe for Mapo Tofu, Mr SK makes that a lot.

He also eats it "straight" (i.e. not cooked or anything) with just soy sauce, but I don't.

Beyond that, I have no idea what he does with it because my MO is just to stay out of the way when he's cooking.

Send me directions to your favorite tavern.
Take the tofu outdoors.
Pour gasoline on it.
Throw a lighted match on it from a distance.
Run!!

What numbers are you trying to improve?

quote:

Originally posted by wtg:
What numbers are you trying to improve?

BP, cholesterol, glucose. The last time I had them checked they were fine, now they’re not.

Mapo tofu is delicious. You’ll Need to get a decent rice cooker though. I used to make a broccoli tofu dish with a spicy peanut sauce, it was great (though maybe peanut sauce is not good for your diet?

https://pinchofyum.com/spicy-p...es-56991-jump-target

This one looks good. Just use the natural peanut butter you have to stir (that doesn’t have the bad fats added).

BP:

1) Walk a couple of miles five or six days a week. Sam will enjoy getting out.

2) Isometric handgrip exercises daily. Squeeze a set of handgrips or a tennis ball with one hand for two minutes, rest for a minute , then switch hands. Repeat one more time. Takes 11 minutes to do; I set a timer and watch it count down.

3) Lose ten pounds.

4) Drink a cup of hibiscus flower tea every day; if you like Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Zinger, you'll like hibiscus. Steep 2 grams in a cup of hot water for 10 or 15 minutes. Add a little honey if you need sweetener. Also great chilled if you like cold beverages.

Cholesterol and glucose

1) Ditch the white starchy stuff (white rice, white bread, sugar). Dessert should be fresh fruits. Cookies, cakes, ice cream should be very occasional treats rather than a regular diet.

2) Eat foods closer to their natural state rather than processed stuff. Eat an orange and skip the glass of orange juice, stuff like that.

3) Join a CSA and/or frequent farmers markets. Eat lots of veggies. Eat fish. Eat chicken. Eat not much meat.

3.5) Avoid all artificial sweeteners.

4) I found that a mini form of intermittent fasting works well for me. I eat breakfast around 7, a lunch around 11, and dinner is done by 5; switch things around to suit your lifestyle. I used to snack in the evenings, boredom not hunger. That by itself made a huge difference.

I don't count anything - fat, calories, carbs. Nada. I just eat mindfully, paying attention to what agrees with me and what doesn't (I have a grouchy gallbladder). I eat cheese, butter and whole milk, but in moderation.

5) If the diet and exercise changes don't work or you just want to accelerate the cholesterol reduction, consider taking Cholest-Off Plus, one gel cap with each meal. It contains plant sterols and stanols and it works really well for some people. Mr wtg takes it in lieu of statins because he can't handle the side effects of the statins. Got his total cholesterol down from about 240 to 180. Improved his good to bad cholesterol ratio, too.

My mom used to take Benecol Soft Chews and they lowered her cholesterol significantly. She could only take a low dose of statins and her cholesterol was still high. I suggested the Benecol to her doctor and he was all in. We tested her after 8 or 10 weeks and she had a substantial drop in her total cholesterol and ratio improved. Her doctor was surprised and impressed.

https://www.benecolusa.com/softchews

They weren't available at one point and she tried the Cholest-off Plus and they bothered her tummy. I just looked them up and looks like the chews are back, so might be worth a try. I think she used to take one chew with each meal. A good place to start, in any case.

edit: Some discussion from the Cleveland Clinic about red yeast rice and plant stanols. Red yeast rice is just a very low dose of a statin. I would focus on the plant stanols. They seem to work well without the statin side effects.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org...ce-and-plant-stanols

And one more thing on the BP is to watch your salt. It makes a huge difference. I've never been one to grab for the salt shaker, but I dearly love olives, capers, and pickles, and all of them are loaded with sodium. I have them occasionally but only in small quantities. Prepared soups are bad, too. I used to love those ramen noodle things but yowza are they full of salt. Another reason to skip the processed stuff.

And sorry, don't have a clue what to do with tofu...though I do like it and enjoy it when I eat at a restaurant.

Sorry. I’m a freak. I eat tofu straight, plain, with a spoon. Not even a drop of soy sauce.

There are many varieties. I like medium-firm, but not crumbly. Try to buy locally-made tofu (if there is such a thing there). Check the ingredients: the fewer the better. Once you open it, keep it submerged in water and change the water every day or at least every other day.

As for tofu, I like it firm. But tofu is really a vector ... it takes on the flavor of any sauce.

As for weight loss, just cut the carbs. There are tons of books out there, but my lipidologist says it simply ... the cholesterol you eat doesn't matter, it's the cholesterol your liver produces. If you go very low carb, and maintain it, you go into ketosis, and the weight just falls off fast.

My lipidologist doesn't care about eggs, or shrimp, or cheese, or anything like that. No processed meats ... nothing fried. Meat and dairy (high fat better than low fat) and vegetables is her recipe for healthy living.

I find prepackaged squares, press the water out, and cut it into small cubes.

I use it in spaghetti or vegetable stir fry.

quote:

I eat tofu straight, plain, with a spoon. Not even a drop of soy sauce.

Mr. SK does that too. But again, I never do.

As others have mentioned, tofu is going to take on the flavours you use to cook it. This recipe from Bad Manners food is one we like. There’s lots of swearing (print, not video) so don’t click if that’s not ok. https://www.badmanners.com/recipes/pan-seared-tofu

They also bake tofu in a bunch of different marinades and then add them to things. We have used this recipe and then tossed it into a stir fry that we otherwise would have with chicken.

GINGER SESAME TOFU

1 Block firm or extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
1/4 cup soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tbsps lime juice
2 tbsps coconut sugar or brown sugar
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 tsps toasted sesame oil
2 tsps sriracha or other hot chili sauce
2 cloves garlic - sliced


Drain and press one block of tofu for about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450F
In a small bowl, add all marinade ingredients and whisk to combine.
Slice tofu into 1/4 inch slices and place in a shallow dish. Cover entirely with marinade, and refrigerate for anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight.
Remove tofu from marinade, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spoon some marinade on top and bake for 15 minutes.
Flip the tofu slices, add some more marinade, and bake for another 10 minutes.
Flip again, add more marinade and bake for a final 5 minutes, until the edges start to get golden and crispy.

You could use the same method with whatever marinade you prefer I would think.

Two suggestions, always with extra firm.

Tofu breakfast burrito. Find a recipe and go for it. A robust way to star the day.

Chinese food. Usually you chop veggies, sear tofu, add a sauce, serve over rice.

I can look for recipes if you’re interested.