What my latest lab results revealed about my crazy diet

I recently saw my Naturopath for a check-in appointment, something I try to do a couple times a year so she can assess me and so that I can ask her a variety of questions that I may have accumulated since the last appointment.  All was well at the appointment and then she sent me off for routine blood work.  

The purpose of the blood work was mainly so that we could check my protein indicators, which had been low in the past since I dramatically reduced my meat intake, and my cholesterol, which had been very high in the past when I was eating lots of meat.  I discussed what I learned from these two opposite ways of eating (lots of meat vs. low or no meat) in a previous post that you can find here.

PROTEIN LEVELS - A year ago was the last time I had regular blood work done, and at that time a couple results suggested that my protein intake/absorption was too low.  This was a while after I had been consciously reducing my meat intake and eating more plant-based protein such as beans and lentils.  After receiving these results, instead of immediately choosing to start eating more meat again, I decided to take some time to evaluate why my protein would be low even though I thought I was eating plenty of protein from plants.  Here’s what I determined could have been the problem:

• Just not enough!  I was eating beans and lentils, but I was not eating protein-filled soy products like edamame and tofu because in the past soy did not agree with me and so I purposely avoided it.  But even with the beans and lentils, I was not actually tracking my protein at all, and after really thinking about it, I was sure there were plenty of days that I was not eating enough of them to get adequate protein.

• Battle-scarred colon!  I’ve mentioned before that a lot of my colon is pretty scarred due to my monster Ulcerative Colitis flare of 2010.  This has impacted my ability to absorb certain nutrients well, and my naturopath suggested that even if I was eating what should be enough protein, not all of it was getting absorbed.

So I figured that between these two facts, I wasn’t being mindful enough.  I slowly tried adding tofu and then edamame back into my diet, and had no problems whatsoever!  This is amazing news as it tells me that my gut has continued to heal - there was a time where soy would have made me feel awful, and now my body accepts it willingly.  I also tried making absolutely sure I was eating enough beans, lentils, or tofu/edamame each day, as well as an occasional plant-based protein powder in a smoothie.  I continued to eat the same level of meat that I had been, which is only about 3 times per week on average.

The results!

My latest labs showed an increase in the levels that were previously low!  Not high enough yet to throw a party, but high enough to get me out of the “low” range.  This was very encouraging to me as I am really enjoying life with less meat - my digestion has NEVER been better since reducing meat, and I’d really like to keep it that way!  I truly feel that this goes to show that one can be mostly, or for many, completely plant based and still get enough protein - especially for those without a scarred colon issue!!  

CHOLESTEROL - It’s no secret that less animal products = lower cholesterol, and my diet evolution has been legit proof of that.  When I was on a strict Paleo diet (a.k.a. eating lots of meat) in the early phases of my major flare recovery, my cholesterol levels had shot up to well over 200, even though I was young, thin, and otherwise pretty healthy at the time.  As I moved to a more plant-based/low meat intake diet, it’s no shock that my cholesterol has plummeted.

The results!

A year ago, after a good long while of reducing meat, my cholesterol had come all the way down to 149, and this most recent result was 146.  The super interesting thing to note was that in the past year, which was a year of eating more veggies and fruit than I ever have before, my triglycerides dropped over 20 points (they weren’t high a year ago, but now they’re even better!).

After seeing my cholesterol results, my Naturopath said they were, and I quote, “perfect.”  Woohoo!  She then said something that literally brought tears to my eyes, “It’s so amazing that all this can be done with just the diet.”  

Amen, Dr. N.  

Amen.

As for my other lab results, some things weren’t perfect, so there is always work to be done, especially as I manage my pesky scarred colon reality.  But overall things continue to look great,  I continue to feel great, and I continue to be EXTREMELY grateful for this!  There was a time when my lab results were those of someone who was literally dying, and I’ll never forget that, even as that time becomes more of a distant memory.

In closing, I definitely recommend getting blood work done every now and then as sometimes minor issues can be discovered and tweaked, and sometimes bigger issues like low vitamin D levels (REALLY not a good thing in this current COVID reality) can be found out and corrected!