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I've been on a modified paleo diet for about a year. I just had my yearly physical exam and am so happy to report that my cholesterol is still very, very good. Almost no changes in the past year and considering all of the meat I've been eating, I was pretty surprised. In the past 6 weeks I've cut back on rice and added zucchini pancakes as a substitute to accompany meat/protein instead. I'm still eating some grains in order to maintain my weight. I've given up on GF pasta. It just doesn't taste very good and I never feel particularly well after I eat it.
I've finally gotten my weight back up to ideal and feel well. Finally bit the bullet and reduced diet soda and wine and cut back on the GF chocolate chip cookies . I do feel better and have much less gas. Rosacea has improved as well. I have noticed that I have a slight tendency to C instead of 3-4 Normans in the a.m. In the end, all is well.
Sheila W
To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.
A person who never made a mistake never tried something new. Einstein
So glad I got on today....as I'm hearing good news from people!! So happy for you. And "Kudos" for reducing those diet sodas. If I drink any soda I'm in big trouble. Your modified Paleo diet is something I'm working on. I'm like you and need some grains to keep my weight or else I lose too much. Those zucchini pancakes sound yummy. So I'm guessing you can eat a lot of veggies? I'm still too scared to up my intake on veggies. However, I did yesterday and did okay so far. Getting tired of rice. I also have a SLIGHT tendency for C as well but I'll take that any day over D. Not having to go 3 to 4 times every morning for you has got to be amazing. I hope you continue this way!!
Thanks for the update!
Terri
Diagnosed with Lymphocytic Colitis in July, 2012 then with Celiac in November, 2012.
Great news Sheila - congrats. on your improvements and thank you for sharing.
Before I discovered the diet angle for MC management, my cholesterol was high. Now that I eat more meat/protein it has gone down and has been well within recommended range for the last couple of years - go figure......
Love,
Kari
"My mouth waters whenever I pass a bakery shop and sniff the aroma of fresh bread, but I am also grateful simply to be alive and sniffing." Dr. Bernstein
Jean, I'm glad to hear your cholesterol is good on our meat-eaters diet. When I got back my genetic information from 23andme, everything was as expected, predominantly Northern Euopean origins. The big surprise was the percentage of Neanderthal genes, 2.8% which is above average. Perhaps those extra Neanderthal genes help cope with the added meat and fat.
Sheila W
To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.
A person who never made a mistake never tried something new. Einstein
Hi Jon, Yes, go to www.23andme.com and you can order a kit. You send them a vial of saliva and in about 8 weeks you start to get your personalized genetic information. The website can explain it all better than I can. I found some very interesting genetic predisposition information that I told my doctor know about. This information is just that, information. None of it is diagnostic but there are some genes that determine how well you respond to certain drugs and potentionally important genetic information if you are trying to have a child.
There is also ancestry information that is interesting as well.
Sheila W
To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.
A person who never made a mistake never tried something new. Einstein
Hi Lesley,
I buy my meat at either Costco or Publix Supermarket. I am going to introduce chicken back into my diet and bought organic chicken hoping for the best.
The zucchini pancakes contain grated and drained zucchini, grated onion, coconut flour, baking powder, eggs, oregano, s & p. I add either one or two eggs depending on the consistency. You don't want a runny batter but also not too thick. I add a little coconut flour at a time until it holds together but isn't stiff. I fry them in coconut oil until they are very browned on both sides. I dot with a tiny bit of real butter and a few sprinkles of grated parmesan. Tastes better and doesn't seem to bother me. If I have made a huge batch, I freeze them before putting on butter or parmesan. Separate the pancakes into servings with double waxed paper or they stick together. To serve, defrost and rehead either in the oven or microwave.
I am on my way out and will look up the recipe later and send you exact measurements if you are interested in trying them. Regardless of following the recipe, it really is an eyeball type recipe and you have to add and subtract depending upon the consistency.
Hope you are feeling better, Lesley.
Sheila W
To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.
A person who never made a mistake never tried something new. Einstein
So glad to hear your flare is under control! I always find that the best way to nip a flare in the bud is by going back to basics, back to my safest foods.
I have also had good cholesterol tests since going mostly paleo.
That ancestry info is interesting. WOW! Neanderthal - that certainly might be a reason why you do well on paleo. I'm going to check out the website. Thanks.
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Next, in a cohort of 2595 subjects undergoing elective cardiovascular evaluation, the researchers determined that increased plasma carnitine was associated with increased risk of having or soon developing CAD, peripheral artery disease (PAD), or other CVD. However, after adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, an elevated carnitine concentration predicted a higher three-year risk of MI, stroke, or death only in subjects with high plasma TMAO levels. Thus TMAO, not carnitine, drives the cardiovascular outcomes, the researchers conclude.
Their mouse studies suggest a possible, multifaceted mechanism for the development of atherosclerosis. In mice, dietary carnitine promoted cholesterol buildup in the artery wall, which was completely inhibited after treatment with an antibiotic cocktail. In other mice with intact intestinal microbes, receiving TMAO and carnitine or lecithin led to inhibition of the reverse cholesterol transport pathway.
Marliss Bombardier
Dum spiro, spero -- While I breathe, I hope
Psoriasis - the dark ages
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - Dec 2001
Collagenous Colitis - Sept 2010
Granuloma Annulare - June 2011
I don't have any plans to change my diet yet. The article talks about higher risk, but doesn't appear to provide any probability, unless I overlooked it. If it exists at all, it could be entirely negligible, for all we know. If it was a statistically significant number, why didn't they list it?
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Dr. Hazen: It is important to stress that this increased risk associated with TMAO level is not an alternative to cholesterol; it is in addition to cholesterol. It appears that TMAO is mechanistically supporting enhanced atherosclerosis by changing cholesterol and sterol metabolism in multiple different compartments in the body.
In the artery wall, TMAO influences the macrophage foam cell, which is the major cellular hallmark of an atherosclerotic plaque. In the presence of TMAO there are changes in expression levels of multiple different genes, including ones that have been linked to enhanced cholesterol deposition, such as scavenger receptors.
...
So, cholesterol is necessary to promote atherosclerosis; it is the major lipid that deposits in the artery wall. I would compare it to the electricity needed to turn on a light bulb: TMAO functions like a dimmer switch; if you turn a dimmer switch on all the way up (TMAO increased) with a certain amount of electricity (cholesterol), you will get a lot of light (plaque). If you turn the dimmer switch down (TMAO decreases), for the same amount of electricity (cholesterol) there will be less light (atherosclerotic plaque). So, the net effect of the TMAO is enhancing the potential for cholesterol to get deposited in cells of the artery wall and reducing the elimination of sterols from the body by the pathway called reverse cholesterol transport.
Thanks, Tex.
Marliss Bombardier
Dum spiro, spero -- While I breathe, I hope
Psoriasis - the dark ages
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - Dec 2001
Collagenous Colitis - Sept 2010
Granuloma Annulare - June 2011
and cut back on the GF chocolate chip cookies 
Tastes better and doesn't seem to bother me. If I have made a huge batch, I freeze them before putting on butter or parmesan. Separate the pancakes into servings with double waxed paper or they stick together. To serve, defrost and rehead either in the oven or microwave. 
If it was a statistically significant number, why didn't they list it?
