STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

I am this type of vegetarian. I eat fish and dairy. I believe technically I am called "lacto/ovo-nekto/plankto vegetarian." But I don't say that. I just call myself a vegetarian and then say "but I eat fish." These days, everyone calls themselves a vegetarian, so people always ask me "do you eat chicken?" which I think is bizarre.

I have been a vegetarian for 16 years (almost non-stop), and I will attest that it is extremely difficult (i.e., more preparation involved in the food, less variety, etc.) to get all the recommended protein, especially if you work out and are trying to build muscle/tone up/etc. And eating fish definitely helps (if you like fish and eat it often - I only like sushi and don't eat it daily, so whatever, but I digress).

Anyway, I hope you find that eating vegetarian helps lower your cholesterol. You could also consider yourself a "flexatarian" - that's someone who is mostly vegetarian, but occasionally eats meat. For a while when I was very anemic, I ate one hamburger a week, and it really helped.

I'm a kind-of vegetarian, too, and since I cook all the meals in our house so is my husband .  FWIW, a vegetarian who eats fish is a pescetarian.  One who eats diary and eggs is called ovo-lacto.  Just labels though, obviously.

I don't find it difficult to get enough protein or keep our diet low in bad fats, but it takes some creativity to be sure!  I continue to dig for and modify recipes that fit our preferred diet and have quite a collection now, and I'm still amazed at how much I had to search for them all.

We eat fish once a week or so, and have a meat-supplemented dinner maybe once every week or two as well (and by that I mean the meal contains some meat, but it is far from being the 'main course').  When we do eat meat, it's usually lean turkey or chicken, but sometimes I use a small amount of sausage or bacon to flavor an entire recipe.  But I really, really dislike having to handle raw meat of any kind so I just avoid it as much as possible.  I find myself having to modify many vegetarian meals to reduce the amount of butter, cream, and cheese used, and modify many 'regular' recipes to swap out the meat for something else too.

I have some blood sugar issues and my husband is a hearty eater, so all the recipes I've collected are satisfying and filling as any non-vegetarian meal.  I even cooked this way for awhile before pointing out to my husband how little meat we were actually eating.  He hadn't noticed. 

I hope you find a way that works for you and that pesky cholesterol, D!  Here are some links to recipes I use, with modifications to fat/meat content.  I should probably just re-enter them in these sites with my mods ...

Paella - omit the sausage and use veggie broth to make pescetarian, I also use brown rice in this to up the fiber and protein.
Stuffed butternut squash - completely omitted the butter, just sprayed the cookie sheet with some non-stick spray before baking.  Also used a combination of bulghur, currants, apples, celery, onions, mushrooms, and pecans to stuff the sqash instead of sausage, and just sprinkled the tops with a bit of brown sugar and some more olive oil spray.  Bake cut side down for the first stretch, too.
Butternut squash lasagna - this is so delicious!  I omitted the amaretti cookies, used almost twice the amount of squash, used low- or non-fat dairy products, and used whole wheat lasagna noodles.  You could use some mashed potatoes or silken tofu to thicken the bechamel sauce instead of a rue, if you wanted to reduce the fat further.
Cioppino - fish stew, pretty flexible recipe but decent fat/cholesterol wise as is.
Sushi - easy to make at home once you get the hang of it.  We usually stick to veggie sushi and use whatever, so this is just the rice recipe.
BBQ Salmon
Crustless spinach quiche - I use 8 egg whites and 2 whole eggs in this, about 1/3 lb cheese, and some mushrooms as well.  Many possible variations.
Portabello mushroom 'cheesesteaks' - I go easy on the cheese and add sauteed red and green bell peppers.
Southwest spaghetti sqash - I usually double the tomatoes and beans and add in some frozen corn as well.
Thai curry - I use low fat coconut milk in this and mix it with veggie broth for volume, omit the brown sugar and fish sauce, and greatly increase the veggies.  Great with shrimp too. 
Sweet potato and spinach curry - I usually use thai curry paste in this as well, and used boxed frozen spinach.
Zucchini cakes - I use egg white only and non-fat mayo.
Portabello Pizzettas - I use olive oil spray instead of butter, and low fat dairy items.  Great over whole wheat spaghetti.
Tortellini, tomato, and spinach soup
Sweet potato burritos - I halve the sweet potato in this recipe and use black beans instead of kidney.  They're good baked in enchilada sauce, too.
Sheperd's Pie - omit the meat,use veggie stock, and increase the veggies for the stew, and use just a bit of non-fat milk in the potato topping.  This is one of Mr. Elle's favorites!

I like to experiment with different veggies, grains, and beans to find new ones we like or new ways we like them prepared.  Roasted beets, braise kale, and bulghur are all recent additions for us!  I'm not a big tofu eater, but I like this brand of meat sub the best - the closest texture match I've found for sure. We use it for sloppy joes, tacos, etc etc.

The recipe sites I use are:
Recipezaar - has a handy search function so you can sort by meals low in cholesterol, and also provides reviews where people leave suggestions.
Cooking Light - has healthier meat/fish dishes, some vegetarian and easy to modify recipes.
Allrecipes - also has healthier options decent search function.
Epicurious

-- Edited by Elle at 12:28, 2007-12-10

Congratulations, D.

I've been a vegetarian for the past 14 years, having not eaten any animal/fish/etc. However, lately I have been trying to add just a little fish/shellfish to my diet to make getting my protein a little easier without getting all the carbs with it. A diet that includes fish but no other "meats" isn't considered vegetarian, it's considered pescetarian. However, so few people understand that, that you will save yourself a lot of explaining if you tell people you are vegetarian and ocassionally eat fish.

I also have high cholesterol through hereditary too.

As far as a protein source for supplementation is concerned, I highly recommend Nectar protein powder. I believe it's 90 calories per serving, no fat, no cholesterol, no carbs, just 23 grams of protein. You mix it in water instead of milk, so that will help. Other proteins you can mix in water, but they are just icky. I like the fuzzy navel flavor. It's orange flavored and good for breakfast.

Raising your fiber intake will also help lower your cholesterol. I use benefiber to sprinkle here and there into recipies.

If you are interested in trying some vegetarian fare, that is creative, for some inspiration, try Seva in Ann Arbor (on Liberty, downtown, above the Comedy Showcase). They have some very yummy food. A lot is vegan, so it doesn't have cheese or other dairy, which can be inspiring.

I'd pick up a few vegetarian cookbooks (the broccoil forest) and some veggie cooking magazines to help too.

Some local hospitals offer healthy cooking classes for vegetarians, I know St. Joes does, I'm sure one in your neck of the woods would too. Maybe Providence or a DMC hospital?

One pitfall of vegetarianism is substituting with cheese, but since your motivation for change is high cholesterol, hopefully you can avoid it.

Did you have your triglycerides (sp?) tested? They often go hand in hand with high cholesterol, but rarely with vegetarian diets. Knowing that number would give you one other way of measuring your progress.

Also, try some Red Yeast Rice supplements. They can be as effective at lowering cholesterol as Statin drugs, but without the side effects. Costco even sells it now.

I make sushi bowls for a filling lunch. Brown rice and Texturized Vegetable Protein crumbles (bulk section at Whole Foods or Bob's Red Mill brand at the grocery store in the healthy section). Then cut up 1/2 a sheet of dried seaweed into confetti. Add avocado (raises the good cholesterol), red peppers and some green onion. It's also good with a little canned lump crabmeat or edemame. Then, use a small amount of low sodium soy, and some wasabi and you have a really yummy lunch.

Good luck!

Yep, that's being a pescetarian! I'm by no means a vegetarian, but it's important to me to eat vegetarian or fish-based dishes two-thirds of the time. Here are some of my favorite recipes:

Spicy Sauteed Fish With Olives and Cherry Tomatoes

Stir-Fried Tofu with Mushrooms, Sugar Snap Peas, And Green Onions

Thai Shrimp Curry -- for this recipe I halve the shrimp and add extra veggies, like a slice red bell pepper and a package of sugar snap peas

Fiesta Red Snapper -- I usually use tilapia instead -- this is my all-time favorite fish recipe

Curried Lentil Soup

Honey and Soy Glazed Salmon

Moroccan Chickpea Soup -- and this is my all-time favorite soup

Super-Fast Spinach, Pesto and Cheese Lasagna -- you can use less cheese and instead add in some sliced tofu to make this healthier

Seared Tofu with Green Beans and Asian Coconut Sauce -- you can actually use low-fat coconut milk in this recipe

D,

I have also had high cholesterol from time to time; it runs in my family too. This always seems to coincide with getting blood tests done when I'm not working out much (or at all)...usually during the times of year when my biz is very busy. When I've gotten tested at other times of the year, and am getting a decent amount of cardio, my cholesterol is well within normal limits.

Personally I won't give up eating meat and I have no idea if it's really the workouts that are helping, but thought I'd throw it out there for additional "food for thought", as it were, before you start overhauling your entire diet.

blubirde wrote:

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Do you read Hungry Girl? I get her emails everyday and she has a lot of great suggestions for low-fat, high-protein meals. She has recipe substitutes at least once a week. (She picks some regular, popular dish and creates a healthy version of it.) She also is really great about discovering new foods and products that are super healthy and most everything is meat free. Here's the website: http://www.hungry-girl.com/ 

I recommend signing up for the daily newsletter. It's really useful for healthy eating. My favorites are the new product emails.

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thanks! I signed up  


-- Edited by D at 10:02, 2007-12-11

txgal wrote:

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Have you asked your dr. if any of the meds you are on might be contributing to the higher cholesterol?  My mom had breast cancer and one of the meds she is on now causes it to be high no matter how well she eats.  Just a thought that that might be another cause...

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that's a thought, but I'm not on any medication (since I don't have any breast tissue left) -- beyond that even, I'm not on any medication (just vitamins and supplements)

Suasoria wrote:

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Fish is far from healthy. Shellfish is higher in cholesterol than "finfish."

I would advise against increasing the amount of fish in the diet. It may be lower in saturated fat than other meats, but cholesterol is another concern.

Reading from the site of the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine:

Three ounces of shrimp have 130 milligrams of cholesterol, while the same amount of bass has 68 milligrams; in comparison, a 3-ounce steak has about 80 milligrams.

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Do you generally follow a more vegan-style diet, Suasoria?  Not trying to be snarky, honest.

found something!

How Shrimp Drains "Bad" Cholesterol From Your Blood?   Published on April 9, 2002   Health-conscious Consumers are concerned about the cholesterol content of foods such as meat, eggs, and dairy products. In the case of shrimp, however, the cholesterol story is different. Research has shown that the high percentage of "good fats" in shrimp reduces the impact of cholesterol. Most people can eat shrimp as part of a balanced diet. "Good" Cholesterol, "Bad" Cholesterol Cholesterol travels through the blood stream in lipoproteins, which have been referred to as "plump little fat and protein packages." A positive ratio between two types of cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), reduces susceptibility to heart disease. LDL is known as "bad cholesterol" because it may promote production of artery-blocking plaques that can result in a heart attack. HDL is called "good cholesterol" because it returns cholesterol back to the liver for reprocessing of excretion, which reduces cholesterol levels in the blood stream. Shrimp and Dietary Cholesterol Cholesterol from food has a negative impact only if it is absorbed, and saturated fat seems to assist absorption. Eating food with a highly saturated fat content raises LDL cholesterol. Most high-cholesterol foods (such as meat, eggs, and dairy products) are also high in saturated fat, and increase LDL. Shrimp have a high level of cholesterol, but have essentially no saturated fat (slightly over I gram per serving, compared to beef, which can have 10 to 20 grams). And shrimp's cholesterol is harder to absorb than that from other high-fat foods, although the reasons are not known. In the past, scientists could not differentiate the different sterols and measured them all as "cholesterol". This is why the amount of cholesterol in shrimp and other shellfish reported is very high. We now know that the amount of cholesterol in shrimp is approximately 130 mg per 3 oz of raw shrimp, or about 12 large shrimp, and with only 2 grams of fat. The amount of cholesterol in a comparable portion of regular ground beef is about 110 mg, with approximately 20 grams of fat. And shrimp have high levels of beneficial highly unsaturated fatty acids, which raise HDL cholesterol levels, so eating shrimp may actually lower blood cholesterol levels. The Rockefeller University Study A study performed in the mid 1990s at Rockefeller University (New York, USA) concluded that eating steamed shrimp raised blood cholesterol levels when compared with a low-cholesterol diet. However, the shrimp diet raised levels of HDL (the "good" cholesterol) more than it increased levels of LDL (the "bad" cholesterol"), and the resulting HDL to LDL ratio was favorable. Triglycerides were also lower on this diet when compared to an egg-based diet with equal amounts of cholesterol. Conclusion A serving of a dozen large shrimp contains 130 mg of cholesterol. This is not a health concern, because shrimp is low-fat with a rich content of highly unsaturated fatty acids, which lead to the formation of high-density lipids, commonly known as "good cholesterol". Consuming shrimp may actually lower blood cholesterol levels. Scientists have concluded that a healthy diet can include shrimp, boiled or broiled. As with most foods, it is better to avoid deep-frying, and to limit the amount of oil, butter, tartar sauce, and mayonnaise. Source: Thai Frozen Foods Association Tom Yam Koong A beguilingly simple and attractive-looking soup with a clear stock base. Nutrition Facts Typical Values . per 450 g Energy KJ 1916.5   Keal 457.7 Protein   13.9 g Carbohydrate   93.3 g Total Sugars   5.6g Total Fat   3.35 g Saturated Fat   1.7 g Dietary Fiber   1.9 g Sodium   1.22 g Potassium   0.27 g