Before adopting the macrobiotic-like diet, I had a fairly high level of triglycerides.
In blood, triglycerides are a form of lipid (fat).
Whenever you eat, your body breaks down the calories you consume into triglycerides, which your body stores as fat. There are triglycerides in your fat cells. When hunger sets in, hormones release triglycerides, which provide energy.
You may have high triglycerides if you eat more calories than you burn, especially from high-carbohydrate diets (hypertriglyceridemia).
Below you can find the levels of triglycerides.
| Risk level | Triglyceride level |
| Normal | Less than 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) |
| Borderline high | 150 to 199 mg/dL |
| High | 200 to 499 mg/dL |
| Very high | 500 mg/dL or higher |
As an idea, mine was 1200 mg/dL. Very high. I didn’t give them importance until I discussed them with a very close friend, a doctor. But why it is important to maintain a normal level of triglycerides? Atherosclerosis, the thickening of the arterial walls, stroke, heart attack, and heart disease are all made more likely by high triglyceride levels. The pancreas can become inflamed when triglyceride levels are extremely high (pancreatitis). Obesity and metabolic syndrome, a group of disorders that include excessive fat around the waist, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, high blood sugar, and abnormal cholesterol levels, are typically linked to high triglyceride levels.
The first thing I did was consult a cardiologist. The treatment he prescribed me consisted of a dietary supplement based on omega-3 and statins. After a day of treatment, bruises on my arms started to appear. I stopped the treatment and never resumed it. I also consulted a nutritionist, but I managed to reduce their level by no more than 10%. I also tried treatment with niacin (vitamin B3) which proved to be a good option, I reduced their level by almost 40%. The problem was that shortly after stopping niacin treatment, their levels were rising again. Talking to a friend, an old yoga practitioner, and a man who has been on a macrobiotic diet for 30 years, I began to gain hope. I started consuming every morning, 30 minutes before breakfast, a teaspoon of psyllium bran mixed with Greek yogurt (a type of low-fat yogurt) and a teaspoon of mustard seeds. Gradually I gave up sugar, alcohol, pork, and processed foods and began to adopt nutrition based on the macrobiotic diet, following a well-established diet. Today the diet I rely on is not 100% macrobiotic, consuming dairy and fish meat about twice a month. The good news is that about 6 months after starting this diet, triglyceride levels dropped to 192 mg / dL. After one year, it dropped to 130 mg / dL. But not only did my triglycerides return to normal, but my overall fitness also improved considerably. Now, after almost 8 years, how much does it matter to make a simple decision regarding food and change the way you eat when it is unhealthy.
Instead of concluding, I will leave you here a recipe that I like very much and I use frequently, in the first year of the diet being a basic recipe. I uploaded the whole meal plan in the Dedicated Meal Plans section.
Maitake Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms soaked in 1 cup hot water
- 4 ounces mushrooms hen of the woods, chopped
- 8 ounces mushrooms preferably cremini and shiitake
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pieces shallots chopped
- 1 piece leek chopped
- 1 piece onion chopped
- 1 piece celery stalk chopped
- 1 piece carrot chopped
- 1 piece potato peeled and chopped
- 4 cups vegetable stock or water
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- 1 tablespoon cognac optional
- 1 piece bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons thyme chopped
- 1 teaspoon rosemary chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Remove the shiitake mushrooms from the liquid and set aside. Crush every single mushroom. Using a medium-sized soup pot, warm the oil over low heat.
- Saute the mushrooms with the other vegetables listed above (except for the potato) in a large saucepan. Cook the veggies for about ten minutes over medium-high heat, stirring often until they begin to soften.
- Reserving liquid from mushroom soaking is added to stock, tamari and cognac. Then decrease the heat and simmer for another 30 minutes.
- Hand-held stick blenders work well for pureeing herbs like thyme and rosemary.
- Simmer for an additional five minutes after seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
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