Hi all!

About two months ago, I went 100% raw after spending a number of months gradually cutting out meat and dairy. I got bloodwork done right before making the switch, and got it done again after being raw for 6 weeks.

Here's what my cholesterol levels were before:
Total: 192
Triglycerides: 74
HDL: 102
LDL: 75

I got the results for the 6-week test today, expecting to see wonderful things, but this is what shows up on the bloodwork:
Total: 229
Triglycerides: 151
HDL: 100
LDL: 99

My question is: How is this even possible?! I (roughly) follow Natalia Rose's daily meal plan (green juice in the morning, fruit throughout the afternoon, and a big raw dinner, accompanied by a bit of a raw dessert, in the evening). I haven't "cheated," I feel great, and I'm 112 pounds, having lost 13% of my body weight since going completely raw.

I almost want to believe that the lab must have screwed up the report, but might there be ANY explanation for this?

Thanks in advance,
Samantha

I don't know for sure, but really, I learned when I went vegetarian a long time ago that you should phase out over years rather than months. I just had a stay in the hospital where my food intake was completely different than regular and my blood pressure went wildly out of whack. (Thank God it's going back down.) Like with dogs and stuff, you're not supposed to just change their food all of sudden. Maybe your detoxing some hi-cholesterol fats and they just happenned to enter your bloodstream all of a sudden. I wouldn't worry too much. Nut oils are heart healthy aren't they?

rawalice,

Thanks for the reply. I suspected that the bloodwork might be reflecting some kind of detox, but I wasn't so sure; if anyone else can elaborate on this possibility, it would be appreciated.

Nut oils are heart healthy for sure, and truthfully, I don't even overdo it on nuts/avocados! If anything, my HDL should have gone up, and my LDL should have plummeted, but the exact opposite happened... which is insane, considering that I have no high-LDL foods in my diet! I plan to go for more bloodwork in a number of months after sticking to a 100% raw diet, but right now this feels like a huge bummer. I've been working incredibly hard-- not just psychologically, but also in the kitchen!

samanthalee,

Although people do tend to overemphasize detox in the raw lifestyle, IMO, this is clearly what you are experiencing. One caveat: How is your liver doing? Is there a precondition? This might temporarily affect its ability to decongest itself of cholesterol, so to speak. I would suggest going to have more blood work done in a few more months to see if these readings have normalized. In the meantime, make sure you eat enough leafy greens and get enough exercise, and always, always, read your body and what it is telling you. If you feel good, and it stays that way, that's the best indication that you are doing well

Hi Tamukha,

Thanks for the reply. I agree that the "detox factor" is sometimes blown out of proportion, so while it's a nice (albeit unlikely) explanation, I might just call up my doctor and ask him what's up. No liver problems that I know of.

From just a pure logical perspective, the numbers simply don't make sense. A total cholesterol level of 229 is obscenely high for me; actually, that's the highest it's ever been, and I find it terribly hard to believe that it'd be at its peak when I've never eaten healthier. Thank you, though, for the input!

samanthalee,

Agree that it is highly irregular; keep us posted and good luck with getting to the bottom of this mystery

i know their not raw, but if it were me i'd probably at least buy a couple boxes of cheerios. oats are touted as cholesterol scavengers. i haven't experimented with any oat groats, and plain oats would probably be okay just rehydrated with whatever, cheerios just seem so much easier to digest. i guess there's granola too.

i had a protein smoothie at a place called dean's. it was so good, there was a little granola in it.

anyone know if rolled oats are cooked?

Bitter herbs are probably the best tool, they must come in contact with the back of the tongue to flush/cleanse the liver. The liver needs to be functioning properly to be able to break down cholesterol. Your lab liver enzyme tests can be normal and still have a poor functioning liver.

Lecithin is good due to it being a fat emulsifier, and thus helps remove cholesterol out of the body.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

samanthalee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi Tamukha,
>
> Thanks for the reply. I agree that the "detox
> factor" is sometimes blown out of proportion, so
> while it's a nice (albeit unlikely) explanation,

I would not say it is an "unlikely expanation" but instead a likely explanation! in a way that you or your doctor might never realize. The body works in mysterious ways when it is sick! Don't fear, have your blood done again later and drink wheatgrass if possible. I have seen people gain weight loose weight get worse, get better, get rashes, get this, get that, bla bla bla. Anything can happen and everybody is different.

I agree with you about the detox angle. If I were you, I would have waited six MONTHS, not weeks before retesting. Six weeks is nothing; only 1.5 months. Same with getting on a scale if a person is trying to lose weight.

It's not at all uncommon to see significant, positive results after even 30 days, so I don't think I was at fault for checking in after 6 weeks, but, uh, thanks.

samanthalee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It's not at all uncommon to see significant,
> positive results after even 30 days, so I don't
> think I was at fault for checking in after 6
> weeks, but, uh, thanks.

You sound offended by what I wrote. I didn't say you were "at fault." I was thinking of myself, when I began an "eating experiment" and (against my better judgment) tried on my favorite jeans after less than a month. I felt so bad when I couldn't even get them over my hips! I decided then and there to wait at least six months to try again, no matter how much I wanted to see the results.

So perhaps you could lose the, uh, snark.

yeah samanthalee! if we say it's 'cause of the detox, it's the detox!
if we tell you to wait in the future, you better wait dammit! j/k

i do agree with you too banana who, getting on the scale every morning is making me feel bipolar.

rawalice: I'll make sure to wait until I have written permission.

Hello samanthalee!

I can see where you're coming from, i would be surprised as well to see an increase (even if not that significant) in cholesterol and, especially, triglycerides.

The thing about raw dieting is that you can, in fact, be tricked into consuming more fatty foods, thinking they're raw and therefore "safe". Nuts, raw plant oils and avocados are loaded with fats, albeit healthy ones, but if consumed in high quantities, they will elevate your blood cholesterol levels. Think about what fatty foods you used to eat before turning raw and what fatty foods you eat now.

PS: not sure it is necessary to mention, but your blood should be drawn when your body is in a fasting state, so if you ate something before going to the doctor, it may have altered your results.

Keeping it raw at [rawfoodhealthwatch.com]

Hey vegmichelle,

Thanks for the input! I rarely eat avocados, and have made a few nut-based desserts/butters but I try to be very aware of the amount I consume.

Great website, by the way; bookmarked.

I read in a Kevin Trudeau book about how it's not as important what your cholesterol levels are as it is how much accumulation is built up on the walls of your arteries, and how he doesn't check his cholesterol when he goes to the doctor but asks for a test of the cholesterol build-up. This link explains the test (and shows a nice doctor's waiting room in India that looks so western):
[fortishospitals.wordpress.com]

Also, could you possibly have dropped the dosage in any anti-cholesterol medicines during those six weeks?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/01/2011 12:20PM by tropical.

Useful, Tropical, thanks!