Five Teaspoons of Oil Less Towards Heart Health

“Good morning, don’t worry, this won’t hurt a bit!” the nurse said. Before I knew it, she had inserted a needle inside my hand to inject me with a fluid for my CT Angio scan for my heart. (Yikes! It did hurt!)

I have always prided myself on keeping fit. During my university days, I competed in amateur events in athletics, rugby and squash. And ever since, I continued to be active. So, when I chose to do the CT Angio, it was more of a formality than any real problems or pain I was encountering.

It started as a casual chat with a grade school mate of mine — take a bow, Ashoke. He is a businessman who has a passion for medicine. Likely having spent over 700 hours reading medical research, he has been advocating to all our school mates to do a CT Angio. “But I’ve done a treadmill test and it’s all good”, I said. “Get it done buddy. Talk to your doc,” he insisted. The CT Angio is known widely as a gold standard of checking heart health. I salute Ashoke and am truly thankful for his perseverance and suggestions. After this conversation, I spoke with a dear mate of mine — Mo, whose family is filled with doctors. He said Ashoke suggested it to him, he had it done and it came all clean. “It’s a good to have” he said. I asked my doc what he thought I should do, given my diet and fitness regime. Did I mention to you I was fit, active and consumed no meat or alcohol?

A few days after the scan I was asked to come into see my doc, the affable Dr Doshi, face to face. Oops! The scan revealed there was narrowing of the arteries and calcification, not something typically seen in people with my diet and fitness level. I was placed at moderate risk of getting a heart attack! Despite my healthy lifestyle, that was reality. Given the situation, I needed to set into a plan for a reversal. Further tests determined I had a high quantity of Lipoprotein (a). It is a form of cholesterol that hasn’t any medication available for it, as yet. The level is determined by ancestry and genes. Now that was a triple whammy! https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/lipoprotein-little-a-can-cause-more-than-a-little-damage-to-the-heart/

Instinctively, my competitive spirit arose to the challenge. Determined to cure myself, I followed my docs instructions to the tee taking my meds, that will be for life. I was active already with flow yoga and some weight training. I added cycling to my routine to get my heart pumping more often. We’ve even got a fitness whatsapp group with our grade school batch that a dear buddy, Kasby created saying, “Don’t let the old man in”. He urged all our class mates to join, where we encourage, applaud and guide each other as we seek our own fittest selves.

I started researching. My diet has been Jain vegetarian and it was quite a task to figure out what I was doing wrong. Friends of mine kept telling me I was already very restricted in my diet. “What will you eat when you come over?!!!” they typically say! A close friend who I fondly call Jetsy, had cardio vascular trouble recently, suggested getting Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn’s books. I did (they are available on Amazon). In there, it said clearly — no oil, no avocados, no nuts, no milk. Yes, it said ‘no oil’ an ingredient that is present in many of the foods we eat, especially processed foods. Here is what Dr. Esselstyn says on the site: “The truth is that cardiovascular disease needn’t ever exist. It’s absolutely a toothless paper tiger. But if it does exist, it needn’t ever progress, as long as you are willing to change completely to an oil-free plant-based diet”. Here are two links. https://plantbasednutritionlifestyle.com/save-your-endothelial-cells/ http://www.dresselstyn.com/site/

As I read through the wise words of Dr Esselstyn in his book “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease”, I started asking myself, what have I eaten all these years. Have I been eating right? Have I been exercising right? Why am I at this point now?

I come from a middle-class Gujarati family where the typical meal consisted of grains, legumes, vegetables. Each meal was typically accompanied by buttermilk and ‘farsan’ — crispy fried snacks to get something crunchy in a meal. Like having a bag of chips with a burger for instance. I vividly remember my lovely wife Sonali telling me over a decade ago that I was eating far too many fried snacks. To which I had always said I’m burning all the calories in my workouts. I wish I had listened to her then. Sigh!

I found a clinical dietician, Meenu. Not a nutritionist, but someone that is able to prescribe food for a patient in the ICU. I sought the highest level of experience to get the best advice. When she looked at my diet, she said, “You have to reduce the cottage cheese, milk products, avocados and nuts”. While she allowed me some leeway given what she saw in my lifestyle, I chose not to have any. I turned vegan.

I started to estimate the amount of oil I had been eating over a prolonged period of time. I came up with around 5 teaspoons in a day. This could be added to the food when cooking, in the cereals and peanut bars we eat, some of the ice-creams, some plant based milk — yes, I took a look at the ingredients and there is oil, however little there is, it is still there! And of course, there is olive oil in our salads.

I came to my consumption estimate of a high of 10 teaspoons of oil in a day and a low of around one to two. This includes the food made at home, snacks and processed food. Over a prolonged period of time, I’d say the average was around 5 teaspoons in a day! Now, that potentially answers why I found myself in this predicament. It also answers why I could not get rid of some of the fat around my belly, despite the fact I could plank 10 plus minutes! A level I got to by the way, with constant yoga practice. I only know of one friend that has clocked 10 minutes and that’s Greg, an MBA classmate of mine, who decided to try it after I told him. He just did it as he was feeling bored one day!

If you are reading this, please do take a moment and estimate the amount of oil you consume. Reduce if you can. Better still, if you are a coronary heart disease patient — try and eliminate oil from your diet! I have.

My doc also informed me that I needed to take into account my ancestry and the stress factor. While there is always a nature — nurture component, and nature does play a far more significant role than imagined, there are certain thing we can do. We CAN manage 20–30% of the damage. I am and will continue to. My objective is pretty clear. I’m out to reverse my situation.

Here are the steps I took to better my heart health and fitness.

a. Three people matter — the doc, the trainer, the clinical dietician. Above all personal discipline to follow the path you set yourself.

b. Speak with your doc regarding a CT Angio, especially if you are above 40y. If it comes clean, that’s fantastic. If it doesn’t you can start to repair yourself. In any case, after you do one, it is a benchmark that is honest on your heart health. Follow what your doc says.

c. If you are not insured for a CT Angio, perhaps analyze the diet and exercise routine you have. Talk to your doc who could help you understand your situation better.

d. Whether or not you have moderate or high cholesterol, do a lipoprotein(a) test. Not many people have this problem, but I think it’s best to know and avoid any problems associated with it. https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/lipoprotein-a-blood-test/

e. Take care of your body. It stays with you through your life. Meds help. Simple. If your doc says it will be worthwhile taking them, please do. DO NOT LISTEN TO BASELESS WHATSAPP MESSAGES FORWARDED BY IGNORANT UNCLES/AUNTIES WHO BELIEVE THAT THE ANSWER TO ALL AILMENTS IS TURMERIC LATTE!? Two dear friends of mine — Arun and Tibs — just started meds — albeit reluctantly, for betterment of their health and they are glad they did. And I’m glad they did!

f. Eat right. Get a clinical dietician. If you can’t, there is ample information on the net. Unfortunately, all may not be valid. I have found it beneficial to talk with people that have been through the problem to get first hand info on how they manage it.

g. Exercise right. Get a trainer or join a class. If not, follow some of the videos on YouTube. Some are good.

Life is short. Make the decision to stay healthy! Enjoy it!

I end with a Chinese proverb — the best time to plant a seed was 20 years ago. The second best time is now!

Good luck!