A new way of eating
It turns out that my mother's side of the family has a hereditary problem with cholesterol. Many of her ancestors and relatives died of heart attacks, and a recent test showed her cholesterol level to be 8mmol per litre (it should be below 5mmol).
Alarmed by this information, I went for a test on 31 December. My cholesterol level is 6.33mmol. A level greater than 6.2mmol is considered high risk.
I am going for a lipogram this Saturday morning to determine the ratio of "good" cholesterol to "bad" cholesterol. The minister of home affairs has good genes, it seems. Her level is just 4.18mmol!
My diet has now been changed, and it's not an easy adjustment for me to make. I have never been overweight and thus have never had to watch what I eat.
I have to eliminate things like chips, chocolate, ice cream, pies, cheese, baked goods, white pasta, white rice, fried eggs and other fried goods (including samoosas, one of my favourite things to eat), food with cream in it, salad dressing and so on. In my diet are wholewheat pasta, brown rice, seeds, fruits and various other low-fat and fat-free alternatives. I can't even eat my favourite peanut-butter sandwiches anymore!
I know I'll get used to it. It's just difficult at the beginning.
Why didn't I choose my father's genes instead?
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