Abundance of Vegetables: My Inspiration for Abundance of Vegetables

Updated: May 2024

I enjoy food and being creative with it. I am NOT a cooking professional. I do it for fun and love sharing my joy for it.

I started my focus on eating an abundance of vegetables in mid 2019 after a recommendation by my doctor, who is a Naturopathic physician.

I had an alarming triglyceride cholesterol reading over 200 points. It was 217 to be exact. To give you some perspective, the normal healthy level should be a reading of 150 or less. My Dr. recommended that I eat an abundance of vegetables with some protein, avoid processed foods, gluten, dairy and alcohol. I didn't completely follow the rules, but I did make a conscious effort to increase my vegetable intake. A month later, my cholesterol was normal.

Although my cholesterol readings have fluctuated up and down over the years, I am happy to report that as of May 4, 2024, I no longer have to medication to regulate it. Yay!

I have taken the following hands-on cooking classes:

Farmer's Market & Cooking with Nivea - Santurce, Puerto Rico

Tostones
Adobo chicken and beans
Cucumber, avocado, tomato salad
Candied papaya with goat cheese

House of Taste Cooking School - Bangkok, Thailand

Pad thai with shrimp
Thai chicken salad
Green coconut curry with chicken
Mango with sticky rice

Culinary Institute of the Pacific - Honolulu, Hawaii (Seed to Table course)

Kale smoothie
Pesto with pasta and grilled chicken
Salad with pears, cheese and toasted walnuts

I have attended the following cooking demonstrations:

McCully Shopping Center Test Kitchen - Honolulu, Hawaii

Scone making demonstration with baker Pieter Vliet, Ohia Bakery, LLC

New Orleans School of Cooking - New Orleans, Louisiana

Cooking demonstration with Ms. Harriett

Gumbo
Chicken Creole
Pralines
Abita Amber lager (this was not prepared for us, but served along side the meal)

I have completed the following academic courses:

National Nutrition Certification Program, Utah State University

So much fun! I love!

May and July 2019 - My cholesterol is out of control.

Update - December 2019: My cholesterol is elevated again. 😐👊 Perhaps this is due to all the holiday gorging and drinking, etc. I need to try harder, I know.

Update - January 2020. Triglycerides elevated.

Update - February 2020: My cholesterol is back to normal. I have been taking a red rice yeast supplement.

Update - September 2020: My overall cholesterol is good at 176. However, my triglycerides are elevated. I don’t normally eat a lot of sweets or fruits and had issues with this before. My doctor thinks it’s because it’s hereditary and prescribed a high quality fish oil supplement to assist me with this.

Update - October 2020: My overall cholesterol is excellent at 169. Additionally, my triglycerides, HDL, LDL , and non-HDL are all in check and in healthy ranges. Fuck yah! I've had a horrible October, but at least I have some good news now here. 👌

Update - April 2021: My overall cholesterol is still excellent at 157. Fantastic!

Update - November 2021: Triglycerides elevated. Dr. increased my fish oil supplement.

Update - January 2022: All within normal levels. LDL is right at the border, but my Dr. is okay with keeping my medications as is.

Update - June 2022: All within normal levels.

Update - March 2024: My triglycerides are fantastically low. My doctor recommended to reduce my cholesterol medication by half and revisit in a month.