what I should eat at age 74

[Highwall]

My cariologist tells me I need to cut down on my fatty food consumption. I said, like bacon, or sausage and hashbrowns with sauteed onions in the morning in a sesoned cast iron skillet with eggs and buttered hot biscuits topped with country speckled gravy while enjoying the morning plains sunrise in Kansas?😋

He said, yes exactly. Then I asked what I should eat for breakfast? He told me fruits and nuts with various sugar free grain cerials, with blueberries, raspberries, grapes, strawberries, and apples etc..

And that would extend my life: He said, well maybe.

I told him most of those things recommended would give me heartburn or severe acid reflux. I will prefer to stay with my very tasteful and enjoyable diet for my remaining years.

Keep in mind my dear ole mom turned 103 just last month and with a sharp mind too!!😝

In my opinion, living a life in abstinence is just existing and not really enjoying the life God has offered us. 

Eat what you want and enjoy, make the fulfiment of  your time on this life on Earth, no matter how long or short!

Fried Spam is a good thing! 😜 

Sorry for the long rant but  thought this was a good forum for my convictions and thoughts.

Regards, Highwall #42425

 

 

 

 

Edited November 3 by Highwall
make adjustments

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

At 74 you have earned the right to eat whatever you want to.  Just cut the size of the portions down.  

[Doc Shapiro]

At 74, eat whatever the *&*( you want!

[Widder, SASS #59054]

I'm 74.

for nearly 55 years, I eat the sausages and bacons, fresh eggs, whole milk, hamburgers, hot dogs, milkshakes, etc......

 

And then the effects of that fatty stuff started effecting my heart.

 

Soooooo, I started reducing my consumption of bacon, started eating those Cholesterol free eggs, drank fat free milk, fewer burgers and hot dogs, 

and milkshakes.   Started taking lots and lots of medicines.

 

FAST FORWARD to age 69:   double bypass surgery AND replacement of my Aorta valve.    Still eating what I want but a little less of it.

I stay on my medicines.      BUT BOtToM LINE:   I ain't about to cut out all the stuff they want me too.   I still have a taste for fried foods

and basically eat what I want, when I want.    Dairy Queen still gets some of my business.....

 

..........Widder

 

[Highwall]

Back in the day I would down two cheeseburgers with a large order of fries and today I order just one cheesburger, and cut it in half to make two meals out of it! 😜  

I'm old enough to remember when hamburgers were 15 cents as were the fries! The delima was deciding on two burgers over fries.🫣

Edited November 3 by Highwall

[Rye Miles #13621]

At 78 my last blood test said my A1C was 6.5 that’s .1 over the highest you should be. My cholesterol was also a little high and it’s been for awhile. My doc gave me a cholesterol pill. okay. Then he wanted to put me on Ozempic for the sugar. I said no I’ll control it myself. I’ve lost about 10 lbs and quit eating cookies, cake, ice cream and I cut down the carbs. I saw a cardiologist and he said I was a healthy guy but wanted a stress test. I’ll be doing that soon. I walk most days at least a half hour to 45 minutes and I’m fairly active. I still tune pianos part time. I’m eating more  fruits and vegetables and no fried foods. I use an air fryer for chicken, burgers etc. I eat two hard boiled eggs almost every morning with some toast. I don’t drink or smoke. So we shall see. Diet is important especially later in life. I’d like to stick around as long as I can. Life is more than food. 

Edited November 3 by Rye Miles #13621

[WD Farren]

I have genetic cholesterol.

went total vegan and every other variant all no help.

 

IMO the most important medical discovery of our times will be a benign solvent that strips atherosclerosis from the arteries.

 

Diabetes in my opinion is the root cause of so many illnesses.  Why the specialist doctors like endocrinologists know so little is troubling.  Or my HMO hires low rent specialists.

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

My Doc told me the same thing .

 

I said  my Grandfather eat eggs, Red meat , Bacon, Sausage,  Fried potatoes & Onions  Bread & butter and drank whole milk every day and He lived to be 88 years old.

And as bad as I feel now .

I dont want to live to be 88 years old.

So I will just eat what I want to eat.

Rooster 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

B-b-but fried spam?  Hehe, I’d do it too.

[Trailboss (Santa) Dave]

I'm 78.

If I pay attention to my 6 doctors, I can't eat cereal, can't have milk, tea, coffee, hot coco. or soda

No fruit, nuts, eggs, and just about anything that I like

And not joking about the only thing I can have is green beans & water

But I still eat what I want, but have cut down my intake

[Rye Miles #13621]

9 minutes ago, Trailboss (Santa) Dave said:

I'm 78.

If I pay attention to my 6 doctors, I can't eat cereal, can't have milk, tea, coffee, hot coco. or soda

No fruit, nuts, eggs, and just about anything that I like

And not joking about the only thing I can have is green beans & water

But I still eat what I want, but have cut down my intake

You need some new doctors! No fruit, nuts, eggs? My doc said that’s exactly what to eat. 🙄

[Linn Keller, SASS 27332, BOLD 103]

I've read too many contradictions in dietary advice.

Coffee will extend your life, coffee will kill you young, coffee is what Grandma used to strip varnish off rocking chairs ... eggs will kill you, eggs are good for you, eat more, eat less ... oats are the ideal breakfast food, oats are the worst breakfast food, go full carnivore diet, go full vegan diet, drink raw milk, don't drink raw milk ...

Until my train hits the last station -- the one with a hole in the ground and a marble slab with my name sand blasted into it -- I'll eat what I always have, I'll eat as my ancestors did: one grandfather died in his late 70s of a medical screw-up, the other died of old age, me dear Pappy is past his 90th birthday.

Meanwhile, I'm hungry, what's for supper?

[Warden Callaway]

When dad was in his 90s,  my sister and I would drop in at least once a day to check on them.  One day about noon,  I stepped in to find dad frying two big pork steak in a cast iron skillet,  "whap biscuits" in toasters oven, green beans in small pot, going to make gravy. He lived on to a few weeks short of 95. 

 

 

 

[Pb Mark]

Yep, getting older happens.  Some diet changes are worth it.  This is not joking, so let me give you my absolute favorite quick meal recipe.  Fast, easy, almost tastes like apple pie and then some:

 

I buy it all at Sams, stores good.

 

Case of mixed fruit cups in natural juices, not sugar

Bag of frozen blueberries

Bag of honey crisp apples

Tub of unsweetened low fat Greek yogurt

Jar of cinnamon

Bag of granola (some with low added sugars)

 

Cut up apple into little chunks

Add 1/2 cup granola

Add enough yogurt to coat everything, stir to mix in your biggie eating bowl

Add some frozen blueberries

Add drained can of fruit cup

Stir again

Top with cinnamon 

 

Can make it up from here with some fresh fruit as desired when in season.

 

Yep, we like our steaks, eggs (actually good cholesterol), bacon (proven carcinogen if overcooked), etc etc......

 

 

And while at it, how about some fiber filled dinner cheap and quick: 

 

A bag of dry Cole Slaw cut up cabbages 

Air fry some frozen chicken strips

Fill your bowl with dry slaw

Add your favorite salad dressing, stir

Top with cooked, then cooled cut up chicken strips

Eat.

 

You might think I'm nuts.  Good, because I am.

 

On the good side of things, in KS funerals are relatively cheap.  We try to skip most of the doctors (drug pushers in lab coats) meds. Make some lifestyle changes is a valid option once the body wears down, and something is required.  We skip as many MD doctors as possible too, try to see practicing DO's instead.

 

I do not blame your attitude.  My father in-law died on the sofa with a jar of salt in his hand, eating boiled eggs, smile on his face.  Age 65.

 

 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

everything in moderation, including moderaion. indulge once in a while.

[Stump Water]

I'm firmly convinced that eggs cause chickens.

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

1 hour ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

everything in moderation, including moderation. indulge once in a while.

I pretty much agree with this plan. Since I retired and started actually going to a Doctor for more than a DOT physical, (I found out that I have diabetes during my last one), I've changed things up a bit. I always figured that I had high cholesterol, and I do, so combining that with the diabetes, I've stopped the sweet tea, stopped the cookies, candy, cinnamon rolls, etc. for the most part. (I'll have maybe a single Reese's Cup, a single cookie or brownie bite a day). I replaced the sugar in my tea with Stevia, as the other sugar free sugar stuff seems like it REALLY bad for you, and since reading about that I mostly stopped the Diet Coke, usually having only about one a week.

All that, I eat less that I used to, and go to the gym three days a week. I do eat more salad than I used to, I make my sandwiches and toast with Sourdough bread,and snack on apples and dry roasted nuts. My desserts in the evening are usually Cinnamon toast, (cinnamon is good for the diabetes, just not on a sweet roll), yogurt, and Carb Smart ice cream.  

I take a couple meds for the diabetes, so it's under control, 6.1 A1C last time, and another one for the cholesterol, and it's way down, so I'm in decent health and physical condition. But my weight is actually UP to nearly 300 lbs. I'd like to lose some, my Dr. would like to see me lose some, but isn't concerned enough about it to make much of it all other issues considered.

On weekends I take my wife to breakfast, and THAT'S when I still have my chicken fried steak, scrambled eggs, pancakes and such. 

I'm fat, but healthy, and I rather be fat, full and happy than skinny, hungry, and miserable. Will I die sooner? No way of tellin' for now, but at 71, I think that I'm doin' alright.

[Stump Water]

Cholesterol: If at all possible avoid Statins unless you want a fast-track to dementia.  Saw it happen to my mother and my step mother.  In my mother's case, once she moved from beginning to intermediate dementia/Alzheimers, her Dr. took her off the Statin she had been on for years.  The Dr. said, "It doesn't make a lot of sense to say, 'She's crazy as a loon, but her cholesterol is good!'".

 

The Drs. know the side effects, but they hand it out like candy at Halloween anyway.

[Chantry]

Quality of life is just as important, if not more so, than living to make a specific age.  I doubt very many of us want to spend the last years of our lives in a nursing home/long term care facility.

 

I'm working on eating better and getting more exercise.

[Rye Miles #13621]

9 minutes ago, Chantry said:

Quality of life is just as important, if not more so, than living to make a specific age.  I doubt very many of us want to spend the last years of our lives in a nursing home/long term care facility.

 

I'm working on eating better and getting more exercise.

Good choice! Me too!

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

40 minutes ago, Stump Water said:

Cholesterol: If at all possible avoid Statins unless you want a fast-track to dementia.

The Drs. know the side effects, but they hand it out like candy at Halloween anyway.

Statins have several side effects that aren't good. My Dr. didn't want to take me off them until I told her that I thought that they were adding to my leg pains. (Not exactly a lie, I still have leg pains, maybe not as bad, but I really wanted OFF statins). And my cholesterol is much lower with the med I'm taking now.

From Google AI:  Common side effects include muscle pain, digestive issues like diarrhea and constipation, and headaches. Less common side effects can include an increase in blood sugar and, rarely, severe muscle damage (rhabdomyolysis) or liver inflammation. 

I don't know if getting off statin helped my diabetes, but my A1C is lower since I went off them. 

[Pb Mark]

Testing for A1C is testing for an average blood sugar level.  It is also the most expensive test for blood sugar level, but a convenient one at the doctor's office.  A fasting blood test is the best knowledge as part of a full blood chemistry workup.  Those finger pricks are good knowledge too, but doctor does not have the ability to charge a visit for them.  That A1C test keeps the patient coming back to support their for-profit business through and is better than nothing.

 

The thing about A1C is that you could be having spikes low or high between tests and still have the doctor praise you for lowering your A1C.  Ask your doctor.

 

How about some Ozempic?  Just joking.  Suicidal tendencies and loss of 20-percent of your muscle mass but lowing my A1C...  Hard to get that TV jingle out of the head though, isn't it?

 

Statins can be very dangerous.  Glad the public is waking up to this.

 

Eat healthy, in moderation, exercise, breath the fresh air, be happy enjoying the gift called life.  Opinion only.

[Warden Callaway]

1 hour ago, Pb Mark said:

Statins can be very dangerous.  Glad the public is waking up to this.

 

Yes. 

[Rye Miles #13621]

If statins are so dangerous why did my doctor put me on one to reduce my cholesterol? Is he trying to to kill me? Are you folks saying that  doctors don’t know they’re dangerous or they do know and are recommended them anyway? I’m confused. Should I listen to you folks or my doctor? Hemmmm……..did you folks go to medical school? 

[Dusty Sights, SASS # 2782]

My mother had high cholesterol most of her life.  She took statins and it was still high.  She ate like a bird.  Everything was proper and healthy and her weight was normal, or below.  She passed away when she was about 95. Dementia. 

 

My cholesterol has typically been low, and I eat all the wrong things.  Go figure.  I believe its "luck of the draw".  I got lucky, mom didn't. 

Heart is fine, no problems other than what Covid or the vaccine did to it. 

 

[Warden Callaway]

48 minutes ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

If statins are so dangerous why did my doctor put me on one to reduce my cholesterol? Is he trying to to kill me? Are you folks saying that  doctors don’t know they’re dangerous or they do know and are recommended them anyway? I’m confused. Should I listen to you folks or my doctor? Hemmmm……..did you folks go to medical school? 

Because he probably gets some reward from the drug company.  Not that many years ago a cloistered level of 350 or less was considered ok. Then they lowered the accepted level 225.  Now they have lowered it to 150. Staten is more heavy controlled in most other countries.  Cholesterol is and important substance for brain function. 

[Rye Miles #13621]

11 minutes ago, Warden Callaway said:

Because he probably gets some reward from the drug company.  Not that many years ago a cloistered level of 350 or less was considered ok. Then they lowered the accepted level 225.  Now they have lowered it to 150. Staten is more heavy controlled in most other countries.  Cholesterol is and important substance for brain function. 

So he doesn’t care about my health just a reward from the drug company? Sorry I don’t believe that. 

[Pb Mark]

18 minutes ago, Warden Callaway said:

Because he probably gets some reward from the drug company.  Not that many years ago a cloistered level of 350 or less was considered ok. Then they lowered the accepted level 225.  Now they have lowered it to 150. Staten is more heavy controlled in most other countries.  Cholesterol is and important substance for brain function.

Same reason the American College of Cardiology recently changed the BP acceptable to 130/80.  They did so against the advice of the American College of Family Physicians also.  One size fits all when it comes to sustaining a for profit business that is.  There are good doctors, doctors who are corporate doctors (most nowadays) who do as their business office tells them, and evil doctors too.  All I can say is read Web MD, Mayo Clinic online literature etc. and educate yourself about specifically why at the doctor in the first place.   You are simply an 8–15-minute time slot when at the doctor's office.  Use that time to ask appropriate questions such as "what are the alternatives".  Just follow the money!  

 

Yes, statins work for some just fine.  Statins also come with many side effects for some.  Does a doctor go over all the risks when prescribing medicine?  

Edited November 3 by Pb Mark
add last

[Rye Miles #13621]

1 minute ago, Pb Mark said:

Same reason the American College of Cardiology recently changed the BP acceptable to 130/80.  They did so against the advice of the American College of Family Physicians also.  One size fits all when it comes to sustaining a for profit business that is.  There are good doctors, doctors who are corporate doctors (most nowadays) who do as their business office tells them, and evil doctors too.  All I can say is read Web MD, Mayo Clinic online literature etc. and educate yourself about specifically why at the doctor in the first place.   You are simply an 8–15-minute time slot when at the doctor's office.  Use that time to ask appropriate questions such as "what are the alternatives".  Just follow the money!  

I did and found that statins are generally safe. Are they’re side effects sure for SOME people. 
 

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/high-cholesterol/3-myths-about-cholesterol-lowering-statin-drugs

[Warden Callaway]

Lots of info out there about statin. In my experience,  it's a horrible drug. 

 

 

[Rye Miles #13621]

7 minutes ago, Warden Callaway said:

Lots of info out there about statin. In my experience,  it's a horrible drug. 

 

 

Check out what I found on my last comment. One thing about the internet is you can find whatever you believe to be true. I’ll stick with what my doctor says. I’ve been with him for awhile and I trust him.

 

This dude here wants your money too! I’m suspect of him in the first 20 seconds of that video!

Edited November 3 by Rye Miles #13621

[Pb Mark]

Credible online literature is accurate.  Must be from proper source.

 

And ask again, does your doctor go over the possible negative side effects when prescribing medicine?  Typically, they are not allotted that much time by their business office.  Do you read the little pamphlets that comes with from the medicine manufacturers?

 

Trust is hoped for by the doctor.  The doctor also pays dearly for medical liability insurance.  I trust but verify what my doctor says.  

Edited November 3 by Pb Mark
error

[Rye Miles #13621]

5 minutes ago, Pb Mark said:

Credible online literature is accurate.  Must be from proper source.

 

And ask again, does your doctor go over the possible negative side effects when prescribing medicine?  Typically, they are not allotted that much time by their business office.  Do you read the little pamphlets that comes with from the medicine manufacturers?

 

Trust is hoped for by the doctor.  The doctor also pays dearly for medical liability insurance.  I trust but verify what my doctor says.  

I think what I found from Hopkins is valid. My doc went over the side effects and I have confidence that he’ll monitor my results. I k ow a few people that have been on statins for years and no problems. I’ll place my trust in my doctor. 

[Rye Miles #13621]

This is from the Mayo Clinic

 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/statin-side-effects/art-20046013

 

 

This from Harvard

https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/what-are-the-risks-from-taking-statins

Edited November 3 by Rye Miles #13621

[Warden Callaway]

Dr. Still says covid vaccines are safe.