Friday 14 June 2013

Post 3 - My Dad

Carrying on from the previous post about my dad's hate for anything processed.

As you can imagine times change, attitudes to food change and shopping habits change. As we grew up there became more prepacked everything. When I was younger you couldn't get pre-grated cheese.

Along with these changes it's fair to say my dad ate more than he would like of processed food.

My dad was slim generally with a slight belly. 

He died in his sleep almost 4 years ago from a heart attack. He was 61.

Yes he smoked and the implications of smoking are well known and not an area that I am looking at here.

Thinking back, as you do, he had test after test for cholesterol, different medications and diet advice. 

I remember not long after he died I told my health visitor who was sympathetic and she said something along the lines of ' you better watch your cholesterol levels' at the time I had no idea what she meant. Maybe I do a little more now.

Is it right to assume there is a link in my dads diet with his high cholesterol? was smoking more of a factor than I have credited? Overall he was slim, not overweight/obese.... is it correct to only associate heart disease with overweight people? He had a very active lifestyle.... 2 collies that he walked for miles as well as his other outdoor hobbies. Does exercise make that much of a difference if you have a poor diet? 


So many questions.... maybe not all are answerable and it won't change that my dad is no longer here. But could a change in diet change any heart disease risk for me and other members of my family? 

I don't smoke and only rarely drink, my only vice really is processed foods......


Which have made me 'fat' and pushing me towards developing cardiovascular disease...







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