New member from London

Newcomer introductions, personal anecdotes, caregiver issues, lab results, and n=1 experimentation.
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Positivity
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New member from London

Post by Positivity »

Hello everyone,

I am a 57-year-old dual national (US/UK) woman who is ApoE 4 heterozygote. I am so grateful to have found this platform. My family and I moved to London from California a little over a year ago. With the lockdown, I wanted to lose a few kilos gained during this past year from spending so much time at home (and stress eating on Bendick's mints, which are my absolute favorite and not readily available in the States.)

I'd read a lot about Keto and decided to give it a try a few months ago. I found it fairly easy to implement, as I'm not a huge fan of pasta/rice/potatoes, although giving up steel-cut oats and cereal was more difficult. On the plus side, I could eat cheese and some dark chocolate when I had a craving. I was also motivated because I felt like I was getting more forgetful, and I knew that giving up the grains/sugar would be beneficial.

As I explored more about the diet, I remembered my ApoE 4 status, and started to read more about that and found this website. I am feeling discouraged that now I'm supposed to give up all the 'friendly fats' that I like (meat, chicken, dairy) and replace them with even more veggies and shellfish (which I find difficult to digest). Is anyone else feeling the same way?

Trying to stay positive, always!
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seachangehealthcoach
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Re: New member from London

Post by seachangehealthcoach »

Good morning Positivity! What a fun username that exudes just that - positivity!! I would like to add to Floramaria's welcome and also say that we are glad you found our forum. I hope that you are able to navigate the forum and find the information and resources you need. Thank you for sharing your story. Sounds like you are very resourceful and open to learning more about how lifestyle choices can impact our health. I understand the nutrition piece can be discouraging but I hope you can find some encouragement in the idea that the suggested lifestyle strategies all work together to reduce risk. If it's helpful, I thought I would share the adage "progress, not perfection" as a way to frame all the information that is here for us to digest.

Following is a link to the Primer that I think will help you get the most out of the forum.
There is a section in the Primer on Diet.

Best of luck and looking forward to hearing more from you!

Positivity wrote:Hello everyone,

I am a 57-year-old dual national (US/UK) woman who is ApoE 4 heterozygote. I am so grateful to have found this platform. My family and I moved to London from California a little over a year ago. With the lockdown, I wanted to lose a few kilos gained during this past year from spending so much time at home (and stress eating on Bendick's mints, which are my absolute favorite and not readily available in the States.)

I'd read a lot about Keto and decided to give it a try a few months ago. I found it fairly easy to implement, as I'm not a huge fan of pasta/rice/potatoes, although giving up steel-cut oats and cereal was more difficult. On the plus side, I could eat cheese and some dark chocolate when I had a craving. I was also motivated because I felt like I was getting more forgetful, and I knew that giving up the grains/sugar would be beneficial.

As I explored more about the diet, I remembered my ApoE 4 status, and started to read more about that and found this website. I am feeling discouraged that now I'm supposed to give up all the 'friendly fats' that I like (meat, chicken, dairy) and replace them with even more veggies and shellfish (which I find difficult to digest). Is anyone else feeling the same way?

Trying to stay positive, always!
Jennifer Balzano
Founder, SeaChange Health Coaching
M.A., B.S., Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach
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SusanJ
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Re: New member from London

Post by SusanJ »

Positivity wrote:As I explored more about the diet, I remembered my ApoE 4 status, and started to read more about that and found this website. I am feeling discouraged that now I'm supposed to give up all the 'friendly fats' that I like (meat, chicken, dairy) and replace them with even more veggies and shellfish (which I find difficult to digest). Is anyone else feeling the same way?
Hi Positivity, and welcome.

Diet is the tough one to pick apart. What you are noting are the Bredesen recommendations. Realistically, we're all different, beyond the E4 connection. You will find people on all sorts of diets here. I personally include meat and chicken in my diet.

So, I'd say to find a diet that is sustainable for you, and focus on whole, non-processed foods, the best meats and dairy you can afford (pastured if possible), vegetables you like (and maybe try a new one now and then), and limit sweets and seed oils. Shoot for that first, and see how far that takes you.

Nothing in the Bredesen protocol has to be done perfectly, just well enough that your lab markers are consistently good and that you feel good.

Good luck!
Positivity
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Re: New member from London

Post by Positivity »

Thanks so much Susan. This note makes me feel much better!
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