(May 6, 2025) — After decades of eating well, concentrating on fresh fruit and vegetables and avoiding processed foods, I loosened up in the last couple of years. It shows in a gain of 20 pounds and some bad scores on medical tests. So, I thought it might help to share ideas with readers who are struggling with similar issues.

Almost 25 years ago, I suffered a “mini-stroke” – transient ischemic attack (TIA), a temporary interruption of blood flow to the brain. The right side of my body wasn’t working, including slurred speech.

A TIA can be a warning sign on the way to a full, debilitating stroke. Back then, in my recovery, I radically changed my diet, mostly eliminating sugar, flour and processed food.

In the last couple of years, I still ate healthy early in the day, but later in the evening I’d grant myself permission to have some popcorn or a fresh-baked cookie. (Which leads to a second cookie and a third, you understand.)

It got away from me quickly, as evidenced by weight gain and bad cholesterol scores. I’ve always had high cholesterol; it’s partly hereditary and partly the food environment.

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I’m going back to simple eating, using spices, herbs and vegetables. I’m determined to bring down the cholesterol and weight without the use of drugs. I know many people are in a similar situation and getting medical advice to take statins and other medications to reduce the numbers.

Statins may slow the progression of diseases like diabetes, but they don’t stop it. Many people relying on these drugs don’t understand that.

The dietary changes I’m making include:

• Supplementing with omega-3 fish oils.
• Using omega-3 eggs.
• Stopping the use of seed soils, sesame and sunflower seeds. (Prepackaged salad dressings are heavy in seed oils.)
• Eating organic produce; steaming or stewing locally grown vegetables.
• Using organic avocado oil spray.
• Making either lentils or beans one meal a day.
• Avoiding French fries.
• Making sure the cows supplying my dairy products are eating organic food as well.
• Moving to kefir, which has good probiotics, and away from yogurt.
• Eating free-range, organic chicken breasts.
• Taking Vitamin D.
• Reducing fat intake.

In short, I’m doing everything I can to change my diet so my numbers go down. I will be sharing what I’ll be eating and how my numbers come down (I hope) through dietary changes, without drugs.

The following recipe is a healthy one.

Braised Cabbage with Spicy Turkey Burgers

4-6 servings

• 1 yellow onion, sliced or diced
• Avocado oil spray
• ¼ to ½ c. apple cider or balsamic vinegar
• 1 T dried dill or 1 bunch fresh dill
• 1 T ground flaxseed (refrigerate after opening package)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 large head of red or green cabbage, cut in half and then square-inch wedges

Spray a cast-iron pan with avocado oil. Sauté onion until translucent, about 5-10 minutes. Add vinegar, dill, flaxseed and salt.

Add cabbage on top of mixture in pan and stir in, cooking at medium to medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes. Cabbage will wilt down and become tender.

Serve with your choice of beans and the Spicy Turkey Burgers.

Spicy Turkey Burgers

Serves 4

• 1 lb. lean ground turkey breast
• ½ c. shredded zucchini
• ¼ tsp. onion powder
• ¼ tsp. garlic powder
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• ¼ c. hot sauce
• Avocado oil spray

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Form into four patties.

Lightly spray grill or skillet with avocado oil and add patties once cooking surface is hot. Cook 4-5 minutes on each side until cooked through.