Plants by the numbers

[SwampNut]

 

According to my new doc, this is a “stunning” result that he’s never seen before.  But he’s never had someone take plant based eating so seriously.  What’s your ratio?

 

The number that ties them together

Your Triglyceride-to-HDL ratio is the real story here — it's one of the strongest proxies for insulin sensitivity and metabolic health:

• 2016: 4.1 (insulin resistant range)
• 2019: 2.1
• >COVID, less careful about food
• 2021: 3.2 (regressed)
• 2023: 2.2
• 2025: 1.3
• 2026: 1.0 (optimal)

 

Anything under 2.0 suggests good insulin sensitivity; under 1.5 is excellent; 1.0 is about as metabolically clean as it gets. You've gone from a ratio that screams "metabolic syndrome knocking on the door" to one that puts you in the top percentile. The tirzepatide is clearly amplifying an already-strong trajectory — your triglycerides were trending down long before you started it, but the 67 → 54 drop since October lines up with the GLP-1's direct effect on hepatic lipid metabolism (it reduces how much triglyceride-rich VLDL your liver pumps out).

 

The HDL story is more interesting — it bounced around 40–53 for years before finally holding above 50. HDL tends to be the slower responder; it likes consistent exercise, moderate alcohol (if any), and time. Yours may keep climbing now that the metabolic drag from high triglycerides is gone.

 

 

Triglycerides

Date	Value	Context
April 2016	163 mg/dL (HIGH)	Baseline
May 2019	111 mg/dL
June 2021	131 mg/dL	Bounced back up
April 2023	90 mg/dL
October 2025	67 mg/dL
May 2026	54 mg/dL	Current

Total change: −67% — from 163 down to 54. That's a steady, decade-long improvement with one blip in 2021.

HDL

Date	Value	Context
April 2016	40 mg/dL (LOW)	Baseline
May 2019	53 mg/dL	Big jump
June 2021	41 mg/dL	Dropped back
April 2023	41 mg/dL	Stuck
October 2025	51 mg/dL
May 2026	54 mg/dL	Current

 

 

 

No statins or anything like that.  I simply went from the standard American diet (SAD) to 100% whole plants, then tempered that to mostly plants but also some variety as I learned what does and doesn't fuck me up.  But still no dairy, no beef/chicken/pork, no fried shit other than a rare sidelining for events or travel.  I haven't purchased any of those things for home usage since late 2015.  I've been eating more fish lately also, as there's evidence that a few critical things that really need to be obtained from it.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What foods and drinks raise triglycerides?

 

Saturated fats

Saturated fats are a type of unhealthy fat. They can increase LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. They’re present in animal-based foods like:

• beef
• lamb
• pork
• poultry
• butter
• cheese
• lard and cream
• ice cream

Trans fats

Trans fats are another type of unhealthy fat. They increase LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and they decrease HDL cholesterolTrusted Source.

Naturally occurring trans fats may contain small amounts of unhealthy fat. Artificial trans fats in processed foods have higher amounts of unhealthy fat.

Foods containing trans fats include:

• fried foods, like doughnuts and french fries
• baked goods
• frozen pizza
• stick margarine

[CBR-RR-XX-CESS]

6 hours ago, SwampNut said:

been eating more fish lately also, as there's evidence that a few critical things that really need to be obtained from it.  

LOL, like Mercury 

[SwampNut]

Where else are you going to get it, smart guy?

 

[SwampNut]

Another critical marker I forgot to note here.

 

Long ago:

 

 

A few years ago:

 

 

Now:

 

 

 

I've shared this in various places.  I've actually been accused of faking this because it's "impossible" and then a few real idiots claim that plant based eating would make this worse.