>>> I had my blood drawn last month and total cholesterol <<<
"Total cholesterol" is the most useless stat in all of health. What actually matters is your small particle LDL count. THIS is the type of LDL that leads to endothelia inflammation and heart disease. And small particle LDL is ONLY created by consuming too many carbs/sugars. Now then, we all know that doctors call LDL "bad cholesterol" (which is wrong on TWO counts: Large particle LDL is absolutely essential for life, and LDL is NOT cholesterol), and when they do, you can dismiss them as uninformed idiots--find a better doctor!
>>> Duke Nukem's suggestions are of course purely from a Paleo-standpoint. <<<
Note at all. They're true of everyone. And yes, lectins are harmful to everyone (no exceptions, sorry), especially many of the new world lectins (meaning: they did not exist in Africa/Asia/Europe--the old world) like WGA (found in whole grain wheat) that binds PERMANENTLY to cellular insulin receptor sites blocking the effectiveness of insulin that's released by the pancreas, and can eventually lead to ongoing insulin resistance. All lectins (btw, gluten is a lectin) bind permanently to cellular structures causing structural and chemical dysfunction, and many make it to our brains (brain fog, anyone?). Luckily, many of our cells die and get replaced, which means there's hope for people who stop consuming lectin-packed grains.
Note that Asians learned long ago that brown rice is less healthy than white rice, just through experience. That's why ALL Asian cultures went to the extreme effort of taking the brown hulls off of their rice, leaving only the albumen (white starchy part). Similarly, Mediterranean-area Europeans (such as the French) went to all the extra effort of removing the hulls and bran from their wheat, trying to make their bread as white as possible. They too, through experience, knew that the whole grain made their people sick. Meanwhile, the Egyptians ate whole grain wheat and suffered from rampant conditions of inflammation, such as heart disease, tooth decay, arthritis, etc.
Back to WGA (which causes insulin resistance), you want to avoid this completely. Note that of ALL human indicators of longevity, degree of insulin resistance is one of the top three indicators. The more insulin resistant a human, the sooner (on average) that human will die.
Gluten also binds with the leptin receptor site, which is also a highly undesirable thing:
https://www.ncbi.nlm...les/PMC4308898/
BTW, as a general paradigm to living longer, here's my highest-view list of recommendations:
o Eat an anti-inflammatory diet (which happens to be a high fat and high vegetable diet).
o Take key supplements to make up for food deficiencies and boost health functions.
o Don't take medications. Instead correct the root issue(s)--usually diet or bad health habit.
o Maintain muscle mass. Humans don't live long when they lose 40%+ muscle mass.
o Do play-style activities (as a way to move and exercise), like biking, tennis, golf, etc.
o Sleep 8 hours a day (this is when your body cleans and restores itself).
o Remain a social human being--stay connected with people/friends/family/animals.
o Keep learning and stay engaged with creative challenges.