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Module 6 Discussion

For Germans, food is considered a symbol of celebration, and is often equated to love (Purnell, 2013, p. 259). Traditional German diets are high in fats and can pose a serious health risk when eaten in excess. German foods are often served with gravies, fresh vegetables are served with a butter sauce, and foods are fried in butter, bacon fat or lard (Purnell, 2013, p.259). Germans love rich, hearty cuisine, and enjoy seeing others who have just as hearty an appetite. Pork is their most consumed meat, and bratwurst, a form of sausage, is very common in the German diet (Zimmerman, 2018). Mr. Pfiefer has been living this diet for his entire life, and the result of such rich, fatty foods prepared in the traditional manner has led to his elevated cholesterol levels. He has continued using his wife’s recipes, and this probably offers him some comfort, to cook the way she did.

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in all of the cells in the human body. You need some cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D, and substances that help to digest food, but your body makes the cholesterol it requires (MedlinePlus, 2021). Cholesterol can also be found in food from animal sources, like egg yolks, meat, and cheese. If there is an excess of cholesterol in your blood, it can combine with other materials found in the blood to form plaque which sticks to the walls of your arteries, causing atherosclerosis. It can lead to coronary artery disease, where your coronary arteries become narrow or even blocked (MedlinePlus, 2021). Having this explained to Mr. Pfiefer may not have produced the results the healthcare provider intended to reach in helping him reduce his overall cholesterol levels. Mr. Pfiefer might benefit from a bit more education from the provider, and how better to prepare certain meals, and how to substitute leaner meats for fatty ones, and omit some gravies and buttery sauces from his diet. If we can educate him on how to make some of the following healthy dietary changes, we might be able to see some improvement in his cholesterol levels. Eating heart healthy foods would include reducing the amount of saturated fats in his diet; saturated fats are found primarily in red meat and full-fat dairy products. By decreasing his consumption of saturated fats, it can reduce his LDL cholesterol (Mayo Clinic, 2020). Mr. Pfiefer can swap some of his pork or sausage products with foods that are higher in omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon, mackerel, herring, and walnuts. He also needs to increase his soluble fiber intake. Soluble fiber can help to reduce the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream. It can be found in foods like oatmeal, kidney beans, Brussels sprouts, apples and pears (Mayo Clinic, 2020). Making sure that Mr. Pfiefer is active and walking for exercise, provided he has no other health concerns that prevent this activity, can help him on his journey to better health. We might also seek to have him switch to cooking with olive oil instead of butter, and have him reduce his portion sizes, if he expresses that they are currently larger than average servings. All of these little changes may seem less overwhelming than having him make big changes overnight, and he may be more willing to alter his cooking and eating habits.

As Germans are proud people, and sometimes can hold on to their older traditions of folk medicine (Purnell, 2013, p. 267), introducing herbal supplements to help lower cholesterol may be beneficial to Mr. Pfiefer as well. He does need more education provided on the risks associated with increased levels of cholesterol, as well as the benefits to reducing it. If he chooses not to make the noted changes, or the changes aren’t helping to lower his cholesterol enough, he can be placed on a cholesterol lowering prescription. As Germans are respectful of those in authority and admire those who are highly educated (Purnell, 2013, p. 267), he may be willing to accept the medications as his last resort.

References

Mayo Clinic. (2020, August 28). Top 5 lifestyle changes to improve your cholesterol. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/reduce-cholesterol/art-20045935 (Links to an external site.)

MedlinePlus. (2021, January 4). Cholesterol. https://medlineplus.gov/cholesterol.html (Links to an external site.)

Purnell, L. (2013). Transcultural health care: A culturally competent approach (4th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F. A. Davis Co.

Zimmerman, K. (2018, March 6). German culture: Facts, customs and traditions. https://www.livescience.com/44007-german-culture.html