Change Takes Time: How Incremental Diet Changes Improved our Health

When we first started paying closer attention to our health, we weren’t looking for a quick fix—we were just hoping to feel better, eat more whole foods, and maybe improve a few numbers on our bloodwork (ok, sure, we would have loved a quick fix, but knew anything that happened quickly wasn't likely to last long term).

What we’ve learned along the way is that change doesn’t happen overnight. But the small, consistent choices we’ve made over the last several years have added up to real, measurable results.

Us in 2017 versus 2024, healthier and happier.

Eric’s Story: From “Genetic” Cholesterol to Plant-Based Breakthrough

For as long as I’ve known Eric, his cholesterol numbers have been high—sometimes very high, but even his high cholesterol was among the lowest in his family. Doctors told him it was genetic and that medication would be the only real option. At one point, his total cholesterol was over 260 and his LDL (the “bad” cholesterol) was nearly double the safe range.

In 2021, we thought we were on the right track by shopping exclusively from farmers markets—buying only pasture-raised meats and local eggs and lots of local fruits and veggies. And while that shift was a good thing for many reasons (animal welfare, supporting local farmers, nutrient density) and helped us in dropping some weight, it didn’t move the needle on Eric’s cholesterol as much as we had hoped.

For both of us, the turning point came in March 2022 when we had gone three full months without alcohol. The dip in his triglycerides (and mine) was dramatic and eye-opening. It was the clearest signal yet that lifestyle choices—not just genetics—were playing a huge role. Even before going fully plant-based, that one change showed us how powerful food and drink are in shaping health.

The real shift came when Eric decided to see what would happen if he cut out animal products entirely. Within just a couple of months of eating a fully plant-based diet at home, his bloodwork shifted dramatically:

• Total cholesterol dropped from 258 → 182

• LDL cholesterol dropped from 180 → 120

• Triglycerides stabilized below 100

  
  

For someone who had always been told his cholesterol was “just genetic,” these changes were profound—and they came from food, not prescriptions.

Marker	Oct 2018	Oct 2021	Mar 2022	Mar 2023	Jun 2024	Feb 2025	Reference Range
Glucose	91	86	98	84	85	81	65–99
Total Cholesterol	255	261	263	267	258	182	125–199
Triglycerides	119	200	105	175	101	98	<150
HDL (good)	38	43	45	43	56	44	≥50
LDL (bad)	192	182	195	190	180	120	<100

Mandy’s Story: Small Shifts, Big Results

My numbers weren’t as dramatic, but they tell a similar story: every time I made a shift, it showed up in my labs.

• When I cut back on alcohol and cleaned up the edges of my diet, my glucose and triglycerides improved.

• In 2022–23, I started diving into the science of fiber (including writing my MPH capstone on its impact on health and healthcare costs), and we intentionally built more fiber-rich foods into our meals—beans, lentils, grains, and produce. My triglycerides dropped to half of what they had been.

• By 2024–25, going mostly plant-based shifted things even further:

  • Total cholesterol fell from just over 200 → 144

  • LDL cholesterol dropped from borderline high → 69

  • Lipoprotein (a)—a tricky, inherited risk marker—moved from above threshold well into the healthy range

For me, these numbers are proof that consistent, incremental change works.

Marker	Oct 2018	Oct 2021	Mar 2022	Mar 2023	Jun 2024	Feb 2025	Reference Range
Glucose	90	105	90	92	77	81	65–99
Total Cholesterol	202	202	185	168	162	144	125–199
Triglycerides	118	126	73	75	55	46	<150
HDL (good)	82	79	59	66	68	65	≥50
LDL (bad)	99	100	110	86	80	69	<100
Blood Pressure	108/70	124/77	111/69	113/66	118/72	105/66	<120/80
Lipoprotein (a)	—	—	—	—	75.4	35.1	<75

The Bigger Lesson: It’s Not Linear—But It’s Worth It

Looking back, here’s what our timeline really looked like:

• 2018–2021 → Living in Cincinnati, eating most meals at home but drinking more than we should, with food choices that often went hand-in-hand with that. COVID added its own set of challenges—we were trying, but like so many others, struggled to keep balance.

• 2021–2022 → Fully transitioned to shopping mostly at farmers markets, buying only local meat, eggs, and produce. Stints of going alcohol-free. A good step, but cholesterol numbers still stubbornly high (especially for Eric).

• 2023 → After Mandy’s MPH capstone on fiber, we started building beans, lentils, and whole grains into nearly every meal. Triglycerides improved significantly.

• 2024 → Began shifting toward more vegetarian meals, using local produce and plant proteins.

• 2025 → Went fully plant-based at home in January. Within months, both of our cholesterol profiles improved dramatically.

  
  

Each stage built on the one before. What felt impossible in 2018—like giving up animal products—was doable in 2025 because of the small, incremental shifts we made along the way.

The path hasn’t been linear. Life transitions, stress, and COVID certainly threw curveballs. But every adjustment moved us closer to balance, and the long-term data shows that slow, sustainable changes stick.

And this is exactly why we created our Journeys program: to help people approach health as a step-by-step process, not an overnight transformation. Because you can’t undo decades of eating habits in a week. But you can start building the foundation for lasting change today.

Enjoyed some "balance" in Italy earlier this year.