I love cheese. I love my Sargento Mexican mixed cheese; my Philly creamed cheese; my Daisy sour cream cheese; my Deli-sliced cheese; my Provolone cheese; My Romano grated cheese…I love cheese. My doctor hates it for me.

After a spinal cord angiogram three months ago, for reasons totally unrelated to my cholesterol levels, it was discovered that I have fifty-percent stenosis in my right carotid artery. The surgeon says, “Don’t worry too much about it; it’s pretty smooth.” My family general practitioner says, “Lay off the cheese.”

I’ve been a vegetarian (NOT a vegan) for about 20 years. I occasionally have what those in the food circles call, “vegan candy” (extra-crisp bacon), but who doesn’t love bacon?!? My daughters make fun of me when I order the veggie burger with bacon. I would make fun of me, too. It sounds (and probably is) counter-productive. You’d think that a vegetarian would not have any concerns with high bad cholesterol or fat, right? Wrong.

I’m not really a vegetarian by choice, that is, I discovered that I don’t or can’t digest animal meat very well. I’ve read somewhere that those with B+ blood types are geared towards a vegetarianism lifestyle, while those with A and O blood types readily digest meat products more easily. I don’t know where I read these Trivial Pursuit tidbits of information, but I remember thinking to myself that I wasn’t a hipster freak for the inability to digest what everyone else in both my Italian and Mexican families could digest: braciole; carne asada; braciole di maiale; carnitas; pollo; pollo (yeah, that’s chicken in Italian and Spanish).

From the age of at least four years, I vividly remember eating dinner each evening with my family — chewing on one of the above mentioned meats — and thinking to myself, “I’m eating a cow [pig, bird].” But Momma’s meatballs are so darn good! I wonder if I intuitively knew that meat isn’t jiving with my body make-up? Could be.

I’m still struggling with high cholesterol, but I maintain an active lifestyle and, for the most part, try to avoid my beloved cheese — at least cheese in excess! Don’t worry Doc, I plan on sticking around for a minute.