Are Saturated Fat and Dietary Cholesterol Really Bad For Us? The Facts Set Straight!

I want to put to rest the belief that fat and dietary cholesterol are bad for us. I will also show proof that aside from being the best diet for stripping fat, low-carb nutrition actually improves health markers… Learn more.

By: Mark McManus

Article Summary:

Raising HDL levels in proportion to LDL is beneficial for your health.

Both Palmitic and Lauric acid raise total cholesterol.

Lipid profiles improve when there is no weight loss on a low-carb diet.

I want to put to rest the belief that fat (especially saturated fat) and dietary cholesterol are bad for us. I will also show proof that aside from being the best diet for stripping fat, low-carb nutrition actually improves health markers more than a low-fat diet. Let the games begin…

Author, Mark McManus Will Show Proof That A Low-Carb

Diet Improves Health Markers More Than A Low-Fat Diet.

Where Did All This Nonsense Begin?

Surely if so many people believe something, it must be based on solid evidence right? Wrong! If a hypothesis is put forward and believed without being adequately tested, you have a shaky foundation.

If this hypothesis is built upon for decades with no further questioning or testing, you have a house of cards. This house is ready to topple, in fact, it should have fell a long time ago.

Ancel Keys

It all started with a physiologist named Ancel Keys, Ph.D., back in the 1950’s. I’m not going to bash the guy because I feel that although he was mistaken, he was well-meaning.

Ancel Keys

Ancel Benjamin Keys (January 26, 1904 – November 20, 2004) was an American scientist who studied the influence of diet on health. In particular, he hypothesised that different kinds of dietary fat had different effects on health.

He examined the epidemiology of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and was closely associated with two famous diets: K-rations, which were formulated as balanced meals for combat soldiers in World War II; and “the Mediterranean diet,” which, with his wife Margaret, he popularized. Science, diet, and health were central themes in his professional and private lives.

[http://en.wikipedia.org]

In 1953 he published a paper titled “Atherosclerosis, a Problem in Newer Public Health.” It seems that from here, our dietary fate was sealed. Keys compared fat intake and deaths from heart disease in 6 countries:

United States

Canada

England

Australia

Italy

Japan

The implications for dietary fat were dire! As fat intake increases in these countries, heart disease mortality rates increases, oh dear! The US had the highest fat intake and also had the highest number of deaths due to heart disease, Japan ate the least fat and had the lowest number of deaths.

There was, however, one big problem with what became known as the ‘Diet-Heart Hypothesis.’ Data was available for a total of 22 countries, not 6. When ALL the statistics are analyzed, the ‘fat-heart disease’ correlation ceases to exist.

Unfortunately, despite the flawed conclusions of Keys, the media and the American Heart Association jumped on board the diet-heart hypothesis bandwagon.

In the 1970’s Keys bolstered his hypothesis by publishing a study suggesting that saturated fat (from animal sources) leads to high cholesterol which, in turn, leads to heart disease. This is still the conventional wisdom today.

Again, out of the 7 countries selected, the correlation between saturated fat and heart disease was not seen but hey, don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Saturated Fat In The Human Diet

Almost all the saturated fat in our diet comes in 3 forms:

Stearic acid

Palmitic acid

Lauric acid

Before we get into looking at each acid, let’s discuss the differences between LDL and HDL cholesterol.

LDL is the bad guy (specifically the small, dense LDL particles)

HDL is the good guy

LDL & HDL

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is a type of lipoprotein that transports cholesterol and triglycerides from the liver to peripheral tissues.

High-density lipoproteins (HDL) is one of the 5 major groups of lipoproteins which enable lipids like cholesterol and triglycerides to be transported within the water based blood stream.

Increasing LDL levels while HDL levels remain constant is bad news. The opposite is good news. Raising HDL cholesterol in proportion to LDL is very beneficial for your health. Raising both by equal amounts has no effect.

Stearic Acid

Now let’s have a little fun. Firstly, it’s well established today that stearic acid has no effect on cholesterol levels. In fact, stearic acid, found in abundance in animal fat, is converted to monounsaturated fat in your liver.

This is obviously healthy and raises good cholesterol and therefore lowers risk of heart disease. Hmm, not much wrong there, is there? The result of consumption of this acid is either nil or even beneficial to your health. Let’s move on…

Palmitic & Lauric Acid

Both Palmitic and Lauric acid raise total cholesterol. This obviously has no real effect with respect to coronary heart disease risk factor. Now, let’s add the three forms of saturated fat together and see what happens:

1 x Beneficial + 2 x Benign = Beneficial Net Effect

Wow! You mean ‘artery-clogging saturated fat’ doesn’t clog arteries? Yes, and it’s important to remember that a diet high in fat will also be high in unsaturated fats so the net result of high fat intake, coupled with lower carb intake, is a reduced risk of heart disease.

This is the story of surprised researchers as they see the startling results of studies involving groups consuming low fat/high carb diets vs groups consuming high fat/low carb diets; i.e. more fat loss and improved lipid profiles in the high fat/low carb camp. However, even though the science is staring them in the face, they fall short of recommending it as a way of eating.

The Proof’s In The Low-Fat Pudding

50 years of the ‘diet-heart hypothesis’ and it turns out to be a dud. So many wasted years and so much money wasted on studies trying to prove the unprovable.

Let’s take the latest one for example (7th May 2008). At a cost of $415 million, The Women’s Health Initiative monitored 49,000 subjects over an average period of 8 years – a HUGE study. They were advised to eat more vegetables, fruits and grains and less fat (20% of daily calories – only 44 grams of total fat per day on a 2000 calorie-per-day diet), especially saturated fat.

The results finally came in, the media waited with bated breath – guess what effect this low fat diet had on heart disease. None! Zero! Zilch!

So If Low-Fat Doesn’t Lower Cholesterol & Prevent Heart Disease, What Does?

I thought you’d never ask. A low carb/high fat does of course. It may seem counter-intuitive but heart disease, a new problem, is not caused by old, traditional foods. It’s caused by newer foods that we have introduced into our diets – carb-laden foods. Let’s have a look at some studies.

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center found that participants who followed a low-carbohydrate diet for six months raised their good cholesterol and lowered their triglycerides (fat in the blood).

The low-fat group also had positive results in this study. They ate a low-fat, low-cholesterol, low-calorie diet. They lowered total cholesterol levels (lowering good cholesterol which is not so great) and triglycerides. It is important to note that the triglyceride levels fell more significantly for the low carb group; i.e. 74.2 points for the low-carb group and 27.9 points for the low-fat group.

Also, the low-carb group lost more weight even though their calories were unrestricted whereas the low-fat group consumed 500 – 1000 calories below their maintenance calorie-requirement.

Could This Be Due To Weight Loss?

Some people may think that the improvements in blood lipid profiles are simply due to the weight-loss and not carb-restriction, not so it seems.

Ronald Krauss at the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute tested this and found that the lipid profiles (cholesterol and triglycerides) improve even when there is no weight loss on a low-carbohydrate diet. You can check the study out for yourself here.

The Alternative Food Pyramid.

Dietary Cholesterol May Be Beneficial To Muscle Hackers

The cholesterol in our foods may be beneficial to anyone wanting to build muscle. I personally take in a lot of dietary cholesterol (though I’m not sure what the exact amount is).

Researchers at Texas A&M University have discovered that lower cholesterol levels can actually reduce muscle gain when weight-training.

3 days a week for 12 weeks, 55 men and women, aged 60-69, (healthy non-smokers able to perform exercise testing and training) performed several exercises, including stretching, stationary bike riding and vigorous weight lifting.

The results showed that there was a significant association between dietary cholesterol and change in strength; i.e. the higher the cholesterol intake, the more muscle strength gain. One of the researchers, Steven Riechman, said:

“We were not expecting to get these kind of results, we need further research in this area, but what we found could really make us look differently at cholesterol, especially as it relates to a vigorous workout…

Our findings show that the restricting of cholesterol – while in the process of exercising – appears to affect building muscle mass in a negative manner. If it’s true, as our findings suggest, that cholesterol may play a key role in muscle repair, we need to know exactly how that happens.” Information provided by Texas A&M University.

So, if you want to keep your heart healthy and build muscle at the same time, you’d better opt for some bacon and eggs in the morning.

Now, lest you think I’m just one guy with these opinions on saturated fat and cholesterol, check out the list (not exhaustive) below of professionals who are also in the know:

Dr. Eric Westman from Duke University

Dr. Mary C. Vernon from the University of Kansas

Dr. Jeff Volek from the University of Connecticut

Dr. Richard Feinman from SUNY Downstate

Dr. Steven Phinney from the University of California-Davis

Dr. Jay Wortman from Canada

Drs. Mike & Mary Dan Eades from Protein Power

Gary Taubes – Science Journalist, author of Good Calories, Bad Calories

Dr. John Briffa in the UK

Adam Campbell at Men’s Health magazine

Cassandra Forsythe at the University of Connecticut

Dr. Larry McCleary, a brain surgeon who wrote The Brain Trust Program

Dr. Barry Groves in the UK

Dr. Richard Bernstein working with diabetics

Dr. Gil Wilshire, reproductive endocrinologist in Missouri

Dr. Donald Layman from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Dr. Keith Berkowitz in New York City

Dr. Fred Pescatore from the Hampton’s Diet

Dr. Barry Sears from The Zone Diet

Dr. Jonny Bowden from California

Dr. Annika Dahlqvist from Sweden (who succeeded in changing government dietary guidelines)

Conclusion

Just before I leave you, I’d like to show you the alternative food pyramid. You all know the one the government recommends with all the starches at the bottom and fat at the top, well check this out…

Beautiful isn’t it? Now that’s healthy eating! I hope this article has dispelled the saturated fat/cholesterol rubbish for you once and for all. If you’re someone who has problems with cholesterol, you can always try this way of eating and get your blood work done periodically.

Mark McManus

Source: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/fat_cholesterol_truth.htm

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This Week - on the Liberation Wellness Radio Hour - MOO-Shine Runners!

Courageous Couple Helps Keep Health Flowing in Florida!

Incredible as it may sound, drinking raw dairy products including milk and yogurt is illegal in some states as the government is in league with giant food corporations bent on making it difficult or impossible to have easy access to REAL-Food. Hear the story of how one couple is making a huge difference in the lives of many people as they help families connect with a life-giving food that can sometimes be classified as MOO-Shine!

Cynthia Calisch and Preston Larus – MOO-Shine Runners

The Liberation Wellness Hour Radio Show can be heard each week on Saturday at 12noon EST on

Liberty Works Radio Network, on BlogTalkRadio.com/LiberationWellness, and on Zubeo

The Shows Website is LiberationWellnessHour.com

[Via http://liberationwellnessblog.com]

What you need to know about bird flu

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Before you become overly concerned about “bird flu,” there are a few important facts you need to know about this disease.

“Bird flu” is not the same thing as human pandemic flu. “Bird flu”-H5N1 highly pathogenic Asian avian influenza-is a severe disease of birds. All the people known to have gotten it had close contact with infected birds, mostly in rural villages in Asia. Where there is no close contact with infected birds, there's no human disease.

 

More good news: The food supply is protected. The poultry industry and the U.S. government take Asian avian influenza very seriously because it can threaten commercial poultry. It's spread by migratory birds, so the federal government monitors wild birds in areas where there could be contact with Asian birds.

In addition, security on poultry farms is very tight. Poultry are kept away from wild birds. Strict procedures keep the virus from being tracked into the birds' living space. Poultry farmers' number one priority is to protect their flocks.

The industry and state governments sponsor extensive testing programs to watch for any signs of Asian avian influenza. Under the National Chicken Council's program, which nearly all chicken companies follow, each flock is tested. Any poultry flock found to be infected with Asian avian influenza would be destroyed on the farm and would not enter the food supply.

You can also feel confident about your chicken or turkey dinners. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), you can't get “bird flu” from properly handled and cooked food. Just be sure to follow the instructions already printed on each package of fresh meat and poultry sold in the United States. The instructions are the same as they have always been-nothing special is needed. On the remote chance that an infected bird got into the food supply, it wouldn't affect consumers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends cooking poultry to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. This is more than enough to destroy any flu viruses that may be present.

“American consumers don't have to worry about getting the avian flu virus from eating poultry,” says Dr. Michael Doyle, director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia. “We know that if you properly cook poultry, it's safe.”

 

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5 Tips For Choosing Gifts

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We all love to receive gifts, whether it’s at Christmas or birthdays, or even a special anniversary. But in order to keep getting gifts, we have to give them to others too. And happily we like that part of the bargain almost as much as the receiving bit. Here are a few tips that may help you choose the right gift for the right person.

1. To help make up your mind you can easily read reviews of gifts you are considering buying at places like Amazon.com, Buy.com, Epinions.com, BizRate.com, etc. And of course, you can even purchase from there too.

2. Price comparison for gifts is easy if you’re switching between sites like Shopping.com, PriceGrabber.com and Cnet.com. The lowest gift price is out there. All you have to do is find it.

3. One problem with gifts that are wearable is getting the right size. You can overcome this by getting gift accessories, such as scarves, belts, hats, etc.

4. It’s obvious, but keeping an up to date list of the birthday, anniversary, etc, dates of your friends and relatives will mean that you’ll always know when it’s time to buy a gift. That way, you’ll probably receive more gifts too when it’s your turn.

5. Always think about the recipient of the gift. Your maiden aunt is unlikely to appreciate a year’s subscription to a risqué glamour magazine, and your young nephew probably doesn’t really want a pair of socks.

Gifts should not be just for Christmas and birthdays. There’s no reason why you can’t give a special gift to someone special just because you want to at any time of the year. It does wonders for a person’s self esteem, and it does wonders for you too: we all really love to give. I hope you can find the time to give to someone today.

[Via http://blogbyryan.wordpress.com]

Healthy & Fit Can Come In Many Sizes!

A lot of us already knew this but MSNBC is backing it up Healthy and Fit Can Come In Many Sizes

Acoording to the body mass index I am considered morbidly obese but I always pass at the doctor with clean bill of health.  My blood pressure isnt high,low cholesterol, not at risk for diabetes or heart disease, and as I continue to practice intuitive and for the most part healthy eating with physical activity for enjoyment not for weight loss I will continue to be in good health physically and mentally! Whether or not a person is healthy should not be judged by their dress size or what the scales say.  It’s time to practice body acceptance and less judgement. Our bodies are all different and as long as we are living healthy lives where we feel good physically and mentally then all that should matter is whats in our hearts!

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The lowering of cholesterol with fish oil

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Cod liver oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are powerful protective substances. These fatty acids are heart-friendly, polyunsaturated fatty acids, leading to lower harmful LDL (bad) cholesterol concentrations of protective HDL (good) cholesterol, and that may have increased levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides (blood fat) reduced. Cod liver oil and omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which are much needed throughout the body. They can not be produced in the body and must be provideddietary.

Omega-3 fatty acids have many useful applications, such as the following:

Are transformed into compounds involved in all body functions including local hormones on inflammatory reactions are

Development and function of the brain and nervous tissue,

Transfer of oxygen and production of energy

Immune function

Muscle contraction and relaxation,

maintenance of cell membrane fluidity and stability of the aid (the blood vessel'sexpand)

make blood platelets less sticky, and protect the linings of arteries.

Cod liver oil reduces the tendency of blood clots that form in arteries, which types of clots can cause heart attack or stroke lead.

These fatty acids are potent antioxidants and provide an artery-cell-wall protection. When free radicals – charged compounds, the results of processes in the body connects – with particles of LDL, oxidized LDL, which translates much moredamaging to cell membranes. These particles can build in the arterial wall and promote atherosclerosis play a role (hardening of the arteries). Omega-3 fatty acids have an antioxidant effect and prevents the oxidation-induced damage to cell membranes.

Cod liver oil was found, also uses a lot of help regulate healthy blood cholesterol and had received a healthy cardiovascular system. In addition, the cod liver oil is rich in vitamin A. This vitamin promotes the growth of healthy skin, rich, andGood night vision. This oil is also high in vitamin D. Vitamin D is a vitamin oil produced by the body when sunlight touches the skin. This is particularly important in northern climates during the winter months when people are less likely to be help. Vitamin D to maintain strong bones in children and prevent osteoporosis in adults.

Note – this source of vitamin A is also harmful for women who are pregnant – ask your doctor before taking cod liver oilduring pregnancy.

It 'possible that the omega-3 fatty acids from eating fish to get by, but the meat can contain toxic levels of heavy metals such as mercury or cadmium, which have proven to be harmful. So the quantity of fish you eat should be the limited number of participants. Always make sure that the fish oil you buy has been tested for heavy metals.

Many people like the taste of cod liver oil. This anger has been solved – today you can buy fruitaged.

In summary, it must be reduced, cod liver concentrations of LDL-cholesterol, increases HDL-cholesterol levels and reduce high levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides. A short-liver oil is the heart of protection. Helps reduce the formation of dangerous blood clots – the kind that produce stroke and heart attacks. This is a powerful antioxidant preventing free radical damage to cell walls of the arteries. It keeps the arteries flexible and healthy membranes. Many other benefits are healthyDiscovered Omega-3 fatty acids.

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Eggs: The superfood for better focus, sustained energy, enhanced immunity and balancing PMS.

I am always an extremely busy person, but will be particularly busy these next several months.

So, now is a very critical time for me to continue to eat nourishing, wholesome foods that support focus and clarity, keep me energized all day long, boosts my immunity, and I can make quickly and with minimal effort.

You must be thinking- WOW I want to know what foods can do this for me.

Aristotle said… Let food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.

So, what is my #1 go to ingredient when I need to be at my very best all day long?

EGGS-

My #1 go to ingredient to keep my mind super sharp, my body totally energized, and stabilize my mood is a farmer’s market beyond organic egg. The chickens that my eggs come from are not fed some kind of vegetarian feed of corn, soy, wheat, and god knows what else. If you are getting plain old commercially fed eggs, this TOTALLY defeats the entire purpose of eating eggs to create health.

Here are some of the amazing health benefits of eating wholesome, fresh, farmer’s market eggs:

 Inexpensive.

 Excellent source of high value protein, iron, zinc, and B vitamins, including vitamin B-12.

 The lecithin in the egg yolk is rich in Choline, this helps keep us alert, intellectually sharp, and with excellent short –term memory and problem solving abilities.

 A large egg contains 213 mg of cholesterol, 22% LESS than was formerly thought. Not all cholesterol is bad. Your body actually makes most of its own cholesterol-80% of it is produced in the liver. You can’t live without it. The cholesterol in eggs actually helps us to manage stress. They improve fertility, while balancing the female menstrual cycle. (this is referenced from Bauman College Natural Chef Handbook, 2006)

Now, my favorite way to eat eggs is an OMELETTE. My favorite way to make a fast, delicious, nutritious omelet is ala Julia Child style, from her famous book Mastering the Art of French Cooking; p. 129 once you master this recipe- you will master the art of omelet making in less than 5 minutes.

Now, I know you have 5 minutes you can devote to creating a meal that is going to fuel you ALL DAY LONG.

Once you master the art of omelet making, you have a template for creating tons of different variations out of this one simple ingredient.

You can feed yourself or your entire family is less than 5-10 minutes.

Here’s what you need to start:

2 or 3 eggs

Big pinch of salt

Pinch of pepper

Dash of filtered or spring water

1 tsp of ghee (clarified butter- I like Ancient Sun brand best)

Or virgin coconut oil- I like Tropical Traditions or Nutiva brands best for flavor, purity.

A mixing bowl

A table fork

HEADS UP: Don’t be intimidated by the wordiness or the steps- read it 1-2 times clearly and then it will be effortless and fast- I promise you.

1. Beat the eggs and seasonings in the mixing bowl for 20-30 seconds until the whites and yolks are just blended.

2. Place the ghee in the pan and set over very high heat. If you have an electric element, it should be red hot. As the ghee melts, tilt the pan in all directions to film the sides. When you see the foam has almost subsided in the pan and the ghee is on the point of coloring, it is an indication that it is hot enough to pour in the eggs.

3. Hold the panhandle with your left hand, thumb on top, and immediately start sliding the pan back and forth rapidly over the heat. At the same time, fork in right hand, its flat side against the bottom of the pan, stir the eggs quickly to spread them continuously all over the bottom of the pan as they thicken. In 3 or 4 seconds they will be come a light, broken custard (a filling would go in at this point).

4. Then lift the handle of the pan to tilt it at a 45-degree angle over the heat, and rapidly gather the eggs at the far lip of the pan with the back of your fork. Still holding the pan tilted over the heat, run your for around the lip of the pan under the far edge of the omelet to be sure it has not adhered to the pan.

5. Give 4 or 5 short, sharp blows on the handle of the pan with your right fist to loosen the omelet and make the far edge curl over onto itself.

6. Hold the pan tilted over heat for 1-2 seconds to brown the bottom of the omelet very lightly, but not too long or the eggs will overcook. The center of the omelet should remain soft and creamy.

VIOLA- omelet is done.

Some of my favorite combinations.

-½ cup fresh salsa on top. Eggs and salsa work well together

-1 cup of sautéed kale, beet greens, or dandelion greens

-Leftover roasted root vegetables

-2 Tbsp ground flaxseeds sprinkled over (for omega 3 fats and fiber)

-Caramelized onions.

-2 tsp of Health Force Nutritionals Vita Mineral Greens sprinkled- a powerful green food powder with lots of cleaning herbs like nettles, dandelion, alfalfa, and different sea vegetable: Spirulina, chlorella, dulse, and nori. Great for gentle detoxification and increased energy.

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