This is the fifth and
last in the mini-series on “knowing your fats.” In this series I have quoted
extensively from, “The Skinny on Fats,” originally published in 2000 by the
Weston A. Price Foundation and then incorporated into a cookbook, “Nourishing
Traditions.” It was written by Sally Fallon, founder and president, and Mary
Enig, PhD. This quotation from “The Skinny on Fats” is titled, “The Cause and
Treatment of Heart Disease.”
“The cause of heart disease
is not animal fats and cholesterol but rather a number of factors inherent in
modern diets, including excess consumption of vegetables oils and hydrogenated
[i.e trans]
fats; excess consumption of refined carbohydrates in the form of sugar and
white flour; mineral deficiencies, particularly low levels of protective
magnesium and iodine; deficiencies of vitamins, particularly of vitamin C,
needed for the integrity of the blood vessel walls, and of antioxidants like
selenium and vitamin E, which protect us from free radicals; and, finally, the
disappearance of antimicrobial fats from the food supply, namely, animal fats
and tropical oils.52
These once protected us against the kinds of viruses and bacteria that have
been associated with the onset of pathogenic plaque leading to heart disease.
While serum cholesterol
levels provide an inaccurate indication of future heart disease, a high level
of a substance called homocysteine in the blood has been positively correlated
with pathological buildup of plaque in the arteries and the tendency to form
clots—a deadly combination. Folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12
and choline are nutrients that lower serum homocysteine levels.53
These nutrients are found mostly in animal foods.
The best way to treat heart
disease, then, is not to focus on lowering cholesterol—either by drugs or
diet—but to consume a diet that provides animal foods rich in vitamins B6
and B12; to bolster thyroid function by daily use of natural sea
salt, a good source of usable iodine; to avoid vitamin and mineral deficiencies
that make the artery walls more prone to ruptures and the buildup of plaque; to
include the antimicrobial fats in the diet; and to eliminate processed foods
containing refined carbohydrates, oxidized cholesterol and
free-radical-containing vegetable oils that cause the body to need constant
repair.” End of quote. Please see the Foundation website referred to above for
the footnote references.
While there is not perfect
concordance among the various leaders in the medical and scientific community
(and even popular authors like Michael Pollan) on what to eat to avoid the
Diseases of Civilization, there are remarkable similarities. Gary Taubes, and Kurt Harris, M. D., and Mary
Enig, PhD, are among my favorites, but they are just a few of hundreds of
authoritative resources in this emerging field. If we keep an open mind, we
should all benefit from the knowledge that is becoming available.
This is especially true 1) when
convenience dictates labor-saving prepared foods and fast-food solutions, 2) when
cost is the primary driver of decisions we make at the supermarket, 3) when
deceptive, misleading advertising influences the food choices we make, and 4)
when agri-business has so much at stake in promoting the sale of new versions
of processed foods. The result: the very foods that are billed as “heart-healthy”
are in fact the ones that will lead us down the path to the modern Diseases of
Civilization: metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart
disease.
To avoid these outcomes, we
need to take control of our own health. We have to learn how to “eat healthy.” And then we have to do it. Thus, we will continue to explore real food: What to eat. What
not to eat, and Why.
To get started and to
monitor your progress, you should have a baseline lipid (cholesterol) profile. Ask
your doctor for a copy of your most recent lipid panel, or have him/her order
one for you. Then show them column #25 in this series: “Understanding Your
Lipid Profile” and discuss your profile in that context. Ask your doctor is he/she
agrees with my analysis. And ask if it would matter to them what you ate so
long as you achieved that kind of outcome in just a few months. I did, and you
could too, if you change what you eat and follow a LCHF Way of Eating
carefully.
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