Thursday, December 22, 2011
Jeffrey Anshel, OD
No. Cholesterol is a part of what clogs the arteries, causing heart
disease and stroke. It’s a disease called arteriosclerosis. Cholesterol
and saturated fat are not directly related, but they are indirectly related.
Cholesterol is produced in the liver of animals,
including human livers, and animal meat is mostly saturated fat, especially
land animals such as chicken and lamb. So, eating animal meat, which is high in
saturated fat and cholesterol and causes arteriosclerosis, but not saturated
fat itself. In fact, saturated fat is part of the cure for this disease that
will take the lives of nearly half of Americans. Yes, when you walk down the
street, look at people: half of them will die of cholesterol in their arteries,
heart attack or stroke. It’s totally unnecessary and easily avoided by
simple diet upgrades to tastier, healthier foods.
There is a theory presented in Death by
Diet, by Robert Barefoot, which looks greatly at minerals and the acid
vs. alkaline balance in the body. It suggests that our body puts the
cholesterol on the arteries forming a wall to protect it from the acidic
conditions around it. This makes a lot of sense. Acid foods and dark emotions
not released cause acid in the body, with cooked protein leading the list. The
theory is that it’s the acidic conditions in the body causing the disease,
not the cholesterol itself. Yes, it may be the protein in your steak causing
your heart disease, not the fat. By the way, fish is 70% protein vs. beef at
only 27%. Fish is very acidic in the body when cooked.
In their book LifeFood Recipe Book, Annie
Padden Jubb and David Jubb state that 100% of Americans tested are deficient in
essential fats. Chances are pretty good that you are deficient too. That’s
important, because these are essential fats. Our bodies absolutely need them,
and we cannot make them within the body; we must get them from food. That is
what makes them essential – they are only obtained by food and are an
essential part of a healthy diet. Essential fats are very important for proper
hormone balance (which controls your weight levels), for brain functioning
(moods), skin and hair, joint and digestive system lubrication, and more.
Where do we get them?
Essential fats are found most abundantly in flax, hemp
and pumpkin seeds, although they are present in other good fat sources and in
leafy greens. You may also take flax or hemp oils to get your essential fats.
You can also eat flax crackers, grind flax in your smoothies or chomp on hemp
and pumpkin seeds. However, metabolic conversion of these fats is less than
optimum, especially in men. There are other oils that our body needs that come
from a variety of seeds and nuts.
Despite the challenges of maintaining a healthy diet
during the holidays, try to enjoy the company of your friends and remember that
we can enjoy everything – in moderation.
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