Stop Eating Eggs!

 

Freelee the Banana Girl on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTfvdypnAgg

Low Carb Diets & Cononary Blood Flow - Dr Michael Greger

 

Blood flow within the hearts of those eating low carb diets was compared to those eating plant-based diets.

 

Coconut Oil: Panacea or Artery Clogger? By Rich Roll

This post was orginally blogged by Rich Roll, Febuary 2013 so is not my writings. Check out the post link here: Coconut Oil: Panacea or Artery Clogger? As always I highly recommend all Rich's podcasts and book Finding Ultra. I'm sure you'll find this post informative.

Earlier today, I tweeted the above video from Dr. Michael Greger’s NutritionFacts.org website in which he poses the question: “Does Coconut Oil Clog Arteries?”. Based upon peer reviewed research, Dr. Greger went on to address the saturated fat content of this oil and the health hazards posed.

Then I got slammed with e-mails and tweets. ”So no good on coconut oil?” ”I thought you liked it!” ”Isn’t it a cure-all superfood?” ”The paleo people tell me there’s no issue!” “Now, I’m confused…” and on and on.

So I thought I would expound a bit on where I stand. Disclaimer: this is my personal perspective. Nothing more, nothing less.

First, let me just say (admit?) that I do use coconut oil – sparingly. Yes, it is a saturated fat. But — as I explained in my book Finding Ultra — a significant degree of the saturated fat component of coconut oil is composted of lauric acid, which is (comparatively) quickly and easily metabolized as a very good energy source (and has also shown to be immunity boosting). This means you are likely to burn it for fuel rather than pack it on the waist, provided you are sufficiently active and it isn’t digested along with something high in sugar to supersede & hijack your metabolism first. So yes, paleo folks, I do agree that sugar is a culprit here.

Although I can’t say I use it in coffee as a vegan version of Dave Asprey’s paleo-popular “Bulletproof” coffee (he advises something like a 1/2 stick of grass-fed butter in your morning blend – wait, really? yes, really), I do include coconut oil (again, sparingly) in some of my (vegetable based) Vitamix blends. It’s anti-inflammatory when compared to the saturated fats found in animal foods. It’s the optimal oil to cook with — if you are going to cook with oil — due to the fact that it holds up (does not oxidize) better than other oils at high temperatures (translation – less free radicals). It’s anti-infection and some studies suggest it aids with the absorption of certain vitamins and other nutrients like beta-carotene and some amino acids.

That said, I use it — again, and wait for it — quite sparingly. Then again, I’m probably training more than you are.

Then why sparingly?

Well people, it’s still a saturated fat, one of the few found in the plant kingdom sure, but still a saturated fat — and one that lacks any of those Omega-3′s we’re always trying to get. In my (supported) opinion – hotly debated by the paleo / low carb folks – there is indeed more than a link between dietary saturated fat intake and deleterious health effects, including atherosclerosis. Now the paleo people will likely tell you it’s fine to enjoy your bacon, butter and other foods high in saturated fat like coconut oil. Provided you strictly adhere to their regimen, they will tell you there is no link between such saturated fats and heightened (bad) cholesterol levels or the hardening of the arteries. Then as support, they will refer you to certain isolated indigenous populations like the Inuit, who eat a relatively high degree of saturated fat yet somehow remain healthy. Finally, they will tell you that because coconut oil is comprised (in part) of medium chain triglycerides (MCT’s), this renders it heart-safe, (all points Jeff Novick tackles in the below linked article). Why is paleo so popular right now? One reason just might be that people love to have their bad habits co-signed.

I cannot rubberstamp this perspective. Nor can most of the doctors & nutritional experts I most respect. People like Dr. Greger, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. John McDougall and others all of whom advocate (as Greger does in this video) that the link between dietary saturated fats and such ill effects is more than legit. For certain, you can find medical research debate ongoing here. But I think to completely dismiss this saturated fat / heart disease connection as some kind of quackery, or “a complete joke” — as some in the paleo / low-carb camp would have you believe — is at best misleading and at worst irresponsible. 
 
Particularly when we are in a health care crisis where obesity rates are absurdly high and climbing. According to the CDC, right now 935,000 Americans suffer a heart attack annually, 600,000 of which are fatal. Coronary disease costs $108.9 billion a year in health care costs and lost productivity. Simply put, that is insane.

Certainly, sugar and processed foods are a huge contributory cause. I don’t dispute that. But you cannot reasonably submit that a diet high in saturated fat — in many ways the defining characteristic of the standard American diet — is not also to blame.

In addition, coconut oil as a food is incredibly calorie dense (4 tbsps exceeds the American Heart Association’s RDA for staurated fat), yet poor in nutrient density – a critical variable in calculating the net benefits or detriments of the foods we eat. My friend Jeff Novick, RD goes so far as to say it’s nutritional deficiencies render it the ultimate junk food. Read the hyperlinked piece – it’s a compelling take on this issue.
Remember – we begin working on heart disease when we are very young. Those arteries don’t clog overnight – it’s years in the making and many of us are walking around like ticking time bombs, totally unaware until it has progressed to critical levels.
Healthy, active, fit & trim? Eat a very clean diet already? Cholesterol & blood tests all good? Then fine — some coconut oil in your diet may not be problematic for you and may be a source of some health benefits (beyond the weight & cholesterol debate) such as those I illustrated above. No doubt it’s good for your skin. But opt to lather rather than eat (too much).

The point is that coconut oil is not some kind of miracle cure panacea or a green light to go overboard.

if you are overweight, a candidate for heart disease or in poor health, think twice and consider foregoing the coconut oil. Actually, forget oil altogether.

I hope this helps clarify my personal opinion on this issue.

Peace + Plants,

Rich

The Mediterranean Diet: Healthy Or Complete Myth?

 

The content in this post relies on information from Rip Esseltyn's book, My Beef With Meat.

The Mediterranean diet, packed with platters of fish, tons of cheese salads,  fancy yogurts, lashings of olive oil, all washed down with bottles of red wine is the pinnacle of healthy living and longevity. Think again.

The fact of the matter is, there's no real Mediterranean diet! More than 20 countries border the Mediterranean sea, and they all adopt a completely different diet. Some consume olive oil, fish, feta cheese, drink alcohol, many don't.

Rami Zuraykt (an agriculture professor at the American University in Beirut) suggests, "There is no such thing called the Mediterranean diet; there are Mediterranean diets". most of these diets he continues are rich in fruits and vegetables with lots of fresh produce in them, and there is less meat in them.

Dr Ricardo Gomez-Huelgas (Internal Medicine Department at Hospital Carlos Haya in Malaga) states that, "The prevalence of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol in Spain have all risen at an alarming rate over the past twenty years and this is likely to cause future increases in bad health and death due to cardiovascular disease".

The Mediterranean diet myth is actually based on data post World War II in the 1940s and 1950s where people ate lentils instead of meat because they had no choice. "A lot of it has t do with poverty, not geography says Sami Zubaida, a leading scholar on food and culture.

A study from the 1950s found low rates of heart disease among people living on the island of Crete. These folk did consume fats such as olives, avocadoes and olive oil but their diet was predominately plant-based. Fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, with a small amount of fish. At the time the island was economically depressed recovering from the war. They couldn't afford butter, cheese and meat, but as soon as they could, they got fat. The people of Crete today consume a completely different diet to that of 1950s post-war. Obesity and heart disease has risen steadily since the original study.

We've been lead to believe that the Mediterranean diet is super healthy through clever marketing and advertising pushed down our throats by the food industry. More than half the populations of Italy, Portugal, and Spain are overweight. Greece is now the sixteenth-fattest country in the world, with more than two-thirds of its citizens overweight. Super healthy!

A quick word on our beloved, "heart healthy", Mediterranean diet approved olive oil. It takes about 1,375 squeezed olives to fill a litre bottle of olive oil. It's 100% fat, and almost 120 calories per tablespoon, making it more calorically dense than any other food on the planet. It is 14.5% saturated fat, and contains almost no vitamins and minerals. To get your daily supply of omega-3 fatty acids from the oil used have to drink about a half-pound bottle, around 2,000 calories! 

So, along with the olive oil, ditch the Mediterranean diet myth and go plant-strong! 

Balancing The pH In Your Body: Acid Vs Alkaline

 

Why is the western world so fat and sick? This video describes the bodies constant fight to balance out the pH. Our blood is needs to be between 7.35-7.45 pH, slightly alkaline. The body draws nutrients from the food it digests, which either acidify or alkalise the blood. When there is not enough nutrients to keep the blood slightly alkaline, the body leaches minerals from the bones and other places. For example, calcium is drawn from the bones to counteract all the calcium rich dairy consumed!

 

Stomach acid is 1 on the scale. Soft drinks, 2.5. Coffee, 3. Blood, 7.35-.45. Sea water, 8.5. Baking soda, 12.  

 

Diets high in animal products and caffeinated drinks are very acid forming, opposed to fruits and vegetables which alkalise. The high water content, vitamins and minerals in fruit and vegetables help to alkalise and balance the pH in the body. They take roughly and hour to digest, compared to a piece of meat which can take days!

Oil: Health Food Or Junk Food?

Oil is one of the first ingredients you see when looking at a recipe. Olive, sunflower, canola, coconut, sesame, peanut, walnut, the list is endless.

These days you will see heart healthy margarine spreads made with extra-virgin olive oil and even junk foods like crisps donning a little logo saying, "Made with high-oleic sunflower oil". It's correct, oil has become a 'health' food.

Claims are made that olive oil reduces the risk of heart disease, aids digestion and has anti-aging proporities. It reduces the 'bad' cholesterol (LDL) and boosts the 'good' cholesterol (HDL). Some suggest coconut oil helps weight loss and also boost metabolism.

What's the real deal though?

Well, popular to mainstream belief these oils aren't all they're cracked up to be, especially when trying to combat the biggest killer in America and the UK, heart disease.

The NHS states:

"Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the UK's biggest killer, causing around 82,000 deaths each year. About one in five men and one in eight women die from the disease".

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Coronary-heart-disease/Pages/Introduction.aspx

 

Watch these two videos to understand the facts about oils.

 

Caldwell Esselstyn Jr MD of Cleveland Clinic has shown heart disease can be reversed 100% of the time, using a plant-based diet. Olive oil -- and ANY oil -- increases heart disease, the same way butter does. Looks pretty healthy and lean for an 80 year doesn't he?! 

 

 

 Jeff Novick. OIL TO NUTS.

 

Now, I'm not completely against the consumption of oils. For me if you're going to consume oils I recommend not heating them as some burn at low temperatures and can turn into trans fat (not good!). If you fancy drizzling a small amount onto your salad every so often, feel free. Make sure it's a good quality cold-pressed oil as most of the shop bought ones are refined which filters out nutrients and flavour. Oils are most beneficial when used externally. For example, coconut oil is great for moisturising the hair and skin.

 

If you are trying to lose weight I'd would definately cut out oils. Every gram of fat (no matter what source it comes from) holds 9 calories. One tablespoon of olive oil contains 120 calories! Vice versa, a gram of carbohydrate only has 4 calories, less than half the calories in any fat.

 

How to cook without oil

 

* Use water or vegetable stock to saute or fry. Keep a glass of water on hand in case you need to add more.

 

* When roasting vegetables or potatoes in the oven I like to use lemon juice which adds great flavour and is fat-free.

 

For more oil-free cooking tips check out this site:

http://engine2diet.com/the-daily-beet/guest-post-cooking-without-oil-by-cathy-fisher