Or something like that. (article is two years old, so I'm sure there have been a zillion studies that contradict what this article says....)

quote:

But two studies in The Lancet on nutrition and cardiovascular health—examining which diets made people most prone to develop or even die from major heart-related diseases—are shedding some light on the situation. Their conclusions? While we’ve long been told we should lay off the fat, the new studies support the growing school of thought that too many carbohydrates pose the real threat. And while we should still try to consume fruits and vegetables—preferably raw—we may need fewer servings per day than the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) currently recommends.

“The American Heart Association recommends that you keep your total fat consumption to less than 30 percent of total calories, and to keep your saturated fat to less than 10 percent of calories,” says Dr. Sonia Anand, the director of the population genomics program at Canada’s McMaster University and an author on the studies. But Anand and her colleagues argue that current research fails to support the idea that saturated fat is the real heart killer. “This study adds a whole large data set for such bodies to consider," she says. "And it may be time to revise that recommendation.”

In other words, despite the heart-friendly label on your favorite box of cereal, the contents might actually be doing your cardiovascular health more harm than good.

https://getpocket.com/explore/...source=pocket-newtab

Way ahead of you…

I'd love to eat that Doug!

Not sure what saturated vs regular fat means.

Saturated fat = all the good stuff, mostly comes from animals.

quote:

Examples of foods with saturated fat are:

fatty beef,
lamb,
pork,
poultry with skin,
beef fat (tallow),
lard and cream,
butter,
cheese and
other dairy products made from whole or reduced-fat (2 percent) milk.

In addition, many baked goods and fried foods can contain high levels of saturated fats. Some plant-based oils, such as palm oil, palm kernel oil and coconut oil, also contain primarily saturated fats, but do not contain cholesterol.

https://www.heart.org/en/healt.../fats/saturated-fats

Here's what my lipidologist says. (I have high cholesterol and high triglycerides.)

Get rid of carbohydrates, as much as you can. Eat high fat rather than low fat dairy. Eat as much steak as you want. (She said those exact words about steak.) Stay away from coconut, because of the particular chemical composition.

She doesn't even like certain "healthy" carbs. She doesn't like whole grain things, although, because of the fiber, they're better than refined grains. She doesn't like beans either. (But I can eat as much tofu as I want.)

I'm losing weight like crazy (nearly two pounds per week since she shifted my diet). We'll see what it eventually does to my blood chemistry.

If you'd like a book on this theory, a friend recommended Why We Get Fat to me many years ago. It subscribes to the philosophy that carbs are the enemy.

Oh, I suppose I should mention two further things.

One, she did VERY specific testing on cholesterol. It turns out that I process cholesterol that I eat very efficiently, it's the cholosterol my liver makes that's the problem. (Which is part of Why We Get Fat.)

And two, she believes in testing triglycerides on a NON-FASTING basis, which seems to be against what the cardiologists say. Her theory? Triglycerides clog up your arteries. She wants to know what the level is during the 8-12 hours a day that you're digesting food, not what they are after you've stopped eating for 8 hours.

I was only kidding about eat whatever you want though I have to admit that's kinda been my lifelong mantra. I can't say I eat whatever I want, and things have certainly changed for me as I've aged, but like some of my ancestors, I eat stuff (I'm looking at you, carbs and saturated fat) that the experts say you shouldn't and it doesn't seem to have adverse effects on me.

I should check Why We Get Fat out for my better half. He gains/holds weight like crazy and I've always suspected carbs.

His thyroid levels have always been normal, but his metabolism seems to operate at sub-glacial speeds. We eat the same foods for the most part and even the same portion sizes, yet I weigh 50 lbs less than he does. Go figure.

His cholesterol is a little high (total cholesterol maybe 230 with decent HDL/LDL ratios) and his fasting triglycerides are normal. The cholesterol comes down to normal levels (180 total) when he takes plant sterols and stanols (Cholestoff Plus) with each meal. His A1C is 4.7% and his glucose is normal; always has been. Normal/low blood pressure. Pulse rate is in the 40s and he doesn't exercise. At all.

It really speaks to how different we all are when it comes to how we process food.

I'll check out the book. Thanks!

I read above. But still confusing to me.

Sounds like it must be confusing to those in the know as well.

Glad you are doing well, Q.

I also try to eat very little carbohydrate, chiefly I try to avoid or eat only small portions of rice, pasta, bread, noodle, that sort of stuff. I find that as I age, I get full rather easily when I eat. But I like varieties and carb tends to take up a lot of "space". So I reduce carb to "make room" for other stuff.

I also don't eat as much fat as much as I used to, because I found that as I age, "too much fat" increases the likelihood of acid reflux.

So somewhere between reduced appetite, fondness for varieties, and heartburn avoidance, I sort of settle into the "low carb, low fat" zone that seems to fit modern dietary guidelines.

I used to pay more attention to cholesterol content in foods, but after reading nutrition labels for a while I notice that not many things have high cholesterol anyway, so I stopped paying as much attention to cholesterol.

quote:

Originally posted by wtg:
His cholesterol is a little high (total cholesterol maybe 230 with decent HDL/LDL ratios) and his fasting triglycerides are normal.

My triglycerides are very good on a fasting basis, but bad (different scale) on a non-fasting basis.

I also have high markers of inflammation, which she also believes are related to carbs.

My lipids (analyzed by a lipid specialists - then head of the dept at Johns Hopkins) said much the same to me about my condition as Quirt's did to him - especially about my body manufacturing excess lipids.

Interesting about the triglycerides tested fasting or not fasting, though. Maybe I'll try it that way next time though I fear being forced to take statins which thus far I've been allowed to forgo with the understanding, that it leaves me at much greater risk of a "cardiac event".

I eat minimum fatty meats, though, prefering to follow my cardiologist's advice to eat fatty fish. Since that last appt, I've stocked up on canned salmon, sardines, and also aim at smoked salmon instead of other fish. (What do do with all the tilapia I loved? Turns out it's way too low in fat, though the protein is excellent.)

Avocados have become a staple too, but have to avoid going overboard. My metabolism has gone to hell.

My greatest challenge, especially in the summer is that I adore summertime fruit (peaches, nectarines, cherries, blueberries, blackberries!) and it dawned on me belatedly that additively, that's a LOT of sugar.

Trying to cut down, though it will be easier soon when they turn mealy as they go out of season (nectarines and peaches especially) .

(Anybody else notice peaches and nectarines are MUCH more unpredictable this year? I'm returning another bag soon - they used to be fine until the end of the season.)

I guess fruit is my favorite food, but I know deep down I've been overdoing it and I'll bet it's doing a number on my insulin (and hence appetite, etc.).

That high-protein high-fat low-(zero)-carb diet is roughly what my ex was on after her bariatric surgery. She discovered a lot of "hidden sugar" in things like BBQ sauce.

I have cut way back on carbs... or at least starches, and it has helped. But I still have a bowl of cheerios in the morning and a sandwich (whole wheat bread) for lunch.

My new doctor (whom I like and trust unlike the last three) wants me to see a nutritionist just to help me get a better understanding of what I'm eating.

My one concern about all these specialists is that they are just that -- specialists. You need someone who is looking at the big picture.

Vegetables.

quote:

Originally posted by pianojuggler:

My one concern about all these specialists is that they are just that -- specialists. You need someone who is looking at the big picture.

That is one of my misgivings about the lipidologist. When she says, eat all the steak you want, I think to myself, isn't red meat associated with cancer? But, she has a specialty, it's only natural that her focus on is addressing that speciaity. I figure that it's on me, since I am the whole patient, to make sure that someone is balancing all of the concerns about the whole patient.

quote:

Originally posted by QuirtEvans:
isn't red meat associated with cancer?

I remember reading about that but IIRC it was mostly about meat that had been grilled at high temps.

How do you like boiled steak?