High blood cholesterol has virtually nothing to do with eating cholesterol. There are people who eat lots of cholesterol and have low blood cholesterol, and people who eat low cholesterol and have high blood cholesterol. The dietary cholesterol-blood cholesterol link is a major misconception that prevents people from eating some of the healthiest foods like eggs, whole milk, and meat.
Cholesterol is an essential substance found in many parts of the body especially the brain. Some cholesterol circulates in the bloodstream, and 85% of this blood cholesterol comes from the liver, only 15% from diet. High blood cholesterol levels come from increased cholesterol released by the body into the bloodstream when it is imbalanced/diseased/etc., not from eating steak or an egg. In other words, if you have high cholesterol look at your overall health - essential fat imbalances, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc. And eat as many egg yolks (preferably raw and only organic omega-3) as you want. The cholesterol in these is good for you, great for your brain.
Also, cholesterol comes in two forms, good and bad HDL and LDL. That's another story...
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Causes of heart disease
Heart disease has been killing Americans in droves for the last several decades. A quadruple bypass has become a common procedure. While recent studies have shown cave men also had clogged arteries, this disease is affecting younger and younger people. Some of the major causes of the recent epidemic of heart disease are:
a) Lack of eating greens like spinach in an industrial age diet. Spinach and certain other greens contain TMG which greatly reduces homocysteine, the natural byproduct of digesting meat that scrapes arteries. Homocysteine has been likened to "thousands of tiny bits of glass" running through the bloodstream. As the body heals the scraped arterial walls with scar tissue, it also clogs them.
b) Trans fats. These are industrial fats ("partially-hydrogenated oils") that are artificially altered to make them last longer. They are now illegal in New York City and generally considered poison. Whole Foods refuses to sell them. Yet anybody who lived through the 70s, 80s and 90s ate a lot of them. They were in everything from McDonald's to Little Debbie's to plain old Wesson oil. Trans fats have been strongly linked to heart disease. Incidentally, because they happen to be saturated fats, they unduly gave saturated fat a bad name.
a) Lack of eating greens like spinach in an industrial age diet. Spinach and certain other greens contain TMG which greatly reduces homocysteine, the natural byproduct of digesting meat that scrapes arteries. Homocysteine has been likened to "thousands of tiny bits of glass" running through the bloodstream. As the body heals the scraped arterial walls with scar tissue, it also clogs them.
b) Trans fats. These are industrial fats ("partially-hydrogenated oils") that are artificially altered to make them last longer. They are now illegal in New York City and generally considered poison. Whole Foods refuses to sell them. Yet anybody who lived through the 70s, 80s and 90s ate a lot of them. They were in everything from McDonald's to Little Debbie's to plain old Wesson oil. Trans fats have been strongly linked to heart disease. Incidentally, because they happen to be saturated fats, they unduly gave saturated fat a bad name.
Counting calories is a waste of time
Counting calories is a waste of time. It is like counting coins without thinking about what kinds of coins they are. What matters is not the number of calories but the type of calories you eat, because different types of calories have very different effects.
The following foods all have about the same calories:
Two tablespoons of sugar
A large chicken breast
A tablespoon of olive oil
Yet each has a completely different effect on the body, in fact a multitude of different effects. For example, the chicken breast cannot be stored as fat. It's impossible. It is highly thermogenic meaning it will heat up the body (which could be good or bad depending on the person). It will also repair muscle and steady blood sugar by triggering glucagon, the anti-insulin. The olive oil can slow some people down or be steady fuel for others. The sugar is too much for most people and will trigger excess insulin resulting in the vicious cycle of high and low blood sugar i.e. hyper- and hypoglycemia.
These are just some of the different effects that these foods have--and all of these effects are much more relevant to nutrition, disease prevention and reversal, and fat loss than the number of calories they contain.
The following foods all have about the same calories:
Two tablespoons of sugar
A large chicken breast
A tablespoon of olive oil
Yet each has a completely different effect on the body, in fact a multitude of different effects. For example, the chicken breast cannot be stored as fat. It's impossible. It is highly thermogenic meaning it will heat up the body (which could be good or bad depending on the person). It will also repair muscle and steady blood sugar by triggering glucagon, the anti-insulin. The olive oil can slow some people down or be steady fuel for others. The sugar is too much for most people and will trigger excess insulin resulting in the vicious cycle of high and low blood sugar i.e. hyper- and hypoglycemia.
These are just some of the different effects that these foods have--and all of these effects are much more relevant to nutrition, disease prevention and reversal, and fat loss than the number of calories they contain.
Where weight loss comes from
I used to think losing fat came from working your butt off. Most people thought that and a lot still do. In the last decade or so, it has become apparent, including a Time magazine cover story, that this is not the case--with an asterisk.
To be sure, losing fat doesn't come from being lazy. And exercise is still essential because it has a major effect on how your body uses food. Not only lack of exercise but the wrong exercise can make it more difficult for your body to use food. But really, the majority of losing fat comes from good eating, which is hard to do because there are so many options people's heads are spinning... but that's another story.
In essence, weight loss is a byproduct of giving your body the right types of fuels that it needs. To do this you have to either a) be lucky, which some people are who are fit without giving much thought to what they eat or b) understand the basics of nutrition. If there is one thing for certain, it is that in nutrition one size does not fit all. Some people need lots of fats, some more carbs and low fat, and most in between. Also, people's needs change over time in both the long and short term. One of the best places to begin is with books that are based on this fact - that one size does not fit all. Books like the Metabolic Effect diet and Metabolic Type Diet are a good start.
To be sure, losing fat doesn't come from being lazy. And exercise is still essential because it has a major effect on how your body uses food. Not only lack of exercise but the wrong exercise can make it more difficult for your body to use food. But really, the majority of losing fat comes from good eating, which is hard to do because there are so many options people's heads are spinning... but that's another story.
In essence, weight loss is a byproduct of giving your body the right types of fuels that it needs. To do this you have to either a) be lucky, which some people are who are fit without giving much thought to what they eat or b) understand the basics of nutrition. If there is one thing for certain, it is that in nutrition one size does not fit all. Some people need lots of fats, some more carbs and low fat, and most in between. Also, people's needs change over time in both the long and short term. One of the best places to begin is with books that are based on this fact - that one size does not fit all. Books like the Metabolic Effect diet and Metabolic Type Diet are a good start.
Situps are a waste of time
Working out out abs (situps, crunches, etc.) is not only often a waste of time but can be counter productive. Neither Arnold Scwharzenegger nor Mark Wahlberg did/do ab work. There are a number of reasons why:
a) Working out your abs does nothing to make your belly thinner. It actually thickens your abs making your belly protrude. The only thing that makes your stomach smaller is losing overall body fat and/or waste through fitness and detox. The body does not "spot reduce" fat in individual areas.
b) Abs are realtively small muscles not even in the top 10 largest in the body. They give very low "bang for the buck" in a workout in terms of growth hormone and thermogenesis. Working out your biggest muscles (quads, lats, glutes, pecs etc.) gives the biggest bang for the buck. Doing hundreds of crunches is like eat lots and lots of lettuce.
c) Abs are worked in numerous other common exercises such as running, military press, curls, i.e. anything requiring the body to stay straight.
There is one exception to not doing abs: for those who already have a "six-pack" due to extremely low body fat and want to make their abs "pop" more through their skin. In essence, they want to make their stomach thicker, the opposite of what 99% of people want to do.
a) Working out your abs does nothing to make your belly thinner. It actually thickens your abs making your belly protrude. The only thing that makes your stomach smaller is losing overall body fat and/or waste through fitness and detox. The body does not "spot reduce" fat in individual areas.
b) Abs are realtively small muscles not even in the top 10 largest in the body. They give very low "bang for the buck" in a workout in terms of growth hormone and thermogenesis. Working out your biggest muscles (quads, lats, glutes, pecs etc.) gives the biggest bang for the buck. Doing hundreds of crunches is like eat lots and lots of lettuce.
c) Abs are worked in numerous other common exercises such as running, military press, curls, i.e. anything requiring the body to stay straight.
There is one exception to not doing abs: for those who already have a "six-pack" due to extremely low body fat and want to make their abs "pop" more through their skin. In essence, they want to make their stomach thicker, the opposite of what 99% of people want to do.
Health
"Health is the religion of those who have no religion."
-Some Canadian philosopher quoted in a museum in Quebec
Maybe so. But health is a good, albeit a relative one.
-Some Canadian philosopher quoted in a museum in Quebec
Maybe so. But health is a good, albeit a relative one.
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