Old-school fat philosophy is dangerous

We have all been told repeatedly not to eat fat, as a high fat diet will cause a rise in harmful cholesterol, leading to a heart attack.

This conclusion is too black and white, too rigid, and simply not the truth.

While every human needs fat and cholesterol to survive, it is the type of fat which is critical, not how much of it you consume.

Trans fats (found in fried food and many highly-processed foods) and excess saturated fats promote unhealthy cholesterol and are major triggers of inflammation. Healthy fats, such as Omega 3, 9 fats, monounsaturated fats and coconut oil and other nutritious oils do not have the same effect.

In fact, these fats are essential for health and can work to reduce cholesterol and inflammation. Your body happily uses these fats for cardiovascular health, brain health, hormone balance, inflammation regulation and more. There are also benefits found in organic red meat and butter, such as vitamin B12 and vitamin E.

The truth is, many people who have heart attacks have normal cholesterol. The myth of high cholesterol as the cause of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and heart disease is slowly being dispelled as new research emerges.

Controlling sugar

The secret culprit of cardiovascular illness and abnormal cholesterol production in today’s world is sugar. Table sugar, high fructose corn syrup and refined flour products all cause blood glucose levels to spike, leading to insulin resistance and chronic inflammation, which are two major contributors to developing heart disease. Blood sugar imbalances (resulting from eating a high carbohydrate, processed food diet) cause your good cholesterol numbers to go down, your triglycerides to go up and inflammation to occur.

Nutrient rich fats

Deficiencies of vitamins A, D, E and the family of B vitamins, most notably B6 and B12, are also primary contributors to heart disease. Where do we get these vitamins and antioxidants? In whole, unprocessed foods and healthy fats, as well as moderate consumption of high quality saturated fats, such as butter. Completely avoiding a small natural steak or pat of butter now and then only means you may be missing out on a concentrated source of essential nutrients.

Similarly to fat, all cholesterol is not created equal. There’s the good and the bad, the HDL and the LDL. However, what type of LDL (bad) cholesterol particles you have is also more important than the amount. Bigger is better – large, fluffy LDL particles are practically harmless to your arteries, whereas small, dense particles easily penetrate your arteries. The body’s immune system then responds, causing the arteries to become inflamed, in turn creating hardened plaque (atherosclerosis).

A study from Harvard Medical School found that people with high levels of C-reactive protein (indicating inflammation) had higher risks of heart disease than people with high cholesterol. The dangerous issue with cholesterol is when it becomes oxidized from chronic inflammation, toxins, free radicals, etc, creating a viscous cycle of inflammation throughout the cardiovascular system.

In order to maintain cardiovascular health and the health of your entire body, it is important to reduce and control your levels of inflammation with diet, supplements and proper stress relief.

Limiting white, refined carbs and processed foods containing rancid vegetable oils (trans fats) will help your body to reduce inflammation levels so it can heal all chronically inflamed tissues. A balanced, whole foods diet can help stabilize blood sugar and assist your body’s healing process. Enjoying seasonal fruits and vegetables and supplementing with fish oil (a good source of omega 3 fats) B vitamins, along with targeted herbs and nutrients can also control your blood sugar and inflammation, in addition to providing numerous other health benefits as well.