# Treating cholesterol/triglycerides/REAL FOOD resources?



## Dusky Beauty (Jan 4, 2012)

DH had to undergo a Hep C screening a couple weeks ago for a work thing, and the clinic pointed out her had elevated fatty liver enzymes (no surprise here..)

He's been to see his GP and is having blood work tomorrow. 

Knowing he is 100+ overweight, and 31, I anticipate he is going to get word that he has elevated Triglycerides, some insulin resistance, probably high cholesterol. 

The doc handed him a public domain PDF print out of foods to avoid, and "ok" foods-- and some of the "ok foods" are absolutely NOT ok to us-- like artificial sweeteners, margarine, and fat free milk. 

Sorry, but farming has spoiled us, and I don't think any of those items are chemically "good" for us. 

I wonder if anyone has any resources that take what our community knows about real/natural/organic/raw foods, and translates it to a good healthy eating plan. 

I am thinking of tweaking a diabetic/primal type diet to include real (natural) low glycemic sweetening agents (stevia, agave, occaisional raw honey and maple syrup in moderation), raw milk products from our goats and cows, and almost no bread/rice products. 
We are about halfway there in our home food already. Most of my desserts are minimal carbs, and I only serve one carbohydrate rich side with dinner-- I made this change watching my mom have serious diabetic complications that last year. "Real dessert" is a once a week or less thing. 

DH is giving up his near daily fast food habit, soda of all kinds, salt, and caffeine out of the gate. 

Are we on the right track here?


----------



## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

I've lost about 40 pounds since May 12. I started with a 10-day fresh fruit and vegetable juice fast and then essentially switched to juice all day and dinner heavy on vegetables with some lean meat. I sometimes have a sprinkle of cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and maybe some croutons, but basically stay away from those, as well as sugar, grains and caffeine. My fats are all from eggs, meats, olives and avocados.

I don't know my numbers but several years ago they were "high normal". I was told by an NP that losing weight and taking fish oil would put me into the "normal" ranges.

I was 331 pounds when I started, so well over 100 pounds overweight for my height based on the charts.


----------



## Dusky Beauty (Jan 4, 2012)

Good for you Whodunit!!

Since we have a lot of obesity and diabetes risk factors in the family, I want to make changes in the entire pantry for the whole family-- I have 3 children under 10 and one on the way. 
I'm looking for "forever" substitutes and changes that I can nourish everyone on.
DH has done drastic solo diets before and he always loses steam after a month or two : / 

I feel that good whole food home cooking is the answer to breaking the cycle of defeat, and descent into fast food as soon as he's out of the house. I can also stand to lose about 60 lbs post baby. I'm going to get a lot more drastic with my potatoes, breads and sweets on my plate.


----------



## Taylor R. (Apr 3, 2013)

The fats in real food are SO much better for you than the hydrogenated crap in most processed foods. Moderation is key. Serve only one serving of grass-fed or pastured meat or poultry (2 oz), add in LOTS of veggies (fresh or preserved with little salt), and stick to whole grains. I use a lot of 'sweet' veggies in desserts even. When you can, substitute healthy fats like coconut oil in place of butter to lower animal fat intake, do it. My kids doc despises that fact that I refuse to serve low-fat dairy products, but I'm a firm believer that by eating those fats in moderation, overall well-being is improved by not eating processed junk.

Though my husband is a healthy weight, since we've changed to a more natural diet, he's lost almost all of his belly fat, my seven year old (who was not overweight, but was squishier than I'd like and less active than she needed to be) is doing wonderful, and my younger two kids (who have both always been small for their ages) are within their normal weight ranges for the first time ever.


----------



## Dusky Beauty (Jan 4, 2012)

Adding coconut oil to my shopping list-- also a new bottle of agave syrup-- I've been adding it to my iced tea for a while and love the stuff, DH shrugged it off and wouldn't try it till I made him some agave sweetened homemade raw yogurt with his lunch. One little teaspoon goes SO far!


----------



## unregistered41671 (Dec 29, 2009)

I have read that ground flaxseed really helps getting cholesterol levels down.


----------



## Hardwarehank (Feb 28, 2013)

You're definitely on the right track if you decide to go with a primal diet/lifestyle. Here's some information you may already know and some you may not.

Elevated triglycerides are due to eating too much sugar/starch like wheat. So to get those down cut out excess carbohydrate intake. My triglycerides are somewhere below 40 according to my last blood test and I only average around 100 grams of carbs or less a day and most of that is from high fiber vegetables like broccoli, leafy greens, etc. 

This paragraph is more directed at Taylor and any rudeness in the tone of the paragraph is more directed at the people who put these ideas into her head rather than at her. One word that needs to be used more in moderation is moderation. Nothing wrong at all with animal fat from high quality meat sources raised naturally. Too many people parroting the notion that eating animal fats(and meat, 2 oz is a serving? Not in my world) in moderation or avoiding them altogether is the way to go. Why are animal fats bad or to be limited? Because someone said so? A lot of people seem to think whole grains are really good for them for the exact same reason, because someone told them so(usually a tv/magazine ad, or some sellout hawking bird feed for human consumption to sell nutritionally bankrupt food for big $$$). 

If you have a good source of sardines and he likes those I would definitely recommend eating them on a regular basis.

I would also not be too concerned with his overall cholesterol numbers. Much of the propaganda surrounding cholesterol is to get people to buy into the idea that they need to be given medicine which shuts down many vital processes in your body. One of which is to block your body's ability to create cholesterol, a substance that every cell in your body needs(all cell walls are comprised of cholesterol, nerve cell myelin sheaths are made of cholesterol, hormones are synthesized from cholesterol) which is why every cell in your body is capable of making some(most of it produced in the liver). We create much more cholesterol than we can even consume in a day so dietary cholesterol is a non-factor. Why would your body create something that is purported to kill you? Nature doesn't work like that and our bodies aren't that stupid.

Help keep your hubbies triglycerides down below 75(easily done) and increase his HDL to an even number or better than triglycerides and everything else will fall into place. 

I am no doctor and am just a stranger on the internet but I highly recommend he stays away from cholesterol medicine(poison) lest you want him to risk having chronic muscle fatigue/pain(body unable or hindered in ability to synthesize Coenzyme Q10, which ironically is a very important nutrient for heart health) or to risk possible dementia in his later(or sooner) years or to have a reliance on viagra(no cholesterol, no testosterone).


----------



## Mid Tn Mama (May 11, 2002)

I agree with you that everything in moderation will help. My doctor says that exercise even trumps diet. This means that you can have a really good diet, but if you are not exercising that will make it really hard to be healthy. Exercise has SOOO many benefits to diabetics also.

I'm not saying that you need to be extreme as being a vegan, but there are considerable studies that a vegan diet can not only reduce cholesterol but reverse heart disease. I could not sustain something like this or a paleo diet, but I do get a lot of good recipes from there.

Beans are a good way to reduce cholesterol whether or not you become a vegetarian. Also, look at serving sizes--you may be surprised what a correct serving size is. A deck of cards for meat serving and a 2 dice cube for cheese. We have changed the ratio of pasta to spaghetti--only one fourth of your plate should be pasta.

I know many people who have made much progress by switching to whole grains and cutting out all processed foods. I try to make sourdough bread instead of buying bread--look at tightwad tips for my quotes on gluten intolerance and traditional food processing....

I sweeten foods with fruit instead of sugar and never drink juice or soda. I've even reduced the amount of fruit I eat with more vegetables because of the better nutrients and cost. I cook everything with olive oil, but try to cook without oil as much as possible. My bread, for instance, is French bread and has no oil in it.

Best of luck.


----------



## Mid Tn Mama (May 11, 2002)

Meant to give you these two links for good, healthy recipes:

http://www.forksoverknives.com/

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/


----------



## alpacaspinner (Feb 5, 2012)

Taylor R. said:


> The fats in real food are SO much better for you than the hydrogenated crap in most processed foods. Moderation is key. Serve only one serving of grass-fed or pastured meat or poultry (2 oz), add in LOTS of veggies (fresh or preserved with little salt), and stick to whole grains. I use a lot of 'sweet' veggies in desserts even. *When you can, substitute healthy fats like coconut oil in place of butter to lower animal fat intake*, do it. My kids doc despises that fact that I refuse to serve low-fat dairy products, but I'm a firm believer that by eating those fats in moderation, overall well-being is improved by not eating processed junk.
> 
> Though my husband is a healthy weight, since we've changed to a more natural diet, he's lost almost all of his belly fat, my seven year old (who was not overweight, but was squishier than I'd like and less active than she needed to be) is doing wonderful, and my younger two kids (who have both always been small for their ages) are within their normal weight ranges for the first time ever.


What would be the purpose of this change? If you are scared of saturated fat then you should avoid both butter and coconut oil, as they are both saturated. In my opinion, however, saturated fat has got a bad rap, and I would not (and do not) avoid either. Look into low carb eating; cutting out grains and sugars entirely, and cutting way down on starchy vegetables has been beneficial for many people trying to lose weight and become healthier. Especially if diabetes is an issue, or could become one.


----------



## alpacaspinner (Feb 5, 2012)

Sorry, double post


----------



## alpacaspinner (Feb 5, 2012)

> I am thinking of tweaking a diabetic/primal type diet to include real (natural) low glycemic sweetening agents (stevia, *agave*, occaisional raw honey and maple syrup in moderation), raw milk products from our goats and cows, and almost no bread/rice products.


Agave is not as healthy as we have been led to believe. It is, indeed, pretty much the same as high fructose syrup, but with a better publicity agent.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/a.../Agave-A-Triumph-of-Marketing-over-Truth.aspx


----------



## Taylor R. (Apr 3, 2013)

alpacaspinner, in regards to your question, you're absolutely right that both are saturated fats and they've been demonized, and coconut oil is actually higher in fat and calorie content per tablespoon, but is higher in beneficial fatty acids as well which may help reduce 'bad cholesterol' levels (though butter actually has a lot of medium chain fatty acids that are also beneficial). Animal fats contain trans fats, which tend to increase bad cholesterol levels as well. Plant fats in general are higher in healthful fatty acids. You'll use butter on your toast and probably not coconut oil, so by substituting it where it doesn't make much difference, you get the healthful benefits of both, in moderation of course. If I were 'scared' of saturated fats, or trying to avoid them all together, obviously neither would be appropriate. BUT..not all saturated fats are created equal.

Eating a lower-carb diet would definitely help lower tri-glyceride levels, and help lose weight, but it won't help cholesterol levels. If cholesterol levels are a problem, than lowering your trans fat intake (from animal fats and also from hydrogenated fats) will help.


----------



## Hardwarehank (Feb 28, 2013)

Taylor R. said:


> alpacaspinner, in regards to your question, you're absolutely right that both are saturated fats and they've been demonized, and coconut oil is actually higher in fat and calorie content per tablespoon, but is higher in beneficial fatty acids as well which may help reduce 'bad cholesterol' levels (though butter actually has a lot of medium chain fatty acids that are also beneficial). Animal fats contain trans fats, which tend to increase bad cholesterol levels as well. Plant fats in general are higher in healthful fatty acids. You'll use butter on your toast and probably not coconut oil, so by substituting it where it doesn't make much difference, you get the healthful benefits of both(Not sure what to make of this, are you trying to say that bread is good for you and that by virtue of eating the bread it makes eating the butter ok? In moderation of course), in moderation of course. If I were 'scared' of saturated fats, or trying to avoid them all together, obviously neither would be appropriate. BUT..not all saturated fats are created equal.
> 
> Eating a lower-carb diet would definitely help lower tri-glyceride levels, and help lose weight, but it won't help cholesterol levels. If cholesterol levels are a problem, than lowering your trans fat intake (from animal fats and also from hydrogenated fats) will help.


It appears you are not aware that the trans fat which occurs naturally(we can create our own with healthy gut flora, there go our bodies, trying to kill us again) in animal fats are actually healthful, unlike trans fats created in a factory.

Unless you have abnormally high cholesterol levels(we're talking 400+ total cholesterol) as a result of a genetic disorder then there's not much to worry about total cholesterol. It's your triglyceride to hdl ratio's that matter. 

I find it interesting that eating to lower triglyceride levels, which also helps you lose weight(don't disagree with you there) would not have any effect on your cholesterol levels(which I've already explained don't really matter if you are controlling your triglycerides). They are closely tied together. If you're eating to control triglycerides that means you're eating less carbohydrates, which means you have to get your calories from somewhere. One would assume those sources to be comprised of protein and fat(hopefully the fat is from high quality animals or coconut oil).

It might be helpful if you were more specific in your claim about plant fats generally being more healthful. I assume you mean the omega 3's(I hope you don't mean omega 6's) found in plants(of which most are ala or alpha linoleic acid, while being an essential fatty acid, we don't need quite that much unlike epa or dha which are found in adequate amounts in the right animal sources), which if any fat should be consumed in moderation are polyunsaturated fats like omega 3's and omega 6's due to their propensity to oxidize outside and inside your body which can lead to elevated cancer risk. I would agree that olive oil is some ---- good stuff to eat. I would vehemently disagree that soybean oil or canola oil or any other chemically extracted oil are good for your health due to their disproportionate makeup of unstable polyunsaturated fats.

I just want to point out that there is no, I repeat no incontrovertible proof that animal fats and saturated fats are harmful and cause heart disease. http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/skinny-on-fats

Your posts on fat and cholesterol read like the Mayo clinic's webpage, full of lies and half truths(not saying you're lying or meaning to mislead people but your knowledge was gleaned from dishonest or ignorant sources).


----------



## Taylor R. (Apr 3, 2013)

Really..I'm not even going to go there. It would be rude to hijack the thread with this debate.


----------



## Hardwarehank (Feb 28, 2013)

The OP asked if she was on the right track. I and others(like alpacaspinner) are affirming or helping to define what the right track might be. I don't feel it is a derailment(although I just realized this thread was started in April :ashamed. I wouldn't consider it rude to have this debate. Hope things are going well in your household Dusky Beauty, maybe an update is in order? 

I would also echo alpacspinner's recommendation on avoiding agave nectar for the same reasons as drinking soda or fruit juice are bad, the high concentrations of unmitigated fructose which leads to metabolic syndrome. 

Although a teaspoon at a time probably won't amount to much(assuming it's not multiple teaspoons in a day or something like that)... raw honey is a much better sweetener with all of the accompanying enzymes, organic compounds and possible seasonal allergy alleviating properties.


----------

