More Lame (and Wrong) Advice from the American Heart Association

The AHA released new guidelines in November that urge people to fill up on produce and whole grains, break a sweat for at least 40 minutes a few times a week, and keep cholesterol in check.   While I agree with the exercise part…the rest is just wrong!

Fill up on grains and veggies? Really?  How does this help us avoid heart disease?  It doesn’t!  If you fill up on grains and veggies you eat up eating mostly carbs- the CAUSE of heart disease!   Vegetables and fruits are an important part of the diet as they contain nutrients, fiber. enzymes and moisture that we need.  Grains have no place in the diet as they are 95% carbohydrate and devoid of nutrients.  I think of them as cardboard, they are mostly vegetable fiber.

Healthy, organic saturated fats are the key to health, along with high quality proteins.  They build an immune system, regulate hormone production, are essential for digestion, slow the absorption of sugars into the bloodstream, help the body detox and give us energy.

Doctors focus on lowering our cholesterol is misguided and based on obsolete nutrition advice.  High cholesterol is healthy.  It is the ratio between HDL and LDL’s that are crucial.  High LDL’s are dangerous to our health.  They are caused by heated vegetable oils, gluten containing foods, sugars in the diet.  HDL’s are they good fats (saturated) and we need for them to be much higher in the bloodstream than LDL”s.

The most important aspect of HDL’s levels are positive protective HDL levels. It is known and has been repeatedly borne out that the HDL level is inversely related to the triglyceride level.  The triglyceride level is a key indicator because it is directly related to the amount of carbohydrates consumed as a function of exercise.  The more carbohydrates, of any kind, the patient consumes, the higher the triglyceride levels and the lower the HDL.  Lipid panels to tell you whether you are consuming too many carbohydrates for your activity level.  If you are, the total cholesterol level will be more than double the triglycerides and the HDL will be low.  You need to vigorously correct this by lowering your carbohydrate intake (yes, even grains and fruit) and encouraging more exercise or physical activity.

Very high LDL levels often indicate there is oxidative stress or a liver imbalance.

So here are my recommendations for avoiding, or reversing, heart disease;

• Eat a diet balanced with fat, protein and carbs-  Roughly 1/3 of your calories should come from each of these categories.
• Eliminate all grains and any dairy except raw milk or butter.
• Eat on grass fed meats and organic cage free eggs.
• Avoid heating or cooking with vegetable oils.
• Cook with organic butter or other animal fats.
• Eat 2000 calories a day, more if weight training, extremely active, pregnant of lactating…them more calories are required.
• Include fresh vegetable juices and traditional bone stocks daily.
• Exercise EVERY day, at least 30 minutes..something that gets your heart rate up- swimming, yoga, dancing, walking briskly, sex, running…

A perfect day would look like this;

                 
1/2   teaspoon  butter
3      slices  bacon
1     each  banana
1     cup  blueberries
10   ounces  coconut water
6     ounces  salmon
3     tablespoons  onions
2     cups  kale
1/2  teaspoon  butter
6     ounces  hamburger
2     cups  swiss chard
3     slices  tomato
2     cups  Traditional Bone Stock
1     teaspoon  almonds
12   ounces  Vegetable juice
                           

This will meet every single nutrient level you require, including calcium and iron.