Category Archives: Fat

Cholesterol is wrongly accused

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Some food for thought…

“In mammals, not only is cholesterol to be found in every cell but also present in each cell are enzymes for the local production of the compound when needed. Obviously, cholesterol must be a vital material or these enzymes would disappear.

In humans, at the time of birth, even the brain contains the enzymes for producing cholesterol and as a child develops much more cholesterol is added to the central nervous system.”

“If too much cholesterol accumulates in the blood, the liver normally breaks down some of the excess into bile salts which are excreted in the bile. Attempts to lower levels of cholesterol in the blood through fat-free diets or use of polyunsaturated fats may have only a temporary effect since enzymes of the body will synthesize more cholesterol as need arises.

Cholesterol can be formed from the simplest foods, whether they are carbohydrates, proteins, or fats … The rapid synthesis of cholesterol is, in fact, one of nature’s wonders. It appears that by making it possible to start synthesis with simple building blocks nature guarantees that cholesterol will always be available when needed, and a necessary material it is in many ways.”

“Cholesterol is the starting material for the synthesis of adrenal hormones needed for the maintenance of mineral and glucose metabolism and to ready the body for quick action in emergency situations.

“Although the brain and spinal cord account for only 2 percent of total body weight, they contain almost one-forth of the total cholesterol in the body … The skin is also rich in cholesterol, containing about 10 percent of total body stores. Sunlight converts this cholesterol to vitamin D…

Cholesterol is also to be found in the marrow within the bones where blood cells are formed. As it is for the adrenal gland hormones, it is also the starting point for sex hormones.

It is hardly surprising that, since cholesterol is so essential in the body, an attempt… to lower cholesterol levels in the blood by interfering with synthesis of the compound in the body led to blindness and death.”

“Cholesterol is not present in abnormal amounts at the beginning of degenerative processes, only after the processes are well along.”

“Scientists recently have scrutinized the animal feeding experiments done in the past in the light of important new knowledge. They have found that in none of the experiments where the animals fed the large amount of cholesterol in the form in which it occurs naturally in food but instead in the form of crystalline cholesterol or heat-dried egg yolk powder … That makes a vital difference. Once such crystalline or powdered cholesterol is exposed to air, it is changed chemically to form other compounds, some of which are injurious to the lining of arteries.

A significant discovery of modern research is that when an artery lining is normally healthy, cholesterol in the blood moves in and out of the lining, but when the lining is damaged, cholesterol can move in more readily than it can move out, and this happens even when blood cholesterol levels are extremely normal.”

My take…

Cholesterol is an essential nutrient to the livelihood of the human body. Yes, the body can produce it on its own and many argue that is a major reason why we do not need it from the diet, but then there’s the perspective that dietary cholesterol and the lack of it have a great effect on the body’s production of this anti-oxidant (yes, it has protective features!). Furthermore, the diet and lifestyle habits as a whole affect cholesterol production and because of its ability to protect – the shittier the diet, the higher the cholesterol (as one possible example).

Cholesterol isn’t to blame, nor should it be feared and it DEFINITELY shouldn’t be avoided within the diet… unless you want a one-way ticket towards creating disease and self-destruction. Learn more about the body and its defense mechanisms before you go passing judgements based off of false claims and biased research just to sell a few extra statins and cash crops (soy, wheat, corn – what’s up the rise in heart attacks since the early-1900′s introduction of these foods into our diets and the simultaneous avoidance of “artery-blocking” saturated fats… such bullshit).

Quotes: Broda Barnes “Hypo-thyroidism: the unsuspected illness” pgs 169-171

 

If you’d like to discuss this perspective along with other health-related insights, please contact me for a FREE Conversation.

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Define: Free Radicals

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Free radicals are dangerous, right? Here’s what all the hoopla is all about via an excerpt from Bruce Fife’s The Coconut Miracle (and my follow-up)…

“Research over the past three decades has identified free radicals as a key player in the cause and development in degenerative disease and aging. Simply put, a free radical is a renegade molecule that has lost an electron in its outer shell, leaving an unpaired electron. This creates a highly unstable and powerful molecule entity. Free radicals will quickly attack and steal an electron from a neighboring molecule. The second molecule, now with one less electron, becomes a highly reactive free radical itself and pulls an electron off yet another nearby molecule. This process continues in a destructive chain reaction that may affect hundreds and even thousands of molecules.

“Once a molecule becomes a radical, its physical and chemical properties are permanently changed. When this molecule is part of a living cell, it affects the function of the entire cell. Free radicals can attack our cells, literally ripping their protective membranes apart. Sensitive cellular components like the nucleus and DNA, which carry the genetic blueprint of the cell, can be damaged, leading to cellular mutations and death.”

“Today some 60 or so degenerative diseases are recognized as having free-radical involvement in their cause or manifestation.”

“We are exposed to free radicals from the pollutants in the air we breathe and from the chemical additives and toxins in the food we eat and drink. Some free-radical reactions occur as part of the natural process of cellular metabolism. We can’t avoid all the free radicals in our environment, but we can limit them. Cigarette smoke, for example, causes free-radical reactions in the lungs. Certain foods and food additives also promote destructive free-radical reactions that affect the entire body. Limiting your exposure to these free-radical-causing substances will reduce your risk of developing a number of degenerative conditions. In this regard, the types of oil you use have a very pronounced effect on your health, because many oils promote the formation of free radicals.”

What kind of oil is Bruce Fife referring to? Polyunsaturated fatty acid oils, of course! The more unsaturated an oil, the greater an opportunity to form or harbor free radicals. Any exposure to oxygen, light, and [prolonged] heat can oxidize the highly unstable fat molecules in [poly]unsaturated fats. When oxidation occurs, free radicals form.

Take into account all of the highly-unsatuarted oils that are quite possibly in your daily diet: Soy [oil], corn oil, vegetable oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, crisco, canola oil, hydrogenated oil, nuts, seeds, and most raw, above ground vegetables. Check out all of your ingredient labels (food AND drinks) and find out what your frequented restaurants use for cooking oils. How many free radicals do you experience on a daily basis?

You can do the best you can to eliminate free-radical-encouraging-foods from your diet OR another way to slow down their oxidation rate once ingested is by adding a saturated fat to the meal, i.e. coconut oil, butter, beef fat, dairy fat, or palm oil.

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Sunburn: The sun isn’t the problem – you are

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Sunburn sucks. Some of us are genetically blessed that we don’t burn easily or at all, but for most of the unsaturated-fat-eating and vitamin-D-deficient population of the world it’s fairly easy to burn.

Wait, what? How does unsaturated fats and vitamin D have anything to do with sunburn?

Ev-ery-thin-g.

Let’s look at the body on a cellular level…

A cell prefers saturated fat and the accompanying cholesterol to build its walls. Why? Because saturated fats are impermeable (cell can regulate what comes in and out), are stable (will not spoil or collapse at high temperatures such as 98.6 F body temp), and are very sturdy (saturated fats are strong like bull to maintain cell structure).

Not only do saturated fats yield all of these beneficial aspects, but they also absorb (and often provide) vitamin D efficiently. Vitamin D reacts in the skin when it is exposed to light – it is often synthesized from the cholesterol naturally found within the cells (aka saturated fat).

So, where do unsaturated fats fit into the picture?

Unsaturated fats are very unstable at high temperatures and can burn (turn rancid) very easily… get where I’m going here?

The more unsaturated fats than saturated fats in the diet, the more likely a person is to experience sun burn. It’s not a crazy concept considering most of our foods are jam-packed and prepared with crisco, canola oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, vegetable oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, and peanut oil. Olive oil is up there, too, although it is slightly more stable as it is a monounsaturated fat. In a high unsaturated fat diet (more-so the very unstable polyunsaturated fats), a cell has little choice but to build its cell walls with unstable fat molecules (it can use naturally-made cholesterol but it’s not an efficient process when the synthesis is encouraged by a wrong or low fat diet). These unsaturated molecules create a permeable environment AND they can burn easily when exposed to ultra-violet light and/or high temperatures.

When you experience sunburn you are literally cooking your unsaturated-made skin cell walls, oxidizing the fats, and turning them rancid… hence the burning/reddening effect. This also creates a vitamin D deficiency because there isn’t a proper platform for the body to synthesize vitamin D nor absorb it from the sun.

As for sunscreen… take a look at the Banana Boat’s and the Coppertone’s out there and try to read the ingredient list. Whatever you put on your skin you are absorbing right into the blood stream for the liver to detoxify and eliminate through the skin (sweat), breath, or digestive system. This isn’t a good idea… at all… especially for those sun screens that stay put for hours and clog the very pours that are trying to release the crap that’s constantly being absorbed (consumed) by the skin. Put it this way, would you drink the same stuff that you put on your skin or hair? 

Going further with sun screen nazi-ism: A lot of people think they get tired from just sitting in the sun all day, but they fail to realize that they’re also making their body work over time to fight the good fight against the oxidized fats and constant toxin (re)absorption while they’re “relaxing” (that is if they have a diet high in unsaturated fats and use commercial topical applications). This can also create a hypoglycemic state because the body is stressed, and when it’s stressed it rapidly consumes sugar and releases stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline in an attempt to keep the lights on. I know that may sound extreme to some, but it can easily hold water.

There are a few ways you can approach the situation…

  • Add more saturated fats into the diet such as coconut oil and butter
  • Decrease or eliminate intake of unsaturated fatty acids such as vegetable, nut, and seed oils
  • Add saturated fats to an unsaturated fat-based meal to slow down the natural oxidation of the unsaturated fats from the body’s high temperature (i.e. coconut oil, butter, animal meat, whole dairy)
  • Apply coconut oil topically as a sun screen (this will need to be reapplied every hour or so). This is my go-to.
  • Find yourself a better sun screen alternative than the commercial crap out there
  • Limit your time wearing sunglasses – the eyes absorb vitamin D very efficiently and sunglasses block that natural opportunity
  • Stay hydrated with sugar, salt, and/or carbonated-based drinks throughout the day to combat a hormonal stress release (Soda can go a long way on a hot day).

The sun isn’t the problem - you are the problem. We are organisms designed to live under the very thing that helped create us. 

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The fat loss web

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a larger version of the diagram can be found here

As you can see from Fat Loss Web, fat loss is a bit more involved than anything that can be read in a health magazine or diet blog, i.e. Long-distance running, incorporating sprint intervals after a weight training session, performing calorie-burning squats 3x a week, cutting carbs from the diet, increasing daily protein intake, drinking ice-water, or consuming metabolic-stimulants such as caffeine or ginseng. While these have all been promoted as fat-burning practices for some years now (and have worked in some cases), they aren’t necessarily the best approach.

The body wants to survive. What happens when it is in survival mode? Well, fat storage (amongst other processes) And the reasoning (for the sake of today’s post)? (from top left to right)

  • Blood Sugar Imbalances
  • Adrenal Dysfunction (Stress)
  • Gut Dysfunction (Digestion)
  • Thyroid Dysfunction (Metabolism, Digestion)
  • Mind/Body Issues
  • Hormonal Imbalances
  • Cellular Dysfunction (Energy)
  • Brain/Neurotransmitter Dysfunction
  • Immune System Imbalance
  • Liver Dysfunction (Detoxification)

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog about taking fat storage into perspective as a positive occurrence (the body saying, “yo, I’m trying to keep you alive here!”) and this blog is to take that perspective one step further by listing some of the mechanisms that can encourage fat storage (and thus providing a perspective on fat loss)…

  • Not eating enough calories to be alive: Breathe, think, drink/eat, digest/eliminate, move/exercise, and rest/sleep. The body needs enough energy to at least keep the lights on!
  • Over-consuming intestinal-inflammatory foods such as grains (gluten, wheat, corn), beans/legumes (soy), polyunsaturated fats (omega -6′s), dehydrated foods (commercial flour, sugar, salt, meal/protein powders), or raw/uncooked above ground vegetables (a great debate, of course).
  • Over-consuming a nutrient-void diet via refined, packaged, boxed, canned, artificially-made, or commercially-raised foods.
  • Over-consumption of toxins vs. the body’s rate of detoxification via smoking, alcohol, plastic/canned food, skin-applicants (lotions, soaps, make-up, etc.) herbicides, fungicides, pesticides, or air-born toxins (gases, fumes, smoke, etc.).
  • Dehydration and/or Over-hydration: Not consuming enough liquids or over-consuming water, which over-saturate cells and flush them of their vital nutrients.
  • Not sleeping enough/irregular sleeping patterns: 7-8 hours/night and a bed time of 10-11pm to 6-7am are ideal for hormonal patterns.
  • Over-training/over-exercising (this is co-dependent with rest/sleep) – Energy In vs. Energy Out vs. Energy Recovery.
  • Avoiding carbohydrates (sugar) – The body’s primary fuel source are carbohydrates (which are broken down into sugar within the digest system). Avoiding or limiting carbohydrates can cause the body to burn muscle for energy.
  • Avoiding fats (specifically saturated fat) – Dietary fats are required for many hormonal processes, tissue stability, vitamin absorption, and bodily functions.
  • Personal unhappiness and a lack of self responsibility

A common theme? Stress.

Physical, dietary, mental, emotional, and/or spiritual stress. Every single dysfunction and mechanism listed above are stress reactions – symptoms to a greater cause. 

What encourages stress? I will take a wild guess that you already have a good idea as to what is causing your stress. To those who have no clue: take some time to listen to yourself, become aware of your actions and reactions, take note, and reflect.

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What does “fattening” mean?

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In recent weeks (after working at a cafe), I’ve become a little more aware of people’s definitions of and reactions to “fattening” foods…

Oh, I can’t eat that… it’s too fattening.

I’m watching my weight so I need to choose something less fattening to eat – a salad would probably be healthier for me.

A common “fattening food” theme? Fat-based foods such as Butter, Whole Milk, Cream, and Eggs are mainly avoided to be “healthy.”

Why the heck do we correlate Dietary Fat to Body Fat? Are we that brainwashed to believe that once we consume Fat that we will automatically gain fat? The mindset is very interesting to say the least. But hey, I’ve been there – thought that, and I can say from my experience that whenever I avoided “fattening” foods I actually got fatter.

So, what’s really fattening? Carbs? French fries? Sweet Potato Fries? Chips? Blue Non-GMO Corn Chips? Soda? Diet Soda? Natural Soda? White Rice? Brown Rice? Bread? Whole Wheat Bread? Sprouted Bread? Fruit? Juice? 1/2 The Sugar Fruit Juice? Sugar? Brown Sugar? High-Fructose Corn Syrup? Stevia? Aspartame Saturated Fat? Red Meat? Egg Yolks? Bacon? Butter? Whole milk? Cheese? Ice Cream? Chocolate? Not exercising? Watching TV? A lower Glycemic Index Food? Beer? Liquor? 

What CAN we eat that’s NOT fattening?!

Much of what’s “fattening” is based on the individual – not-so-much the food, but how a person consumes (caloric amount/value, nutrient value, environment, emotions, duration, preparation, temperature), digests/assimilates/absorbs (breaks down properly, secretion of digestive enzymes, attain all nutrients available), utilizes (energy efficiency, conversion to cellular energy for proper bodily functions), detoxifies (eliminate dietary/environmental toxins via the liver and kidneys), reacts hormonally (levels of testosterone, progesterone, estrogen, serotonin, glucagon, insulin, leptin, etc.), and excretes the food (healthy BM’s, constipation, diarrhea, food in stool, irregular patterns, etc).

There’s that and then there are environmental stressors: sleeping patterns, work deadlines, school deadlines, relationship burdens, self-love, self-happiness, life decisions, daily choices, and so on.

Yes, I do believe that certain foods play a consistent role in fat storage (dietary stress), but before you go blaming food, try to take some responsibility, blame, and perspective for yourself.

FYI – While writing today’s blog I consumed a whole pint of whole milk vanilla ice cream w/added salt and a 12 oz. coffee w/4oz. whole milk and 4 packets of sugar… and I ain’t storing no fat. Approximate Totals: Calories: 864. Fat: 52g. Carb: 96g. Protein: 10g

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Understanding fat: Getting, gaining, storing, being, losing, burning

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In order to understand how to lose fat, there must be a darn good understanding of how and why fat storage occurs…

The body stores fat for a few reasons. Believe it or not, all fat storage is beneficial. Aside from the body using fat for warmth, brain mass, cell wall stability, steroid (sex) hormone production, metabolic, rate, digestion regulation, intestinal lining, detoxification, sunlight absorption, and vitamin absorption, fat storage also serves as a natural “band-aid” in response to all types of physical or mental stress…

  • Hormonal imbalances
  • Toxin and chemical exposure/consumption
  • Sluggish detoxification organs
  • Blood sugar handling issues
  • Indigestible, intolerant, allergenic, or nutrient-void foods
  • Dehydration or Over-hydration
  • Excess exercise
  • Irregular sleeping patterns
  • Self unhappiness
  • Unrealistic expectations
  • Strict deadlines
  • Experienced shames 
  • Lack of self-responsibility

Without this “band-aid” action, the body would not be able to survive. So, when fat storage occurs do not get angry, upset or try to beat yourself up in the gym or through diet restrictions – take it as a sign that your body is keeping itself alive, become aware of what your body is telling you, take the necessary (not drastic) steps to understand what is happening and why, and, most importantly, appreciate the majesty of that occurrence.


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Fats101: What makes a Fat UNhealthy?

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This is a huge subject for me (and I’m sure it is for other health fact debunking enthusiasts) because I believe that there is a lot of false or misinformation out there that’s hurting more than helping the American people. Specifically, we are told that Saturated Fats (Butter, Dairy, Meat) are unhealthy and rampantly causing disease, while we are promoted and marketed to consume Polyunsaturated Fats (Vegetable, Nut, & Seed Oils) as a part of an “anti-inflammatory” and “heart-healthy” diet.

Marketing, ad campaigns, published medical journals, government recommendations, controlled [insert asian country name here] studies, health benefits, and nutritional values aside… let’s look at the molecular structures of Saturated and Unsaturated Fats, and how their structures are effected by heat or pressure…

Saturated Fatty Acid
Examples: Butter, Coconut Oil, Dairy Fat, Egg Yolks, Animal Fat

  • One chain of Carbon and Hydrogen atoms
  • No double bonds on the chain
  • Very stable structure due to the lack of bonds (no weak points)
  • Stability = High heat and high pressure threshold
  • Not susceptible to turn rancid, spoil, oxidize or become a Trans Fatty Acid

Monounsaturated Fatty Acid (Omega -3)
Examples: Olive Oil, Macadamia Nut [Oil], Egg Yolks, Fish, Nuts, Seeds

  • Two chains of Carbon-Hydrogen atoms
  • Contains one Carbon-Carbon double bond on the chain
  • Moderately stable due to one double bond (weak point)
  • Stability = Moderate heat and moderate pressure threshold
  • Is susceptible to turn rancid, spoil, oxidize or become a Trans Fatty Acids

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid (Omega -6)
Examples: Vegetable Oils, Fish, Nuts, Seeds, Above Ground Vegetables

  • Three or more chains of Carbon-Hydrogen atoms
  • Contains two or more Carbon-Carbon double bonds on the chain
  • Low stability due to two or more double bonds (weak points)
  • Stability = Low heat and low pressure threshold
  • Highly susceptible to turn rancid, spoil, oxidize, or become a Trans Fatty Acid

What about Trans Fatty Acids?

Take a look at the last bullet point for each Fatty Acid and tell me which Fats are capable of becoming a Trans Fatty Acid… ONLY the Unsaturated Fatty Acids. Why? Because UFAs structures are much less stable than a one-piece Saturated Fatty Acid due to the double Carbon bond(s). In Fats’ case, bonds are weak points, thus encouraging a susceptibility for change (or mutation if you want to be real about it). Trans Fatty Acids are predominantly man-made (with few occurring naturally within Ruminant animals), and TFAs are primarily a result of heat and pressure. When an Unsaturated Fat is heated or pressurized beyond its threshold, the molecule mutates so that the Hydrogen atoms located at the double bond shift to opposite sides, which creates an unnatural molecular structure… aka Trans Fat. The more double bonds a Fat molecule yields, the more susceptible its structure is to become mutated (i.e. Polyunsaturated Fats – but that doesn’t fully discount Monounsaturated Fats!).

I’ll end with this…

Are the molecules the real problem or does the problem lie within how the molecules are used, treated, heated, cooked, pressurized, pasteurized, packaged, stored, ingested, and react? Not only are Unsaturated Fats unstable when they experience an oxygen-exposed, pressurized, tumultuous, and prolonged high-heat manufacturing process, but they are equally unstable when they experience an oxygen-exposed, pressurized, tumultuous, and prolonged high-heat digestive process. Think about that for a bit and get back to me…

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