This weeks ponderings from Dr. P: Saturated fat is not the bad guy – it does not cause heart disease. In fact it is healthy; the body uses it for energy and for protecting cells. The real culprit is sugar. It causes inflammation to the heart blood vessels and the body’s response to inflammation is to create plaques. Certainly simple, processed carbohydrates are the worst; cookies, candy, pop, etc. But breads, pasta, rice, beans, and even fruit are also sugar. They may break down slower and give less of a sugar hit on the pancreas, but they are still sugar. Google “carbohydrate chart” and see how much sugar you are consuming per day. You may be surprised. What has more sugar, a Snickers bar or 2 pieces of whole wheat bread? What are sources of saturated fat? The big ones are cheese, other dairy products, meats, and chicken. Now that I said saturated fat is OK, your response will be, “but aren’t there bad additives in these things?” And that becomes the problem. Food producers have few restrictions on using growth hormones, antibiotics, preservatives, and flavor enhancers. So they take a product that should be good for you and make it harmful. It’s estimated that 99% of all meat, eggs, and dairy products in the US are produced on large farms that utilize this bad stuff. That makes it difficult, but not impossible, to avoid these products. Search your area, find and buy from local organic farmers. Even most grocery stores have organic alternatives. After 15 minutes of reading labels at my local grocery store, I found one cheese that said “from grass fed, hormone free cow’s milk.” So read labels, it does take a little longer. And you may pay more, but isn’t it worth it for better food? Other good sources of saturated fat are fish, nuts, seeds, and some vegetables and fruits (like avocado and coconut). But with fish, farm raised means dangerous additives. Salmon is supposed to be healthy, but avoid all Atlantic salmon – it is farm raised. The answer to last week’s question is butter. Most of the toxins and additives are found in fat. Because butter is almost all fat it is packed with the bad stuff. Margarine is poison, and butter is a healthy food, but it must be organic. Read labels. Remember, your food choices have a lot to do with how healthy you will be. It’s distressing; but food is made for profit, not for people. Choose wisely.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 23:33:45 +0000
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