By now, I am sure most of you have either read or heard someone speaking about the new AHA (American Heart Association) research regarding the dangers of coconut oil and other saturated fats.
It is my sincere hope that most of you filter these sorts of things with a fine-tooth comb and not drink up every bit of nonsense that spews from the government’s shoddy attempt at guiding our health. (These are the same people that warned you… then encouraged you… then warned you again about eggs, too)
But, in the case that you haven’t read up on the Primal movement’s rebuttal on the matter, give these a gander at your leisure:
1. This one is great to open your eyes to how ridiculous the AHA actually is with their research, reporting, and understanding of applied physiology, in general: Onnit's Take on the AHA
2. This one gives a nice breakdown of the benefits of coconut oil. (Important since hearing only one side of the story can clearly make anyone bias. (For example, Mothers Against Drunk Driving wouldn’t dare tell you that alcohol raises HDL levels and has been proven when consumed moderately, to increase lifespan.)(Click Here)
3. This one gives a really good dive into how industry money is swaying the media’s choice of research that gets published. (Click Here)
And, if you are too smart, too sophisticated, or way too busy to read any of these articles, then click here so we can discuss further.
I won’t repeat the same argument, here, regarding the evidence that supports continuing to eat the right kinds of fats, but I attempt to lay out what it means for most of you, out there in the dietary world.
1. “But T, won’t eating fat raise my cholesterol?”
First off, I am no Medical Doctor. I only play one in my spare time. Secondly, total cholesterol numbers are completely worthless. Unless they are matched up against LDL and HDL PARTICLE numbers, don’t even bring up the word in conversation. With that, in my clinical experience, I have seen only 5 reasons for elevated cholesterol and carrier protein particle numbers:
- The patient is consuming too many carbs in comparison to their glycogen burn rate (aka activity level)
- They are stressed beyond belief. (mental and/or physical)
- They are eating high quantities of the wrong types of fats.
- Their Omega 6/3 Ratios are horrid.
- They have the genetic variant for Familial Hypercholesterolemia.
We could get really granular here and dissect the other following cholesterol culprits, such as:
- chronic infections like H. pylori or even viral infections
- gut dysbiosis
- poor thyroid function
- environmental toxins (especially heavy metals)
But, we won’t due to favored brevity for these posts. I would, if it were possible, suggest asking your conventional physician to explain the above culprits to you, but I am afraid they more than likely don’t have a clue as to what you are talking about and they may just end up prescribing you some sort of anti-psychotic medication.
Moving on…
2. “But I seem to gain weight when I increase my fat intake.”
Don’t even laugh. Prior to working with me, this was half of you, out there, reading this. You can’t increase your fat intake while you are continuing to eat the same amount of carbs and shoveling loads of protein down your gullet.
Adding butter or coconut oil to a huge bowl of steamed vegetables = Healthy.
“Seasoning” your pasta and rice or “Flavoring” you bread at dinner with butter = Lazy and Unhealthy
3. “I eat fat all the time, but my health isn’t improving at all.”
You should know better by now to even use the generic term of “Fat” while out in public.
Contrary to American belief, there actually is a difference between "Good" and "Bad" fats:
Good Fats:
- Avocados
- Avocado Oil
- Coconut Oil
- Coconut Milk
- Egg Yolks
- Ghee
- MCT oil or Heavy Cream in Coffee
- Olive Oil
- Butter
- Fish Oil
Bad Fats:
- Corn Oil
- Cottonseed Oil
- Canola Oil
- Soybean Oil
- Fried Foods (in general. When the food becomes fried, the fats become oxidized. You are basically asking your body to inflame your arteries with these.)
Sorry, Cajuns. Even if you splurge on the healthiest oils of all, you won’t be able to survive on fried cracklins and sac-a-lait, forever.
So, if you just started replacing your morning bagel or toast with coconut oil in your coffee, my advice is to continue with that change. If you are cooking your eggs and vegetables in bacon grease as opposed to margarine or canola oil, I would continue doing that as well.
Relying on your conventional blood work and remaining faithful that your Statin or Blood Pressure medications will somehow magically save your life despite your poor lifestyle choices may be setting you, and your family, up for major disappointment. Don't continue to "Wish" for good health. Educate yourselves and take control over it!
