What really causes elevated cholesterol levels?  Let's take a look. The body needs cholesterol to patch blood vessel walls, for production of adrenal stress hormones, sex hormones and Vitamin D.  It is necessary for production of bile salts for fat digestion. Cholesterol also maintains cell structure and is a necessary part of every cell wall.  This includes nerve and brain tissue to maintain memory and prevent depression.

If Cholesterol is Really Our Friend, Why Have We Been Told Otherwise?  It's Hard to Tell the Good Guys from the Bad Guys

 A Little Background . . .

All fats are not created equal.  In your grandmother's day and earlier, people nourished themselves with foods containing whole fats.  It has only been during the past 50 years or so that the low fat diet has emerged on the scene.

In the 1920s, CVD was extremely rare.  In fact, it was virtually unknown at the turn of the 20^th century.  It was during the period 1930 to 1950 that the incidence of CVD began to accelerate in this country.  As you would imagine, some of the best researchers of the time began to focus on why that was happening.

One such researcher, Ancel Keys, formulated his "Lipid Hypothesis" to explain the increase in CVD.   He theorized that there is a direct correlation between the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol in one's diet and the increased incidence of cardiovascular disease.  As a result of his work - which, by the way, has been proved to be flawed - the Lipid Hypothesis gained wide acceptance and saturated fat became the enemy.  The low fat diet was adopted by society, accompanied by endorsements by the American Heart Association and the entire medical field.

The processed vegetable oil industry jumped on the bandwagon and began marketing vegetable oils for cooking and baking, declaring that these non-saturated fats were the answer to replacing meats and dairy products high in saturated fat.  

During the past 50 years or so:

• The intake of saturated fats in the American diet has plummeted.  Butter consumption alone has decreased from 18 lbs. per person per year to 4 lbs. per person per year.

• Vegetable oil consumption has increased 400% in the form of margarine, shortening and refined and highly processed vegetable oils.    

• Cholesterol consumption has increased only 1% while sugar and processed foods have increased by 60%.

And what have been the results? (Read More...)

A Critical Part of the Equation - The Food We Eat Has Changed Dramatically.

Consider the following chart that contrasts today's modern diet with traditional diets that were the norm during the early part of the last century. 

As you can easily see, the shift has been tremendous. Additionally, we are now consuming staggering amounts of sugar, bad fats and processed foods.   During the past century, sugar consumption has risen from 5 pounds added sugar per person per year to 95 pounds added sugar per person per year!

Trust Me.  The Real Bad Guys Are Sugar, Bad Fats and Processed Foods

In our grandparents' time and before, people relied on their local farmer to provide wholesome, organic, nutrient dense food to ensure their health.  Our bodies are hardwired to crave nutrient dense foods as a way of maintaining good health.  In the absence of these foods in our diets, we are unable to rebuild our bodies and suffer the consequences of true deficiencies and toxic food.   The slippery slope to degenerative disease results.

What exactly are nutrient dense foods?  How can you spot them in the wilds of the grocery store or farmers' market isles?  Let's explore.

Nutrient dense foods contain a concentrated source of vitamins and minerals that your body requires to continually rebuild itself.  They give us the most nutrients for the least amount of calories.  When your nutrition program is based on nutrient dense foods, it takes less food to satisfy you, as your body doesn't need to "hunt" for the nutrients it requires.  And, you are able to maintain a healthy weight.

How Can You Spot Nutrient Dense Foods?  Simple: 

• Typically only one ingredient 
• Most often, no packaging and no label to read
• As close as possible to how the food comes from its natural source
• A generalized rule of thumb:  The more ingredients, the less nutrient dense the food product 

More and more people are returning to common sense nutrition in the form of traditional diets that include whole, unrefined and unprocessed foods.  Traditional diets include meats from grass-fed and pastured animals, butter, whole milk dairy products from cows on pasture and good fats such as coconut oil and lard for cooking.