Googling for the right weight loss tips may not be easy. That`s especially true when one is also trying to lower cholesterol naturally with foods. It is not because there aren’t any tips available, but because they are frequently given by mislead experts who believe that fat is evil.
Everyone seems to have some kind of health advice nowadays. The truth is that a lot of dietary advice on the internet is useless, or frankly harmful. Those looking to lower cholesterol naturally know it well, as they are swarmed by low-fat gurus. Reduce consumption of eggs, don’t eat meat, and avoid saturated fat! Others looking for healthy weight loss tips usually get similar advice if they come across an archaic nutritionist suggestion.
30-second primer on saturated fats
The old-fashioned trained experts say saturated fat is bad for the heart and that it increases cholesterol. To prevent heart disease one needs to avoid it. But we know better today. Saturated fat is not a drooling monster lurking in a burger patty waiting to sink its teeth in your heart. It is a family of different fatty acids performing various normal body functions.
Today we know of about 35 different types of saturated fats. Contrary to popular opinion, many are found to be extremely health-friendly. For example, butyric fatty acid, found abundantly in butter has antimicrobial properties and protects against cancers. It regulates immune system, prevents inflammation, has anti-diabetic properties, and improves memory.[i] It would be foolish to avoid it.
How to lower cholesterol naturally with foods
There are indications that one can reduce cholesterol by reducing certain saturated fats. There are two types of saturated fatty acids that pop up immediately: stearic and palmitic. These two are accused of increasing bad cholesterol. Studies show that their presence in cell membranes correlates with the development of diabetes and heart disease. One may think it would be prudent to avoid foods with these two heart killing fats.
But here is a surprise. The food highest in stearic acid is chocolate. The food highest in palmitic acid is dairy. Chocolate received a lot of press recently. It is considered heart-friendly due to its lofty antioxidant content. Calcium in dairy regulates blood pressure and seems to prevent heart disease. It is nonsense to say that chocolate and yogurt gives diabetes and plugs up arteries, don’t you think?
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Weight loss tips for saturated fat lovers
Saturated fats are not there to kill you. Saturated fats are the body’s energetic reservoir. They are a very efficient way to store calories. Overweight people carry excess calories on their bodies in the form of fat, you know that. But what you may not know is that a protruding stomach is made not just of any fat, but of saturated fat. That’s right beer belly is nothing else but a blob of saturated fat. And there is a reason why it is right in front of you. It is a nature’s way of saying that there is more consumption than utilization and you need to pay attention to this unusual development. If stomach is allowed to flourish it can turn into erratic blood pressure, high cholesterol, and blood sugar problems.
Saturated fats and heart disease go together, but that does not mean that an egg for breakfast and butter on toast will end up in your arteries. Heart disease and diabetes is NOT due to the presence of saturated fats in the foods, but due to their excess of saturated fats in the bodies. In other words, eating saturated fats is not harmful, but carrying a saturated stomach is. To reverse diabetes and heart disease one has to reduce saturated fat stores in the body, or in other words, lose stomach fat.
Weight loss tips for saturated stomach
On a good note, saturated fats are also incredibly good at releasing energy. Saturated fats burn best during mild and moderate activity, like brisk walking, dancing, or leisure bicycling. During these light activities the body won’t use much glucose but use fat instead. Fat is burned preferentially when the heart rate stays at about 70% of its maximum.
Maximum heart rate varies between people and is age dependent. Here is the simplified formula. You can use it to calculate your fat-burning sweet spot.
Your maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age. To arrive at the best fat burning heart rate for yourself, you need to get 70% of that number.
For example, for a 40 year old that would be: 220-40 (age) = 180 (max HR); then 180*.70 (70%) = 126. 126 is the best fat burning heart rate for a 40-year old.
Remember, when you burn fat, you actually burn saturated fat. That’s why weight loss is magical for the heart. But that’s also why also weight gain is disastrous for diabetes.
Why saturated fat excess is bad for health
Imagine hustling in a kitchen while making a dinner for the family. You need onions, potatoes, carrots, and a few other things from your pantry. You open the door and….. the pantry is so full that one can is on top of the other, loose potatoes are stuck on top of bags of flour, and apples are falling down on the floor. How are you going to get to the onions that are at deep end of the third shelf? Not easy.
.
That’s exactly what happens when your cells are over-stacked with saturated fat. They cannot get the ingredients they need. Insulin is inaccessible because the cell membrane is full of tightly stacked fat molecules. The cells have difficult time getting things in and out. Nutrients don’t go in, waste doesn’t go out.
As saturated fat accumulates in the membranes they become stiffer and less permeable. Circulation fails due to rigidity of red blood cells and insulin cannot perform its function. Although presence of saturated fat in the membranes is necessary, its excess leads to development of high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. [ii]
When to use low fat menu
Do not be afraid to eat saturated fat, but be afraid of growing a large stomach. Remember, it is not the saturated fat, but saturated fat excess that is problematic. The size of the stomach should be the gauge of how much attention one should give to saturated fats. People without weight issue can line up their eggs next to butter every morning and enjoy them as health foods. People with large bellies may have to reduce their fatty meals temporary until they lose their excess jiggle.
How to lower cholesterol naturally while eating animal products
There is an incredible confusion about the sources of saturated fats. Everyone blames butter, eggs, and meat, obvious sources for palmitic and stearic acids, but this where we make the biggest mistake of our century. Animal products are NOT the main sources of saturated fats. Your main source of saturated fat comes from a low-fat diet and outdated healthy heart guidelines.
Few doctors and nutritionist realize that low fat menu may actually be the biggest contributor to the saturated fatty acid pool in the body. Sweet drinks, breakfast cereals, bagels, jams, and sandwiches are the biggest source of palmitic or stearic acid even if they don`t have a smidgen of fat in them.
Weight loss tips for heart-conscious
We all know that excess calories from sugar will end up as fat. But what most people do not know is that the body makes stearic and palmitic acids from carbohydrates. It is not an anomaly, but a natural energy metamorphosis the body engages in on a regular basis. And this is exactly how your carefully selected fat-free muffins, no-cholesterol crackers, and low-fat cookies trans-mutate into saturated fats.
This may be an enlightening moment for some readers. It is foolish to drop animal fats and replace them with carbs in hope of better health. And that’s why lowering cholesterol naturally with low cholesterol menus fails. One may religiously avoid eggs, meat, and butter, but starches and sugars will mercilessly get converted into stearic and palmitic acid, whether one likes it or not.
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Weight loss tips for people who want to lower cholesterol naturally
Look at eggs, butter, and cheese with a kinder eye; it is the saturated stomach, not the saturated fat in food that is the problem. Put those back on your plate.- Don’t fall for low-fat promises; low-fat diets are high in carbs, which means they are high in saturated fats, after the energy conversion takes place
- Cut down on portions and half your carbs; consider your saturated stomach to be a gauge of your heart health. The bigger the stomach the weaker the heart and the stiffer the arteries.
- Start moving; you will somehow have to get rid of the saturated calories piled up on the stomach. They don’t evaporate on their own, so don’t count that they would disappear without you lifting a leg.
You will find a list of shocking details on why your doctor is wrong, and why low fat and low cholesterol is bad for you in my recent book “The Cholesterol Trap!”
Dietary promises of healing the heart and lowering cholesterol by avoiding animal products are outdated. My number one weight loss tip for you is… don’t fall for them. For blood pressure specific tools head to Our STORE.
[i] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butyric_acid
[ii] http://lipidworld.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12944-016-0342-0
Apparently there is no link at all between the cholesterol in food and that in your blood.
Hi I love your site. Thank you. I have a large tummy to lose I am 31 years old female and I have had chronic fatigue for 7 years so I can not exercise. I also have high blood pressure. It runs in my family. How can I introduce movement so as not to make me more ill. I am trying to curb the snacks and eat better. I am a former vegan. I currently rely on a mobility scooter to get around outside as I am so fatigue and the other nasty symptoms that come along with cfs
You are absolutely correct! There is only a link between cholesterol and health… and that does not mean the lower the better.
Thank you for your kind words. First, you need to get rid of fatigue, only then move about. The other way around is much more difficult.
Try to lose weight without “exercise”. Clean up your diet. Make it low glycemic index and low glycemic load. Small portions, frequent meals. Pre-plan your menu and don’t deviate. Pre-planing is crucial for you. This is how you gain control over food.
Check your meds, blood pressure when tired, and oxygen saturation. They may be contributing to your fatigue. Ask your doctor to run ferritin, vit B12, vit D, as the basic nutritional check, because you never know.
When you start introducing movement focus on things you can do while staying in the scooter. Any full body movement in CFS can aggravate BP swings and thus fatigue. Best to start with slow upper body movements till tiredness; then recovery; and repeat. Anything fast, over-strenuous, or excessive will aggravate short and long term situation. Be patient. Progress may be slow. Persist and PRE-PLAN. Don`t give up half way.
Fingers crossed