Did you know that cholesterol levels are a very poor predictor of future heart attacks? The risk of future heart attacks has everything to do with excess levels of insulin. This is why diabetics are known to be at a high risk of heart disease. Dropping Your Cholesterol Levels Will NOT Lower Your Risk Of Heart Disease, Attack, Or Strokes! Dr. Lundell
People with high cholesterol live the longest! This statement seems so incredible that it takes a long time to clear one's brainwashed mind to fully understand its importance. Yet the fact that people with high cholesterol live the longest emerges clearly from many scientific papers. ~ Uffe Ravnvskov, MD, PhD
Scientists used to think we had to worry only about our total cholesterol level, but then researchers found this wasn’t a very strong predictor of heart disease. Next came the realization that there was both “good” (HDL) and “bad” (LDL) cholesterol. This launched a war against “bad” cholesterol, which is predominantly elevated by saturated fat.
We now know that there are 2 types of LDL cholesterol:
1. Large, fluffy LDL particles that appear to have no potential to cause atherosclerosis or the development of plaques on the large or medium-sized arteries.
2. Small, dense LDL particles that are strongly associated with arterial plaques and this can increase the risk of heart disease.
To determine which type of LDL = find your ratio of triglycerides to HDL
-If ratio is less than 2, you have fluffy LDL particles that are not going to do you much harm.
-If ratio is greater than 4, you have small-dense LDL particles that increase the development of atherosclerotic plaques – regardless of your total cholesterol levels.
Harvard Medical School has confirmed the importance of this ratio; the higher your TG/HDL ratio, the more likely you would be to have a heart attack. In some cases 16 times more likely!
Improve your TG/HDL ratio in 2 ways:
1. Lower your insulin levels. Excess insulin = increase triglyceride levels. Eat the "healthified" low carb way!
2. Supplement with high-dose, ultra refined-grade fish oils at every meal.
Cholesterol statins are also powerful anti-inflammatory agents, but not without consequences. They do lower C-reactive proteins; they worked like aspirin to reduce inflammation and therefore reduce heart attacks. Only statins cost a lot more and are less effective. The statins also include some serious side effects:
1. Muscle wasting = slower metabolism = higher triglycerides = snowball effect
2. Decrease cholesterol-production in brain = decreased production of new synaptic connections and loss of memory.
Combining a low carb diet to control insulin with high-dose fish oil (to decrease inflammation) is the answer to decreasing risk of heart disease. Click HERE to find the fish oil I like.
People with high cholesterol live the longest! This statement seems so incredible that it takes a long time to clear one's brainwashed mind to fully understand its importance. Yet the fact that people with high cholesterol live the longest emerges clearly from many scientific papers. ~ Uffe Ravnvskov, MD, PhD
Scientists used to think we had to worry only about our total cholesterol level, but then researchers found this wasn’t a very strong predictor of heart disease. Next came the realization that there was both “good” (HDL) and “bad” (LDL) cholesterol. This launched a war against “bad” cholesterol, which is predominantly elevated by saturated fat.
We now know that there are 2 types of LDL cholesterol:
1. Large, fluffy LDL particles that appear to have no potential to cause atherosclerosis or the development of plaques on the large or medium-sized arteries.
2. Small, dense LDL particles that are strongly associated with arterial plaques and this can increase the risk of heart disease.
To determine which type of LDL = find your ratio of triglycerides to HDL
-If ratio is less than 2, you have fluffy LDL particles that are not going to do you much harm.
-If ratio is greater than 4, you have small-dense LDL particles that increase the development of atherosclerotic plaques – regardless of your total cholesterol levels.
Harvard Medical School has confirmed the importance of this ratio; the higher your TG/HDL ratio, the more likely you would be to have a heart attack. In some cases 16 times more likely!
Improve your TG/HDL ratio in 2 ways:
1. Lower your insulin levels. Excess insulin = increase triglyceride levels. Eat the "healthified" low carb way!
2. Supplement with high-dose, ultra refined-grade fish oils at every meal.
Cholesterol statins are also powerful anti-inflammatory agents, but not without consequences. They do lower C-reactive proteins; they worked like aspirin to reduce inflammation and therefore reduce heart attacks. Only statins cost a lot more and are less effective. The statins also include some serious side effects:
1. Muscle wasting = slower metabolism = higher triglycerides = snowball effect
2. Decrease cholesterol-production in brain = decreased production of new synaptic connections and loss of memory.
Combining a low carb diet to control insulin with high-dose fish oil (to decrease inflammation) is the answer to decreasing risk of heart disease. Click HERE to find the fish oil I like.
ALSO, if you are dehydrated during a cholesterol test, it will come back high!
Recipes and fun facts like this can be found in THE ART OF EATING HEALTHY!
"HEALTHIFIED" BLONDIES
5 oz cream cheese, softened (or coconut cream if dairy allergy)
3/4 cup coconut oil or organic butter, softened
1 TBS vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1/2 cup coconut flour
3/4 cup erythritol (or Swerve)
1 tsp stevia glycerite
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
1/4 tsp aluminum free baking powder
2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush both sides of an 8" by 8" pan with coconut oil, or spray with coconut oil cooking spray. Place a cut square of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan.
Beat softened cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth. Beat in butter, vanilla, and sweetener. Whisk together dry ingredients. Add eggs one at a time to cream cheese mixture, and beat until smooth. Add dry ingredients and almond milk. Fold in nuts. Pour mixture into prepared pan, and smooth top with a spatula. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, and top feels firm to the touch. When done, place pan on wire rack and cool completely. Cool pan of brownies overnight in the refrigerator. Slice and serve. Makes 16 servings.
NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Blondie = 325 calories, 35 carbs, 1.2 g fiber (33.8g effective carbs)
"Healthified" Blondie = 164 calories, 1.9 g carbs, 0.8 g fiber (1.1g effective carbs)
Recipes and fun facts like this can be found in THE ART OF EATING HEALTHY!
"HEALTHIFIED" BLONDIES
5 oz cream cheese, softened (or coconut cream if dairy allergy)
3/4 cup coconut oil or organic butter, softened
1 TBS vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1/2 cup coconut flour
3/4 cup erythritol (or Swerve)
1 tsp stevia glycerite
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
1/4 tsp aluminum free baking powder
2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush both sides of an 8" by 8" pan with coconut oil, or spray with coconut oil cooking spray. Place a cut square of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan.
Beat softened cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth. Beat in butter, vanilla, and sweetener. Whisk together dry ingredients. Add eggs one at a time to cream cheese mixture, and beat until smooth. Add dry ingredients and almond milk. Fold in nuts. Pour mixture into prepared pan, and smooth top with a spatula. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, and top feels firm to the touch. When done, place pan on wire rack and cool completely. Cool pan of brownies overnight in the refrigerator. Slice and serve. Makes 16 servings.
NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Blondie = 325 calories, 35 carbs, 1.2 g fiber (33.8g effective carbs)
"Healthified" Blondie = 164 calories, 1.9 g carbs, 0.8 g fiber (1.1g effective carbs)
Maria, will these work with just stevia, no erythritol? It gives me a stomach ache.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, it wouldn't give it a proper texture. You could try Just Like Sugar.
ReplyDeleteClick here to find more info: http://mariahealth.blogspot.com/2011/04/chicory-root-sweetener.html
Just made this last night for a girls night tonight. Excited to try them!
ReplyDeleteThanks Tiffany! Let me know what you all think!;)
ReplyDeleteHm,It looks like you have done some good research here.Keep going.I like your blog.I will be back here for sure.
ReplyDeleteaffordable rhinoplasty
I was wondering if you could replace the cream cheese with sour cream?
ReplyDeleteYes, I am pretty sure sour cream would work great!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your interest Erin!
Oh thank you for this post! So timely and reassuring. My toddler's ped says my girl has high total cholesterol, but her ratios are actually beautiful. They fit exactly what you posted, HDL/Tri ratio less than 2, in reality,less than 1!
ReplyDeleteDo you have a link for the Harvard info on this? I want to give it to the ped who is going to start pushing stupid dietary measures (low fat and eat pretzels for snacks argh!) and if the number goes up, drugs (no way, no how).
She _is_ genetically predisposed to high cholesterol (1/2 Slovak) and is a chunk-o-love** despite our low carb cuisine, which makes her even more of a target for the ped.
(**due to developmental delay which is being addressed in PT/OT, and/or I passed on my insulin resistance to her in utero.)
Anyway, a link to the paper would be a huge help in managing the ped's perceptions and care plan.
Thanks
M
PS. How much fish oil do you suggest at each meal? I take 3g at night all at once, is that ineffective?
ReplyDeleteM
A 1997 Harvard study conducted by Dr. J.M. Gaziano demonstrated the predictive significance of the TG:HDL ratio. The participants were divided into four quartiles. The researchers found that the quartile with the highest TG and lowest HDL had 16 times the risk of heart attack compared to the quartile with the lowest TG and highest HDL.12 In his clinical practice, the late Dr. Robert Atkins stressed how a 4:1 ratio of TG to HDL represents serious increased risk of heart disease; a 2:1 ratio is borderline; a 1:1 ratio is associated with protection from heart disease.13 Unfortunately, however, when looking over a lipid profile, most doctors zero in on LDL or total cholesterol, which have little, if any, predictive significance for heart disease.
ReplyDeletePublished in the American Heart Journal in 2009, a nationwide study conducted by the UCLA School of Medicine provides more proof that lowering cholesterol will not protect you from a heart attack. The researchers found that 75 percent of patients hospitalized for a heart attack had LDL cholesterol below 130 mg/dl - the target "safe" range. More astounding was that 50 percent of patients had LDL less than 100 mg/dl!14 The UCLA study used a comprehensive database created by the AHA's "Get with the Guidelines Program." (The database includes information on 136,905 heart attack patients in 541 hospitals whose lipid levels upon hospital admission were fully documented between the years 2000 and 2006.)
This well-funded, comprehensive study did not reveal an association between elevated LDL and heart attacks. On the contrary, the deadly association was between heart attacks and low LDL! This should have been the nail in the coffin for the still unproven hypothesis that cholesterol is the cause of heart disease. But, of course, it wasn't. As English cardiologist Malcolm Kendrick wrote:
"I have come to realize that there is, literally, no evidence that can dent the cholesterol hypothesis... The effect of this study on the cardiovascular research community was...as you would expect... nothing at all, a deafening silence."15
I recommend AT LEAST 1000mg (1 g) at every meal. At least 3 times a day.
ReplyDeleteThe amount of fish oil should not be focused on the total amount of fish oil in mg, rather it should be SOLELY determined by the amount of FATTY ACID in EACH fish oil pill. It is the fatty acid content that will actually make the difference. There are many 1000mg fish oil tabs on the market that have only 360mg of fatty acid which is TOO LOW! You want a fish oil tablet that has at least 850 of Fatty Acids per tab (this is EPA/DHA). There are several brands that offer this on the market but you have to look for them and read the labels. There are more of the fish oil tabs that have too little fatty acid. Fish oil is starting to get a bad wrap in the media lately because people are not taking enough and therefore are not getting the effect they should be getting. This is misleading and very bogus but that is another topic :) So, you need 3-4 tabs of fish oil per day with at least 850mg of FATTY ACIDS per tablet. 4 of these per day would be ideal.
DeleteThank you! I'm going to copy/paste this for the ped. Some of the generic medical advice on the internet suggests nutritional counseling for kids with high cholesterol. I can't picture me sitting with a nutritionist who is much more likely to believe in low fat high carb than have read Gary Taubes' work. I don't think it would end well.
ReplyDeleteAlso, what is the benefit of taking the fish oil with food? That is a new one for me.
M
That is a great idea! Dr.s should read this!
ReplyDeleteTaking fish oil during meals helps reduce fish burps;)
Adding fat to meals also helps lower the insulin response.
If you want to avoid stevia, can you use all "Just Like Sugar" or does it need a little erythritol? And if you use JLS and erythritol combo (no stevia) what would you recommend for proportions? Thank you - just got one of your books for Christmas.
ReplyDeleteSorry, to write again, but we made it with all Just Like Sugar. My son loved it, my daughter thought it had a strange taste. We took the blondies and made them brownies and topped with your chocolate frosting. Do you think the JLS and erythritol blend would taste better to all? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever tried xylitol? Most kids can't tell the difference!
ReplyDeleteOtherwise I would try 1/2 JLS and 1/2 erythritol.
Happy eating!
Maria - I have tried xylitol and like it, but I need to experiment further because either the xylitol or the stevia is causing electric current symptoms in my right hand. So, steering clear of both. Have you heard of such a thing? I'll try the blend.
ReplyDeleteA lot of studies against stevia are biased and done by sugar companies!!! Be ware
ReplyDeleteI made these for Easter. They were so yummy and didn't taste "healthy"! :) ~Tina
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked them! I never tell anyone they are "Healthy". Just let their taste buds do the judging. :)
DeleteWhere is the amount of white chocolate mentioned? or cocoa butter? The way I read the recipe, its missing any mention of an amount of chocolate - no mention of chocolate at all except in the instructions.
ReplyDeleteThat was a typo, they are blondies and don't have any cocoa. :)
Deletethanks!
DeletePrinted the recipe and am taking it on mt Wed. shopping trip. Can't wait to give it a try. Where can i find Erythritol or Swerve? Hubby and I have lost 20 lbs. each on low carb - this recipe sounds so good!
ReplyDeleteWay to go! You can get them both here! :) http://astore.amazon.com/marisnutran05-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=13
DeleteThese were absolutely incredible!!! Omg....it's all I can do not to eat an entire pan at a time! Lol!
ReplyDeleteAnd fyi, I've been promoting your blog on fb every chance I get. I have believed this for years and tried to tell people, but you do it in a much better way. Thank you and keep up the wonderful work.
Thank you so much for the support! You made my day. :)
DeleteHi Maria, I am addicted to this site!:) I am over whelmed with your knowledge. We are a family of 7 and trying to convert over to eating healthified:) Would it be necessary to take the krill oil you recommend in your astore if we are taking 1 Tbl. of spectrum organic flax seed oil in our jay robb whey/almond milk twice a day. Please forgive my ignorance and thank you for your patience.
ReplyDeleteWendy
Thank you! I would recommend the Krill oil over the flax oil. Not everyone can absorb the DHA and EPA in flax oil, so the Krill oil is a much better source. :)
DeleteJust made these last night! They are SO nice!!! So glad they only have 1.1 g carb per portion!! I used coconut milk because that's what I had on hand, and it worked very well. I'll definitely be making those again!!
ReplyDeleteThanks France! Glad you liked them. :)
DeleteI just made these for Thanksgiving. We sampled. Yum, Yum, Yum. I only have used JLS White and Brown so far. They are worth the money.
ReplyDeleteMy husband is curious how JLS does not raise the blood sugar?
Thank you! JLS is made from chicory root. Here is some info on it. :) http://mariahealth.blogspot.com/2011/04/chicory-root-sweetener.html
DeleteI just made these today and accidentally used 1 cup of coconut flour and 1 cup of erythritol. Oops! I also added chopped walnuts and about 1/4 cup of dark chocolate mini chips. They were AMAZING, even with my mistakes! I have 3 of your books and really intend to stick to a grain-free way of life this year. With treats like this, it should be a lot easier. I feel so much better when I eliminate all grains from my diet. It's as if a fog is lifting off of my brain and body. Why are we taught that these "foods" are necessary in order to be healthy? It's very frustrating to constantly be bombarded with harmful information! Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes and blog posts. My 13 year-old son and husband are also on board (we were already "gluten-free" but, as you know, that certainly doesn't equal "healthy.") Happy New Year! :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Thanks you and happy new your to you too! :)
DeleteCan I use almond flour instead of coconut?
ReplyDeleteIt isn't a one to one replacement. Typically it is 4 times the amount of almond flour and 1/2 the eggs. Then adjust based on consistency of the batter. :)
Delete