Diet Myths, and Diet Truths

Myth: Cholesterol causes heart disease
Truth:Cholesterol does not cause heart disease

Myth: A diet high in fat and protein makes a person fat
Truth: A diet high in starch and sugar, especially white sugar will make you fat.

Myth: Medical science has lengthened our life span.
Truth: Fewer persons alive at 70 today survive until 90 than forty years ago. The statistic that says the average life span has increased is mostly due to improved sanitation and a reduction of infant mortality.

Myth: Heart disease in America is caused by consumption of cholesterol and saturated fat from animal products.
Truth: During the period of rapid increase in heart disease (1920-1960), American consumption of animal fats declined but consumption of hydrogenated and industrially processed vegetable fats increased dramatically. (USDA-HNI)

Myth: Saturated fat clogs arteries.
Truth: The fatty acids found in artery clogs are mostly unsaturated (74%) of which 41% are polyunsaturated. (Lancet 1994 344:1195)

Myth: Vegetarianism is healthy.
Truth: The annual all-cause death rate of vegetarian men is slightly more than that of non-vegetarian men (.93% vs .89%); the annual death rate of vegetarian women is significantly more than that of non-vegetarian women (.86% vs .54%) (Am J Clin Nutr 1982 36:873)

Myth: Vitamin B₁₂ can be obtained from certain plant sources such as blue-green algae and soy products.
Truth: Vitamin B₁₂ is not absorbed from plant sources. Modern soy products increase the body's need for B₁₂. (Soybeans: Chemistry & Technology Vol 1 1972)

Myth: For good health, serum cholesterol should be less than 180 mg/dl.
Truth: The all-cause death rate is higher in individuals with cholesterol levels lower than 180 mg/dl. (Circulation 1992 86:3:1026-1029)

Myth: Animal fats cause cancer and heart disease.
Truth: Animal fats contain many nutrients that protect against cancer and heart disease; elevated rates of cancer and heart disease are associated with consumption of large amounts of vegetable oils. (Fed Proc July 1978 37:2215)

Myth: Children benefit from a low-fat diet.
Truth: Children on low-fat diets suffer from growth problems, failure to thrive & learning disabilities. (Food Chem News 10/3/94)

Myth: A low-fat diet will make you "feel better . . . and increase your joy of living."
Truth: Low-fat diets are associated with increased rates of depression, psychological problems, fatigue, violence and suicide. (Lancet 3/21/92 v339)

Myth: To avoid heart disease, we should use margarine instead of butter.
Truth: Margarine eaters have twice the rate of heart disease as butter eaters. (Nutrition Week 3/22/91 21:12)

Myth: Americans do not consume enough essential fatty acids.
Truth: Americans consume far too much of one kind of EFA (omega-6 EFAs found in most polyunsaturated vegetable oils) but not enough of another kind of EFA (omega-3 EFAs found in fish, fish oils, eggs from properly fed chickens, dark green vegetables and herbs, and oils from certain seeds such as flax and chia, nuts such as walnuts and in small amounts in all whole grains.) (Am J Clin Nutr 1991 54:438-63)

Myth: A vegetarian diet will protect you against atherosclerosis.
Truth: The International Atherosclerosis Project found that vegetarians had just as much atherosclerosis as meat eaters. (Lab Invest 1968 18:498)

Myth: Low-fat diets prevent breast cancer.
Truth: A recent study found that women on very low-fat diets (less than 20%) had the same rate of breast cancer as women who consumed large amounts of fat. (NEJM 2/8/96)

Myth: The "cave man diet" was low in fat.
Truth: Throughout the world, primitive peoples sought out and consumed fat from fish and shellfish, water fowl, sea mammals, land birds, insects, reptiles, rodents, bears, dogs, pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, game, eggs, nuts and milk products. (Abrams, Food & Evolution 1987)

Myth: Coconut oil causes heart disease.
Truth: When coconut oil was fed as 7% of energy to patients recovering from heart attacks, the patients had greater improvement compared to untreated controls, and no difference compared to patents treated with corn or safflower oils. Populations that consume coconut oil have low rates of heart disease. Coconut oil may also be one of the most useful oils to prevent heart disease because of its antiviral and antimicrobial characteristics. (JAMA 1967 202:1119-1123; Am J Clin Nutr 1981 34:1552)

Information Courtesy of the Weston A. Price foundation

More diet myths and truths.

What not to eat because it is toxic to your body

1. Don't eat commercially processed foods such as cookies, cakes, crackers, TV dinners, soft drinks, packaged sauce mixes, etc.
2. Avoid all refined sweeteners such as sugar, dextrose, glucose and high fructose corn syrup.
3. Avoid white flour, white flour products and white rice.
4. Avoid all hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats and oils.
5. Avoid all vegetable oils made from soy, corn, safflower, canola or cottonseed.
6. Do not use polyunsaturated oils for cooking, sauteing or baking.
7. Avoid fried foods.
8. Do not practice strict vegetarianism (veganism); animal products provide vital nutrients not found in plant foods.
9. Avoid products containing protein powders.
10. Avoid pasteurized milk; do not consume lowfat milk, skim milk, powdered milk or imitation milk products.
11. Avoid battery-produced eggs and factory-farmed meats.
12. Avoid highly processed luncheon meats and sausage containing MSG and other additives.
13. Avoid rancid and improperly prepared seeds, nuts and grains found in granolas, quick rise breads and extruded breakfast cereals, as they block mineral absorption and cause intestinal distress.
14. Avoid canned, sprayed, waxed, bioengineered or irradiated fruits and vegetables.
15. Avoid artificial food additives, especially MSG, hydrolyzed vegetable protein and aspartame, which are neurotoxins. Most soups, sauce and broth mixes and commercial condiments contain MSG, even if not so labeled.
16. Avoid caffeine-containing beverages such as coffee, tea and soft drinks. Avoid chocolate.
17. Avoid aluminum-containing foods such as commercial salt, baking powder and antacids. Do not use aluminum cookware or aluminum-containing deodorants.
18. Do not drink fluoridated water.
19. Avoid synthetic vitamins and foods containing them.
20. Do not drink distilled liquors.
21. Do not use a microwave oven.

Your diet and your health are intimately related

Strong evidence suggests that following a diet which is close to the diet that our ancestors followed, will greatly decrease the incidence of disease. There is no guarentee you'll be disease free, but you can greatly increase your level of health and vitality through healthy diet choices.

Tradiontal cultures rarely faced degernative diseases. In Africa, in 1913, no cases of cancer could be found. One case of cancer was found in the Inuit people from 1884 - 1933. Breast cancer was unkown previously to the Inuit and has become a common illness by 1976. The Hunza people had no cancer and lived well into their 90's.

Modern diets produce Physical Denegration

In the 1930's a Harvard trained dentist Dr. Weston A. Price traveled the globe to find the cause of tooth decay and illness. He studied many isolated groups of people. He found people who followed traditional diets had beautiful straight teeth, freedom from decay, stalwart bodies, and resistance to disease. He also found that people from the same cultural group, who had switched to modern convenience diets based on white sugar, flour, and pasteurized milk, had crooked teeth and where disease ridden. See some sample pictures.

The roots of most disease

Coupled with inadequate water and salt intake, I believe that nutritional deficiencies lead to as high as 75% of all diseases. That's why our medical community has failed to cure many of today's modern ills because they are not addressing the cause.

Dr. Price discovered that compared to a standard diet, isolated primitive diets provided at least four times the water soluble vitamins, calcium and other minerals, and at least TEN times the fat soluble vitamins from animal foods such as butter, fish eggs, shellfish and organ meats.

Meanwhile our modern diets produce cellular death, give us energy in the form of empty calories, and contain anti-nutrients which suck the life out of our bodies. When we eating hydrogenated fats (like margarine) our body incorporates the fats into our cellular walls wreaking havoc on our cellular metabolism. Many cheap vegetable oils such as corn, soy and canola (which are contained in most processed food products) are rancid because they are processed at high temperatures. These oils contain a high number of free radicals which damage DNA/RNA causing mutations, attack cell membranes and red blood cells. Foods like processed sugar contain energy, but leach vital calcium out of the body causing tooth cavities. All flours, nuts, and grains contain phytic acid(unless they are fermented or soaked). Phytic acid bonds to essential trace minerals in our intestines preventing their absorbtion. These include calcium, zinc, iron, copper and magnesium. Un soaked whole grains contain enzyme inhibitors which can interfere with the digestive process. Meat which contains cholesterol is vital to our health provided it's grass fed meet. Cholesterol is needed to repair damage within the body, protect against free radicals, and is needed to properly digest foods. To top off this damage, our body excretes protective mucus when in contact with toxic food elements. These elements are abundant in our modern diets, they include: any food that's been improperly processed like sugar, white flour and cheap vegetable oils, as well as in all meat and animals products that have been pasteurized or that have been raised with chemicals, hormones, antibiotics and pesticides.The acclimation of mucus in the body creates a build up of thick mucus in the intestines, and perhaps in other parts of the body prevents absorption of up to 90% of the nutrients you eat, this is assuming your not eating foods containing anti-nutrients as explained above. Meanwhile the mucus becomes a breeding ground for harmful bacteria's, and lead to intoxication of your entire body.

My personal diet and recommendations

In practicing a traditional diet for over a year, I want to emphasize some key things that I learned. Many of the recipes I follow, as well as how to properly prepare all types of foods to preserve their nutrients, along with valuable correct food scientific knowledge can be obtained by reading my favorite cooking book, Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.

1. Eat fermented foods and drink fermented beverages. Two cups of the lacto-fermented Beet Kvass per day, and one cup of Kombucha per day. Rejuvelac is also a great fermented beverage. Your intestines need these pro biotic bacteria's to digest food.

2. Take Cod Liver oil together with raw butter as well as eat raw butter and drink large amounts raw milk or fermented raw milk such as kefir. Nothing builds and heals the body better than fat soluble vitamin A and D found readily in raw butter and cod liver oil.

3. Eat more fat and protein from grass fed pasture raised animals. For example: there was a time I was eating 4-6 farm raised eggs per day, along with 1/2 - 1lb. of meet. One of the most satisfying and healthy meals is to eat some meat, like beef ribs, that's filled with healthy, nourishing animal fat.

4. Drink bone broths. I have a regular practice of making soup from pasture raised chickens and fresh fish carcasses. These provide numerous amount of essential trace minerals.

5. Soak all nuts, breans, and grains before eating, as they contain phytates, which leach the body of essential nutrients. Properly soaked grains contains high amounts of essential vitamins for the body, taste delicious, and are inexpensive. Avoid any and all processed flour/grain products like granola, cereal, bread, and pasta unless you make it yourself by fermenting it at home. Ezekiel bread is a sprouted bread that can be used but only on occasion.

6. Eat fermented sweet potatoes or yams. (recipe is in Nourishing Traditions) Fermented root vegetables are common in traditional cultures and contain a rare pre-biotic which feed beneficial microorganisms in your gut.

7. Cook only with Extra Virgin Coconut oil, Butter, and, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or animal fat. Most other oil like vegetable oil is toxic in large amounts and small amounts and should not be heated at all. Organic animal fats and oils have many healing properties and protect against "bad" microbes in the body.

8. Cook vegetables in a special manner to preserve their vitamins and nutrients using a combination of steaming and boiling. For example: cook kale by putting 1/2 cup water in the pot, then putting the kale with the water directly in the pot creating the effect of both boiling and steaming. ( keep an eye on your veggies it so it doesn't run out of water.)

9. All desserts must be homemade, using only rapadura (in small amounts), raw honey, or grade B maple syrup.

Changing your diet can be an ongoing experiment, but food is a truly one of the most satisfying and healing experiences when done properly. There may also be other diet factors that I haven't considered. For example: Someone might have too much fire energy, so they need to eat cooling foods, like green beans. Or someone may have depleted energy and need to eat only cooked foods and little raw foods.

Weight Loss and More

Generally excess weight is caused by the retention of water and fat by the body due to improper nutrition. People who look fat may not actually be fat, but may be having an allergic reaction to eating a large amount of grains that are indigestible. Carbohydrates cause us to generally gain weight. Fat and protein generally cause weight stability or weight loss. This has to do with the nutritional needs of the body, coupled with how the body digests different foods. Finally excess toxins are stored in the body and need to be cleared. Fasting alone is not sufficient to rid your body of excess mucus stuck to the intestines, it requires extra herbs to clear it. There are probably many ways to do this, I'm experimenting with one right now.

What to do:

It is of the utmost importance to avoid ALL sugar, flour, soy, and improperly processed vegetable oils.

Drink lots of water and take celtic sea salt- See step 1 If you don't drink enough water the body can go into water storage mode and store excess water creating weight gain. Many signs of hunger are actually signs of thirst, so drink first to make sure your actually hungry, not thristy. Water is also the bodies number one source of energy.

Clear your bowels - If the large intestine is clogged, then nutrient's don't absorb into the body. This could make someone feel very hungry even when they eat lots of food. Lack of nutrients could also force the body into nutrient survival mode and the body could put on more weight or become bloated. Herbal treatments and Celetic sea salt should do the trick. I'm experimenting with Dr. Christopher's herbal cleanse formulas . It's a seven month program begining with the Lower Bowel Tonic for the large intestines, then the Blood Stream Tonic to cleanse the blood of the toxins released, then Kidney, Liver, and Gall Bladder support.

I suggest following the diet protocol in the book the Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin. This balances the blood sugar, restores metabolic stasis, and helps find the bodies true hunger needs. (generally people are protein and fat deprived) Usually sugar cravings come from lack of healthy animal fat intake. Eating sugar then creates chaos in the body systems.

A short fast on Bieler's Broth may restore your body's chemistry.

Some good on-line Diet Samples

A sample food plan based on the Diet of Melvin Page, one of Weston Prices associates.

The body ecology diet is an excellent body and heath building resource.