To put it as simply as possible: no. There is absolutely NO EVIDENCE linking dietary intake of saturated fats with incidence of heart disease!
Coconut Oil Charms Health Food Community
You knew it would happen eventually. Coconut oil has been making headlines again — and this time it’s not playing the part of a villainous saturated fat. The New York Times ran a piece on the nutrient-rich hero of vegetable fats last week, and (wonder of wonders!) decided it was good for you, in addition to being downright tasty.
Butter vs. Margarine Showdown
It’s no secret I’m a fan of butter. I love the way it tastes. I love the way it makes other foods taste. I love the way it melts, the rich creamy texture it imparts to delectable recipes, and I love that it is REAL. If I wanted to, I could put a cow out to lush, green pastures every day, milk it, and use my haul to create fresh butter in my own kitchen. I can’t create margarine in my kitchen.
Butter from grass-fed cows is arguably one of the best kinds of fats we can eat, but when you tell most people this they roll their eyes. Where’s the science to back that claim up? They ask. Everyone knows butter is bad, bad, bad for you. Don’t they?
Ah. Well now you can point them to a recent study which broke down the results of the 20 year Framingham Heart study, specifically comparing butter consumption to margarine consumption. Guess which tasty, spreadable fat wins?
Two Videos Bust the Cholesterol Myth
Have you ever tried to explain to a friend or relative why the lipid hypothesis is just plain wrong? Why dietary intake of saturated fat and cholesterol have nothing whatsoever to do with increasing incidence of heart disease (and may perhaps be protective against it)? Why a low-fat diet is actually unhealthy? Have you ever felt like the words got stuck in your mouth, or like you couldn’t find the right way to explain it all? Or maybe you felt like you could explain it, but you didn’t have scientific studies at hand to reference when they said “show me the science?”
Chris Kessler, The Healthy Skeptic, recently released two beautifully done videos (really just one video, broken into two parts) that may be the answer to your prayers. Just email your friends or relatives these videos, and let Chris do the talking for you.
Is the tide turning in favor of saturated fat?
Sadly, it’s dangerous to think outside the box. Particularly in the scientific community. If you harbor a view that’s contrary to the whole (even in light of good, sound, scientific evidence), you are demonized, belittled, and shunned.
That’s why when one of the world’s most prominent lipid researchers did an (ahem!) honest review of the observational studies linking dietary intake of saturated fat to heart disease, I take notice. If he can get away with being honest, then surely the tide in scientific thinking must be turning!
Fat Is Where It’s At
For decades, the USDA food pyramid has been telling us to eat less fat. When they launched their campaign, only 14% of Americans were obese. Today, that number’s at more than 30%, with another 30% of the population being classified as “overweight.”
So what’s wrong? Did the public fail to get the message? Are we all secretly pigging out on high fat foods? Did we all suddenly turn sedentary?
By the late 1990s, more than 90% of American consumers reported eating low-fat products, and roughly two-thirds of us believed “a need exists for food ingredients that can replace the fat in food products.” By all appearances, we embraced the low-fat message with open arms. Yet we still gained weight.
Top-Five Thursdays: Real Food on A Budget & More
I enjoy staying on top of Real Food news. I get to read some fairly funny and informative posts, interact with new and interesting people, and generally get inspired.
Like last week, this week’s links proved delightfully diverse. You’ll learn everything from how to prioritize your food choices so that you can do the best with the budget you’ve got to how to render lard. Beyond that, I’ve even included a link to a new program that may revolutionize how your community eats.
The Cholesterol Myth
In my latest video, I talked about the Lipid Hypothesis — the theory that there is a direct correlation between the levels of saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet with incidence of heart disease. Today, I’d like you to hear from a man who absolutely rips the Lipid Hypothesis to shreds.