UNDERSTANDING CHOLESTEROL AND THE HAUSER DIET

We know that you have heard us say “a low-fat diet isn’t for everyone.” Everyone’s physiology is different, how can one diet support all the health needs of people everywhere?

A recent study compared two groups of women both on a low fat diet. One group had a diet high in vegetables, the other, low in vegetables. The LDL cholesterol levels (bad cholesterol) in women who were following a low fat diet, but consumed less vegetables, rose! It didn’t stay the same, it got worse!

Well, isn’t that interesting? When we ask new patients about their nutrition and eating habits, many of the patients tell us that they are following a low fat diet by eating low fat snacks, choosing margarine instead of butter, and avoiding meat and eggs.

When I was a dietitian in the hospital and was instructing the cardiac patients on low fat diets, I always wondered why so many of them did not lower their cholesterol levels by following the diet?

A LOW FAT DIET SHOULD NOT BE FOLLOWED BY EVERYONE

Many people actually gain weight and worsen their cholesterol levels by following it. Many people on low fat diets also do not incorporate enough vegetables into their diet. In fact, most Americans fall extremely short on an appropriate vegetable intake for good health. Because vegetables help lower LDL (along with improving pretty much every aspect of your health) – and the women of the above study were not consuming enough of them to accomplish this – they saw their cholesterol levels worsen. But a low fat diet isn’t proven to keep HDL levels low in everyone.

The ‘Low Fat diet for everyone’ idea gives the wrong message that Low Fat = Healthy.

If you are on a low fat diet, are putting on weight, and feel worse than before you started it, the diet is wrong for you. Your body may actually NEED MORE FAT-GOOD FAT! How do you know? In our office we do Diet Type testing to help determine this.

Many of our patients find that they feel best, look best, and have a balanced chemistry when they add more fat in their diet. Yes, this means taking out all of those “Bad” Fats, in addition to those “Fat Free” cookies, mayonnaise, and other foods. Eating the original amount of fat in food, in moderation, is actually healthier than indulging in the “Fat Free” alternatives.

A common concern that we get here at Caring Medical is high cholesterol levels. While we don’t focus only on cholesterol for heart health (more on that later), if it is a concern for one of our patients, we want to make sure we address it.

However most of us have heard that in order to lower cholesterol, we need a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet. We have seen that this diet is not necessarily going to work for all people.

In reality, some people are actually going to see an increase in cholesterol while following a low-fat diet because it does not support their physiology and results in their bodies creating more cholesterol, and thus blood lipid levels rise.

The good news is you do not have to go on a medication to lower your cholesterol; you need to eat right for your diet type! Take the example of one of our patients, Tim, who has had high cholesterol for years and was obsessed with his cholesterol numbers. He was so determined to lower his cholesterol that he went almost completely vegetarian, eating lean meat only twice per week. His cholesterol numbers were borderline high, but they bothered him enough to take some action.

Tim was tested for diet type and it was revealed that he was a fast oxidizer. Tim would need some meat with every meal every day, not just twice a week. We placed Tim on the Bear Diet, a balanced diet that includes some meat with most meals. Tim was very skeptical of the diet and kept expressing his concern about his cholesterol going up. We told Tim to trust us, give us 6 weeks on the diet and see what happens.

Wouldn’t you know, a few months later Tim had his lipid levels tested and they were all in the normal range, no more borderline high cholesterol. Tim was very pleased, and we were glad to see his excitement. But we did have to tell him that cholesterol is not the only factor he should be watching.

The truth is that people with normal cholesterol have heart attacks everyday! Many people worry about their cholesterol because they feel they have to, based on drug companies and the media bombarding us with the impression there is a one to one linkage between elevated blood fats and arteriosclerosis.

At Caring Medical, we take a comprehensive approach to help you prevent heart disease. Diet plays a huge role in prevention of heart disease, as well as lack of physical activity, high C-Reactive protein levels, and Homocysteine levels. A complete evaluation by a physician trained in these things is something that everyone needs to do – especially if you are over 30 years old! But you are never too old – or too young, for that matter – to start!