Getting everyone on two cholesterol medications

[elizabethbraddock]

Yeah, separating the egg yolks is the most lame-brained thing anyone can do, or suggest to do.

Yes, red meat is OK and is very healthy (of course ideally if you can afford it undrugged grass-eating cattle meat is the best from a local butcher shop). Lots of good nutrients there more than a cardboard-tasting "healthy" bowl of oatmeal does not have. It's better to eat foods that fill you instead of being a "filler". What about the fats? Eat some of that and you won't be hungry an hour later like you would be that bowl of oatmeal, or that "fat-free" container of yogurt we see a smirking self-assured advertzing lady eating, or whatever else. In the long run, you'll most likely eat less calories if you fill up your dinner table with a juicy grilled steak, and hot buttered vegetables that they tell you to avoid (as well as anything else that brings a little pleasure in this messed-up world of theirs). Once you eat that, you won't feel like snacking an hour later.

I think the issue is that people are not aware of the types of nutrients out there, and the balance involved. And the problem with much of doctor's dietary advice is that they basically label some nutritional stuff "bad" when actually it's good. You're average doctor probably flunked his nutrition class.

Your big cholesterol enemy: Low fat sugary stuff (esp high fructose corn syrup). Low fats and high sugars will raise the cholesterol and make you fatter. Also, polyunsaturated fats in vegetable oils. There's way too much soy in stuff so as it is.

I'm a big vitamin/mineral fan as well, and by that I don't mean taking merely an establishment based Centrum A to Z, either. But that's a big subject in and of itself.

You're not entirely off. The biggest thing is that nearly all fats get labeled as "bad", when that's not the case at all. For example, omega-3 fats are very good for you and have a protective effect on the cardiovascular system. Omega-6 fatty acids, which make up the bulk of the fatty acids in processed foods and grain products, are bad for you, and have been linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease and deposition of adipose tissue. The ideal dietary ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 should be close to 1:1, but the average American diet is closer to 6:1.

The problem with red meat is that most cows are fed grain, which alters the fatty acid content of their meat; grain fed cows have a much higher omega-6 content vs. grass fed cows. It's because the grain itself has a high omega-6 content.

It's unfair to say that physicians flunked out nutrition; it's more accurate to say that they passed nutrition as it is currently taught using USDA standards, and they probably do not follow the latest research. A well-informed physician would know these things. However, it should be noted that it is not easy to advise patients on lifestyle changes and dietary habits; I know this first-hand. Patients nod their heads and go back to what they enjoy eating, because it's easy. Lifestyle changes are hard. The negative effects of bad nutrition are nebulous and far-off, and of no consequence to most people until the effects show. By that time, it's too late. Changing nutrition at that point, while beneficial, would not have had a great an impact as if the patient had done so earlier before problems arose.