Dogma

“It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.” This quote is usually attributed to Mark Twain. No matter who said it, I think it’s true.

Could the dietary advice we’ve been given since the late 70’s be wrong? Could the recommended high carb low fat standard diet be actually harmful? Could cholesterol and saturated fat not be the killers that we have been taught they are! The standard north american diet is based on is this: Saturated fat raises cholesterol, high cholesterol will clog your arteries and lead to Coronary heart disease (CHD) which will lead to a premature death. If this is correct, why did CHD not decline but continues to rise after this advice was given in the early 80’s? With these dietary recommendations why have rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes skyrocketed?

During the last year, I have learned the evidence to support a high carb low fat diet (HCLF) is weak at best. On the contrary, there is a large body of evidence based science to support a low carb high fat diet (LCHF). The evidence suggests that saturated fat is not harmful but beneficial. Also, the “vegetable oils” that we are told to use in place of saturated fat because they lower cholesterol have been associated with cancer and other chronic diseases. Why would something that is completely natural and has always been part of the human diet be bad for us and an oil invented about a hundred years ago be good for us? Makes no sense! Why do we think cholesterol is harmful? The human body needs it for survival. Blaming cholesterol for CHD is like blaming the firemen at a house fire for the fire. Inflammation is the bad guy here not cholesterol. I know this is a complicated topic and I’m certainly not qualified to get too deep into it but if I’ve learned anything it’s that the internet has made information gathering easy for all and that if you take the time, the data is all there.

What about your doctor? Gladly more and more doctors are adopting low carb protocols as the health benefits become more understood. I think many are too busy or too dogmatic to do their own research. I think in this modern age, you need to do your own research before following potentially harmful advice. Happily my doctor is right onboard with my lifestyle and fully supportive. Since I adopted a LCHF lifestyle, my blood work (lipits) have never been better! My HDL went up (good), LDL ( which is only a risk factor if particles are small) stayed about the same, and my triglycerides went way down (also good). Diets high in refined grains, starches, and sugar are pro-inflammatory and will increase small particle LDL while diets high in saturated fat promote healthy large particle LDL. There are recent studies that have showed higher mortality in those with lower cholesterol than those with high cholesterol. If I’ve sparked your curiosity, I recommend books/YouTube by Gary Taubes, Nina Teicholz, Jason Fung, Tim Noakes, and Zoe Harcombe to name just a few.

Wondering what the hell does all this have to do with Ironman and training? Don’t worry, I’ll get there.