Regardless of my audience, whenever I discuss Low Carb High Fat (LCHF), that old cholesterol question keeps coming up. I have no illusions that I have the medical knowledge required to adequately educate you all on this hot topic, and would prefer to leave the science to those who do have the credentials to comment. I suggest you read blogs by Prof Grant Schofield and Libby Jenkinson, both explain the cholesterol dilemma beautifully. But read on first…….
I have said before that my husband has queried the possibility that my LCHF cooking regime might be sending him to an early grave. Well that myth has been well and truly busted since receiving his latest blood results. After 2 ½ years on the LCHF diet his blood profile has come back with all measures well below any level of risk. As much as I would like to publish these results, it might just send his blood pressure up and reverse all the good work I have been doing for the last 2 years!
What concerns me is this; frequently people tell me their Doctor has prescribed statins as a result of increased cholesterol, along with advice to eat less fat and more whole grains and cereals or high carb options. For some this is their first indication of poorer health and most are feeling understandably vulnerable. Clearly it’s not the time for me to be advising anything other than that they take their Dr’s advice. I do however recommend that they rethink that dietary advice, decrease processed carbs, and make sure their diet looks like this.
Most importantly though, as I have said repeatedly to you all in previous posts, don’t even just take my word for it, do your own research. More and more often I am hearing stories of not only remarkable weight loss but also significantly improved metabolic outcomes by embarking on a LCHF lifestyle. While the academic debate continues to rage, the general public are becoming aware that this way of eating just makes sense.
So if you have embarked on, or are planning to embark on LCHF and are concerned about cholesterol, get on the internet and do some reading for yourself. There are a myriad of experts to support what I am saying and equally as many who fervently disagree, so allow plenty of time!!
Believe me about one thing though, if I had any doubt at all that the way I feed my family and friends was anything but the most nutritious and healthful way of eating, there is no way I would continue my regular LCHF lectures. Neither could I continue my endless recipe experimentation and menu design.
And as I rub tonight’s pork belly with olive oil, and my mouth waters at the thought of the crispy pork crackling I will be enjoying with friends and family later tonight, I am confident that our hearts are safe and we will be sharing food together for many years to come!
5 Comments
Isn’t it a sad but hilarious irony that eating the food the diet-heart hypothesis people have told us not to eat actually improves markers for heart disease. It breaks my heart to think of all the people that eat bland, terrible food in the hope that they’ll last longer. Whereas now I get to eat such delicious food and know I’m doing the best I can for my overall and heart health. I was (and still am) the biggest bread addict. If I found out I was going to die in a month I can’t guarantee that I wouldn’t go back to it. But after 52 days, 7 weeks of lchf I can honestly say that apart from nostalgia at the memory of eating bread and sugar and rubbish like that, I don’t miss it. I feel so much better, so much lighter (11.6kg down) that if I’m not gonna die in a month then I’ll continue this way of life forever. Thanks for your great recipes Julie.. They’re wonderful. Robyn xx
Hi Robyn
Yes everyone needs to get there in their own time. These stories really help though. Funnily bread was never an issue for me, hot chips however are my achilles heel! I still indulge but only very occasionally, and never feel that great afterwards!!
Thanks for your comments.
Julia you have made me very proud, being mentioned alongside Prof Grant is praise indeed. I’m so glad you found my summary helpful and totally agree that everyone must do their own research and make up their own mind.
Libby
i fully researched and bought into the high-fat low-carb approach to improving cholesterol numbers. I have a bad family history with early cardiac death in the women in my family. My LDL particle number has been high and I’ve been on a statin for several years. However, it has recently gone up even though I’m on the drug. So my doctor (yes a regular Western medicine doctor–can you believe it?) recommended a ketogenic diet. I followed it religiously for two months. I ate exactly the prescribed amount of fat, protein, and carbs. I tracked everything. I peed on the ketone sticks and even tested blood ketones regularly. I knew I was doing everything right! So you can imagine how disappointed I was when I got my recent blood test last week. My cholesterol and LDL particle number were all through the roof! I don’t understand why, except that I guess my mechanism for dysfunctional cholesterol is not based on insulin metabolism. Also it seems that all of the studies have been done in overweight unhealthy people to start. I started very fit and ideal body weight. Maybe that has something to do with it? Anyway, it’s just one story, but I wanted to share. I’m very disappointed that the ketogenic approach didn’t work for me, because once I was keto adopted, I felt great. My workouts were great, I had no bloating or a abdominal discomfort, and I didn’t have fluctuations in energy. I thought it was great. But clearly, based on my labs it’s not something that’s right for my body. I wish every one else out there a lot of luck.
Hi Becky
Thanks for that story, not the outcome you were after I am sure. it is interesting to hear alternative stories and very important for everyone to know that for sum lchf may not be the most appropriate dietary approach. Good luck and keep in touch.