Heart Surgeon Speaks Out on What Really causes Heart Disease

This article is by Dr Dwight Lundell, a heart surgeon of 25 years experience who has performed over 5000 open-heart surgeries.  Do read the entire article, but here's a summary:

"I freely admit to being wrong" says Dr Lundell.

Dr Lundell explains to us that it is inflammation in the artery wall, and not simply high cholesterol from a high fat diet, that is the real cause of heart disease.

"Without inflammation being present in the body, there is no way that cholesterol would accumulate in the wall of the blood vessel and cause heart disease and strokes.  Without inflammation, cholesterol would move freely throughout the body as nature intended.  It is inflammation, that causes cholesterol to become trapped."

Inflammation is "quite simply your body's natural defence to a foreign invader such as bacteria, toxin or virus."

So what causes inflammation?

"The injury and inflammation in our blood vessels is caused by the low fat diet recommended for years by mainstream medicine".

The biggest culprits of chronic inflammation are "the overload of simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods."

Dr Lundell explains that it's this type of diet over time which does the damage.

"I have peered inside thousands upon thousands of arteries.  A diseased artery look as if someone took a brush and scrubbed repeatedly against its wall.  Several times a day, every day, the foods we eat create small injuries compounding into more injuries, causing the body to respond continuously and appropriately with inflammation."

Consuming simple carbohydrates raises blood sugar rapidly and in turn your pancreas secretes insulin to drive the sugar into your cells for energy, but once the cells are full, excess sugar is stored as fat.  The body aims to control blood sugar in a narrow range.  Excess sugar injures the blood vessel wall.  

"This repeated injury to the blood vessel wall sets off inflammation."

"When you spike your blood sugar level several times a day, every day, it is exactly like taking sandpaper to the inside of your delicate blood vessels."

"There is no escaping the fact that the more that we consume prepared and processed foods, the more we trip the inflammation switch little by little each day.  The human body cannot process, nor was it designed to consume, foods packed with sugars and soaked in omega-6 oils."

So what should we do?

"There is but one answer to quieting inflammation, and that is returning to foods closer to their natural state.  To build muscle, eat more protein.  Choose carbohydrates that are very complex such as colourful fruits and vegetables.  Cut down on or eliminate inflammation-causing omega-6 fats like corn and soybean oil and the processed foods that are made from them."

"The cholesterol theory led to the no-fat recommendations that in turn created the very foods now causing an epidemic of inflammation.  Mainstream medicine made a terrible mistake when it advised people to avoid saturated fat in favour of foods high in omega-6 fats.  We now have an epidemic of arterial inflamation leading to heart disease and other silent killers."

"By eliminating inflammatory foods and adding essential nutrients from fresh unprocessed food, you will reverse years of damage to your arteries."

Source article: http://www.sott.net/article/242516-Heart-surgeon-speaks-out-on-what-really-causes-heart-disease If you Google Dr Lundell you will find a page called "Quackwatch" which says some disparaging things about him.  In this online interview (towards the end) Dr Lundell addresses this criticism.

~ take every opportunity to put the good stuff in ~

This blog is about me, what I'm doing, what's working for me, and what's not. It includes my experiences and opinions. It is for general information only and is in no way intended to replace the advice of a health care professional.

Five Minute Salad

Think you don't have time to pack a healthy lunch for work?  With a little forward planning at your weekly shop to always have a few things on hand it's not that hard.  I like to try plan my weekly menus to have some dinner leftovers to turn into a salad for work but when I'm really pressed for time or things just don't go according to plan, this is my plan "B" basic healthy lunch that provides good fats, fibre and protein, and is packed in five minutes flat!

You need to keep in your pantry:

Small tins of wild-caught* salmon

Olive oil

And in your fridge:

Bag of pre-washed mixed lettuce/greens

Tomatoes or cherry tomatoes

Avocado

Throw two handfuls of pre-washed mixed lettuce/greens in a lunchbox.  Wash and chop the tomato and throw that in too.  If you have cherry tomatoes this step is even quicker - no chopping!  Then slice an avocado like you would a mango and squeeze the avocado pieces on top.

Pour a little olive oil in a small jar or container and pop this in the lunchbox also then refrigerate.  I always pack my lunches in the evening and don't have any issues with the avocado turning brown.  I do use air-tight lunchboxes which probably helps with that.

In the morning grab your lunchbox from the fridge, the salmon from the cupboard and pack these in an insulated bag with an ice pack.  At lunch time add the salmon to your salad, drizzle over olive oil and enjoy!

* wild-caught fish is the best option.  For information about the dangers of farmed fish read this article by Dr Axe.

~ take every opportunity to put the good stuff in ~

This blog is about me, what I'm doing, what's working for me, and what's not. It includes my experiences and opinions. It is for general information only and is in no way intended to replace the advice of a health care professional.

How I Ended Up on a Low Carb, High Fat Diet and Stuff I've Learned Along the Way [Part II]

When writing last week's post it was getting a bit long so here is Part II . . .


Here is some stuff I've learned in my journey so far:

• There's not an exact "one-size-fits-all" diet that is going to suit everybody's needs.
• With our modern Western Diet most of us are not getting adequate supplies of the nutrients our bodies need to function the way that they were designed to.  Often we are blocking our body's ability to absorb and use some of the nutrients that we are consuming because of the refined and processed foods we are also eating, medications we are taking or other lifestyle factors like smoking or over-consumption of caffeine and alcohol.  [The Science of Skinny by Dee McCaffrey and Drug Muggers by Suzy Cohen RPh]
• Getting nutrients from unprocessed whole foods is better and safer than taking supplements because there is still so much that scientists don't yet understand about what's in real whole foods, so manufactured supplements are just not the same.  Eating a wide variety of nutrient-dense foods is the best way to avoid over-dosing or getting nutrients in the wrong balance.  [The Wahls Protocol by Dr Terry Wahls]
• Grains, nuts and seeds contain phytic acid, also know as "anti-nutrients" which bind to minerals in the gut preventing mineral absorption.  They also contain enzyme inhibitors which suppress the proper function of digestive enzymes leading to poor digestion and digestive discomfort.  Preparation methods that include soaking and/or fermenting before cooking help to neutralise the phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors making the grains, nuts and seeds more digestible and their nutrients more available. [Sourdough ebook by Wardeh Harmon and the GNOWFGLINS Team and the Western A Price Foundation]

How I Ended Up on a Low Carb, High Fat Diet and Stuff I've LearnedAlong the Way [Part I]

Recently I saw the ABC's Catalyst program about the low carb, high fat diet,  "Low Carb Diet, Fat or Fiction".  It is an informative and well-rounded report.  You can watch or download it here.  It runs for about 29 minutes.

I didn't set out to go on a low carb, high fat diet, but in my pursuit of a processed-free, nutrient-dense diet, I realise that's actually where I have ended up.

Initially when doing the detox program that kick-started my journey and healing process, I went gluten-free for two months.  I chose to reintroduced gluten into my diet after that, but on a greatly reduced scale.

I thought that my diet wasn't too bad but I decided that I would stop eating all refined carbohydrates; so nothing that contained any refined sugar or flour. I used to mostly eat wholemeal bread but I made a decision to only eat wholemeal bread, pasta and rice.  

I stopped eating sandwiches because I wanted to lower my gluten intake and increase my intake of plant foods.

Breakfast in a Jar

I like to leave for work early to beat the traffic and get a good parking space. So I prepare and drink a lemon water from a travel mug on my way to work and I pack my breakfast to eat at the office.

This is a favourite that I can prepare at night and store in the fridge for a quick grab on the way out the door in the morning.  I pop it in an insulated bag with an ice pack.

Packed in this jar are raspberries, blackberries and blueberries, a tablespoon of LSA (ground linseed, sunflower seeds and almonds), 4 dessert spoonfuls of full cream natural yoghurt (I like B.d. Farm Paris Creek organic Natural Yoghurt with probiotic cultures),  a handful of raw macadamia halves, a sprinkle of dried goji berries, a little pure maple syrup and a good dash of cinnamon.

Berries because they are a great source of antioxidants, and they're delicious!

Yoghurt for protein and probiotics.

Nuts and Seeds also for protein, minerals: calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, potassium, selenium, B vitamins, vitamin E and good fats.

Pure maple syrup - a natural sweetener that is a source of manganese and zinc.

Cinnamon - an anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial spice that is also a digestive aid and a source of calcium.

~ take every opportunity to put the good stuff in ~

 

This blog is about me, what I'm doing, what's working for me, and what's not. It includes my experiences and opinions. It is for general information only and is in no way intended to replace the advice of a health care professional.