Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives NSD and diet-related; Cholesterol Tests and a High Fat Diet

Good on you for getting your numbers in line without needing to resort to statins or other pharmaceuticals.

Hi MCM,

I was hoping that my bad cholesterol would be lower, but felt that in general, the results were good because my good cholesterol was pretty darn high. I fry eggs in butter every morning, so I can relate to your egg consumption (although I "only" eat two or three a day).

Also, every now and then I get a dozen duck eggs and eat with those to give myself a break from the regular chicken eggs. Duck eggs are tricky to crack and cook, but if you love yolk, you'll love duck eggs.

And your excerpt below pretty much highlights what I've read about EVOO. Naturally, the olive oil industry is the most vocal in debunking those myths. IMO, I think cooking with olive oil is an acceptable risk, but I chose not to cook with it because it wasn't that inconvenient for me to not use it. I still use copious amounts of EVOO in my salads.

The main reason why I use EV Coconut Oil is because of the purported benefits that you outline below. It definitely made a huge difference in my candida.

Freddie

I think this is a classic example of a conundrum that we all face. Whenever we're faced with a particular decision, medical or otherwise, we can rarely get any consensus on the topic. Granted, many ideas/remedies are so far out there we can discard them. But for something like this, there are lots of arguments for and against the heating of olive oil or the consumption of EV coconut oil.

Because of my particular situation (candida), that was the primary reason why I started using coconut oil. I had chronic sinus problems for years and the every day consumption of coconut oil clearly had an impact; after each tablespoon I'd feel some irritation/sensation in the base of my sinus. I assume that it was the antifungal nature of the oil working on the candida, but what do I know...

The best argument I heard for clearing the consumption of coconut oil is that the only study that was conducted, was based on hydrogenated coconut oil, and that is why it received a bad rap. I don't know if that's true or not, but again, at the time, I felt it was an interesting experiment to conduct.

As for olive oil, I imagine that even cooking with it is an acceptable risk. The paradox of the Mediterranean diet may make a pretty good case for clearing it's name.

No matter what health/diet decisions we make, someone is going to say that it's bad because of XYZ. At the end of the day, we just have to gather both opinions, try to separate fact from fiction, and then pick something that we think makes sense for us and doesn't pose an unacceptable risk given our situation. Well that's my story, and I'm sticking with it.

Freddie

if you have scientific studies pointing out coconut oils heart health benefits, i'd appreciate them, or i'll have to dig on my own.

and what you said regarding the mediterranean diet is one of the strong arguments regarding EVOO in my mind.

i have this book called "cholesterol cures": cholesterol cures
normally i don't go for such gimmicky titles, but this book is really good. not like a lot of books (or websites) with one biased point of view, for which you have to wonder how true it i,s since its not a very balanced view. this book is a number of short chapters, each one about a different thing (diet or exercise) that are supposed to be good or bad for your lipid profile (and heart) with all the studies (well, maybe not all, but it sure feels like it) that have been done on that particular topic, with all the data, both supporting and refuting a certain claim. the most balanced book i've read in a long time. if it says anything about coconut oil or heating EVOO, i'll pass it along here, need to get up from recliner to go take a look, and don't feel like moving right now, heating pad too comfy

and BTW, i wanted to comment specifically on your HDL of of 94! woohoo!
i didn't even know a number like that was even possible!
my 58 feels so inadequate now!
guess i have some catching up to do!

Interesting thread!
My LDL is high, with my HDL also high and triglycerides behaving quite nicely. My German doctor told me to get the LDL down by exercising at for at least 30min a session, a couple of times a week. She did this herself to get her numbers down by jogging, not something everyone here is going to be able to do... Had I gone back and my numbers not gone down I think she would have wanted to start medicating me....
However, my doctor downunder didn't bat an eyelid. While the bad is high, the overall ratio is ok. And, in the meantime, I have started doing more exercise anyway. It was hard to feel enthusiastic about exercise while I was plagued with colds and then snow and ice about.
My NZ doc made an interesting comment about LDL, along the lines that the jury may still be out on it. He came up with an analogy, this is my reinterpretation. Imagine you have a problem with birds (LDL) in your fields, so you decide to get rid of them so they don't damage your crop. But only once you've managed to scare them all away do you discover that there was a problem with insects, and the birds were actually eating them and weren't so bad after all. I can offer you no scientific info to back this up. My doc here is open to alternative approaches too. Sue, that book you've mentioned sounds interesting.

As for oils, I have been discovering that NZ produces some fantastic olive oils. I've also been enjoying avocado oil, which is just great. http://www.avocado-oil.co.nz/ Green, and delicious, it apparently has a higher smoking point that EVOO.
Just found this on Wiki, which appears to back it up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_point
This one helpfully lists from lowest through to highest temps:
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/50/Smoke-Points-of-Various-Fats
If cooking temp of your oil concerns you, this should help you work out when to use what.

In having a look at the Grove range I've decided to go out and get me some of the Horopito infused stuff, for extra flavour and its reported anti-Candida effects. Wohoo!

thanks for the charts! so EVOO has a higher smoke point than unrefined coconut oil in the wiki chart, explains why my kitchen smokes up when i cook with coconut oil. bottom line, i think i need to turn my heat down. Maybe start baking with extra light olive oil? Most my muffin recipes are at 400 degrees.

I like the Cooking For Engineers site. Thanks! That chart is also great. Everything else I had found was kind of sloppy looking and sketchy at best.

I've been using a Horipito supplement as directed by my doctor. I don't know if it is as beneficial as he had hoped, but it is certainly not hurting anything. Go for it!

from what i've read, and from my own experience, an increase in exercise really does affect the HDLs and triglycerides, but doesn't affect the LDLs very much. i've been walking at least 30-60 minutes almost every day for a while now and my triglycerides and HDLs have changed dramatically, but my LDLs have hardly budged. this correlates with the information i have read. i've also read that walking is as good for these benefits as more vigorous exercise and almost every one can walk. have also read that you can split the time up if you want, don't have to do it all at one time like they used to think.

i'd still like my LDLs to be within "normal" limits as diabetes / heart disease run in my family, but at the same time, feeling pretty good about the HDLs and triglycerides and blood sugar at the moment. and while i haven't been able to lose weight past the first 5-10 lbs, have been able to maintain it, which is better than watching it go up and up. still, i'd like to get back to the weight i was before all the numbers starting going "borderline bad"; the fluctuating blood pressure, the prediabetes, the LDLs.....working on it......if artery / heart disease wasn't such a problem in my family, i'd probably be less concerned.

It's a great site, isn't it. I was having a look at the recipe file on soft boiling eggs, and had to chuckle at the amout of feedback it generated.

In looking into the properties of Horopito I came across this website and product range: http://www.kolorex.com/
I am going to see if I can track some down in a local store. What is it that you take?

Fair enough, Sue! I have to admit I haven't paid too much attention to my results as it seemed like the least of my worries at the time. I am more reliant on meat these days, as well as oils/fat for energy, but this will (fingers crossed) not always be the case.