I am one of those people who never paid much attention to warnings about cholesterol. Egg yolks are bad. Red meat will kill you. What else?
Oh, don’t eat butter, eat margarine. Don’t eat animal fats, use seed oils like canola oil or corn oil instead.
WRONG. WRONG. WRONG.
Since 2015 (and even earlier some 50 years ago) the cholesterol myth has been debunked with the 2015-2020 Dietary Guideline for Americans stating that cholesterol is no longer a nutrient for concern.
I have done my reading and research and my background in biology helps me digest all that scientific information. But then again, who am I to dish out nutritional advice, right?
I don’t have an MD behind my name or a BSc in nutritional science (the irony is if I had one of those, I would have learnt outdated information and would be like all the doctors and nutritionist and tell you not to eat egg yolks).
What you should be avoiding (or eat less of) are carbohydrates and sugar. Even fruits (which contain fructose, which is a sugar). Even if something does not taste sweet (eg noodles, rice, white bread) it does not mean that it does not contain sugar.
Noodles, rice and bread are carbohydrates and they break down into sugar (glucose) once ingested. Sugar and carbohydrates are the culprits in causing disease due to their inflammatory effect.
I know that most (if not all doctors) in Malaysia will dish out the same old drivel about how saturated fats is bad for you and that cholesterol will give you a heart attack. And they tell you to avoid sugar but they don’t tell you to avoid/reduce carbohydrates in general.
Even if they knew of the new research and findings, your doctor might be afraid to tell you otherwise. Why? Because they could be reprimanded by the medical association like how some doctors in the USA and Australia have gotten into trouble for advising patients to the contrary.
So instead of becoming miserable from food restrictions and eventually suffering from malnutrition, open up your mind and learn. You may not be a doctor but you have the capability to educate yourself.
Anyway, don’t hear it from me. You listen to the experts :
1. Dr Pradip Jamnadas
2. Dr Sten Ekberg
3. Dr Pradip Jamnadas
4. Dr Ken Berry