Let’s start with the answer to, “How To Lower Cholesterol Naturally”.
The answer is… your body will take care of cholesterol naturally when you set it up to succeed.
In this post we go deep into the topics of:
- What Really Causes High Cholesterol… It’s NOT What We’ve Been Told.
- High Cholesterol Medication Treatments Including Statins… And The Havoc They Wreak On Our Health Such As Setting Us Up For Alzheimer’s.
- The REAL Cause Of Cardiovascular Disease.
- The Cholesterol Myths & Fear Tactics.
- How To Lower Cholesterol Naturally, Safely, & Without Medications Like Statins.
What Causes High Cholesterol?
In the below video I share the 3 [Little-Known] Causes of High Cholesterol:
#1 – Over Compensation
#2 – Glycation
#3 – Inflammation
Crikes.
Cholesterol is the hands down, clear-winner in the “let’s implement fear-tactics to distract from the truth” category of health. Played out, of course, by prescribers or peddlers, whose true incentive isn’t necessarily your health but their profit.
I am weary of all the blame going to the butter (fat) for what the bread (carbohydrate) did.
And I am weary of cholesterol taking the blame for what the blood sugar and insulin did.
Cholesterol is complicated, complex, and created by….us.
Without cholesterol none of us would be here.
We certainly wouldn’t be reading this blog. But all of us, every single one of us, would be here without carbohydrate. And it’s carbohydrate that is the culprit behind what most blame cholesterol for.
Foul!
Good grief.
Here’s a running list of the “crimes’ allegedly committed by cholesterol:
- Cholesterol is what clogs arteries.
- Cholesterol is like sludge in your bloodstream.
- Cholesterol kills.
- Cholesterol is ‘gross’. (I heard that one from a nutritionist.)
- Cholesterol is the cause of heart attack, stroke and high blood pressure.
- Cholesterol is as harmful to health as smoking. (From another nutritionist.)
- Cholesterol IS heart disease.
- Cholesterol IS diabetes.
- Cholesterol IS …….. you fill in the blank with what you’ve heard or maybe still believe.
Why My High Cholesterol Was Saving Me…
If you have high cholesterol and your doctor has shared her concerns you’ve heard one of these placating directives;
“It’s time to handle your cholesterol with drugs.”
“You’ve tried with diet. Just take this prescription. It doesn’t have to be that hard. You’ll be fine. Everybody’s doing it.”
And we’ve probably at one time or another endured the virtuous health-conscious’ finger-wag, “should you really be eating that?”
I recall my own experience on the receiving end of the finger wag when my cholesterol was ‘elevated’ about 7 years ago. Actually, a more accurate description would be ‘sky high!’.
That’s to be read with both as an exclamation mixed with “what-the-what?!
At the time I was in recovery, both physically and emotionally, from a fatal traffic accident. My cholesterol was, as relayed to me by my doc, “off the charts!”.
Resonating with sincere concern for my safety and well-being her personal voicemail message went on to say, “Your cholesterol is the highest cholesterol panel I’ve ever seen in all my years of practice.” and then the warning, “It is urgent that you schedule an appointment…. immediately.”
I remember the hot flood of panic that began in my solar plexus then radiated out to my tingling hands and feet. Ears ringing, “What have I done?” I asked myself.
When I arrived at my doctor’s office a few days later, shaken and yea, a bit ashamed by my gravely inferior blood profile, I managed to tamp down the demons of doubt. With my casted broken bones still healing from the accident and a PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) racing heart, I held myself in calm certainty over the cholesterol scare.
I knew better, didn’t I?
It’s one thing to read and research a topic. It’s a whole other thing to be entrenched in it. Was this just a test in remaining resolute in the face of fear?
Of course, my mind was running through the checklist of life curve balls. Accident. Death. Broken bones. Broken heart. Panic Attacks. Fear. Overwhelming grief. Anxiety. And, at this particular time, we were switching life insurance which was the reason for my physical and blood lipid panel. Talk about poor timing!
Why Is My Cholesterol High?
Cholesterol And Stress
Having your cholesterol checked while in the middle of a crisis is like having your blood pressure checked while in the middle of a crisis or having your blood sugar checked while in the middle of a crisis. All of these rise is accordance with your level of stress.
Anyway…..
The lovely physician’s assistant who took my vitals and weight prior to me seeing the doctor, ran through the list of medical questions adding my responses to my file.
“I see your cholesterol is high. So, you’re eating low fat, right?” My reply? “No. I’m eating high fat.”
Her reply? Silent pause, head tilt and then, “Okay then.”
And that was it.
End of story.
No drugs.
No admonishment of impending self-inflicted doom.
No health consequence.
No heart attack.
No…..anything.
Well, I do get to pay more for my life insurance because I was downgraded based on my cholesterol score. Grrrrr.
Even after I educated my doctor on “healthy cholesterol”, she agreed that my level, when you look at the ratio of LDL vs. HDL, was actually quite healthy. She was even kind enough to send a letter to my life insurance company with these facts. But it had no impact on my rate.
OH! The world is so convoluted!
As I learned in my experience with the medical and insurance industries, there are lines in the sand, thresholds, and arbitrary values to be upheld and adhered to, despite their idiocy.
My doctor’s reaction at the time is understandable. She truly thought I was in danger. And I was touched by her concern for me. I was also freaked out! But, my body, like every human body, was simply responding to the stress it was under. (To which the scare only contributed more!)
Of course, my cholesterol was elevated. My body was demanding it. My Body NEEDED It!
Cholesterol The Great Healer
Cholesterol was supporting my immune system, assisting with healing broken bones, and since my brain was “on fire” with PTSD, my brain was burning through an exorbitant amount of energy.
My cholesterol at that time wasn’t bringing me closer to death it was keeping me from it!
Cholesterol has nothing to do with death, except if you don’t have enough of it.
The Insulin Connection
Have you been scared or cautioned into not eating cholesterol?
No worries. Your body will compensate. More precisely, it’s your insulin that will, once again, step in to correct the situation. (Insulin handles a lot of correcting!) When your body senses a less than optimal cholesterol level, insulin activates your liver’s enzymes to overproduce cholesterol as compensation. Interestingly, those who consume too little cholesterol often end up with elevated blood cholesterol.
This explains why back in the 1990s my son Charlie, at the time he had just turned 8 years old, presented with high cholesterol.
He was to undergo a small procedure and had just completed the pre-surgery blood work. Surprised by her findings, his doctor called to fill me in on her concern.
“Are you feeding your children too many eggs?”, she asked.
Crikes!
Charlie’s diet consisted mainly of green apples! His favorite food at the time. And as a family we had been eating vegetarian. (That’s another story for another time.)
We avoided eggs, meat, and dietary fat. We ate lots of fruit, vegetables, legumes and whole grains. Our pediatrician told us to watch our little boy’s cholesterol intake. I scrunched my brow and rolled my eyes. It would be so easy to “watch his cholesterol intake” because he didn’t eat any!
Comedy writes itself, am I right?!
Then she gently laid his reality out for us. She told us our son would most likely “have to take drugs later to control his cholesterol” because his was a body that genetically overproduced it. “But that’s okay. There are drugs for that.” I was told.
Hindsight is 20/20.
Knowing How To Lower Cholesterol Naturally Starts With Doing The Opposite Of What We’ve Been Told All These Years!
The very fact that my son was not consuming cholesterol-rich foods actually contributed to his ‘high’ cholesterol. That’s because consuming cholesterol from foods assists in keeping blood cholesterol levels normal.
It’s only when the body is in some form of stress, crisis, or illness that cholesterol levels elevate above ‘normal’. Remember, if your cholesterol is ‘running high’, it’s only because your body needs it.
Isn’t it interesting that the body reads “not eating any cholesterol-rich foods” as a crisis or stress? The body needs what the body needs. If we don’t consume it, our body will create it if it can. And it can.
Carbohydrate Causes High Cholesterol.
Wait. Carbohydrate causes high WHAT?
I thought it was fat!?
Eating fat doesn’t raise cholesterol. Being fat raises cholesterol because being fat is a form of stress. Cholesterol production amps up in times of stress. And becoming fat in the first place happens because of carbohydrate, not fat. Boy the F word is flying all over the place!
Fat foods and fattening foods are two entirely different things. Fat foods don’t make a body fat. Carbohydrate foods make a body fat. And carbohydrate foods drive in-house cholesterol production.
How Does Carbohydrate Cause High Cholesterol?
Let’s breakdown carbohydrate: fruit, grain, and vegetables/legumes.
A.) Fruit’s fructose converts directly to triglycerides.
None of the body’s cells can metabolize or use fructose. So the liver converts fructose to a useable form of energy, triglycerides. Our body converts carbohydrate into
triglycerides. That’s why my son’s green apple diet resulted in his high cholesterol!
B.) Grain is a two-fisted cholesterol raiser as it delivers both glucose and omega 6 fatty acids.
Grain’s glucose load corrodes delicate proteins all over the body which triggers cholesterol production to aid in healing the damage. Plus grain is overloaded with free-radical rich, Omega 6 which attacks cell membranes. Again, cholesterol is generated for back-up fortification.
C.) Vegetables and legumes contain zero cholesterol, so the liver compensates for the lack by producing more.
The less cholesterol we consume the more our body will generate itself. Oftentimes our body, desperate for it, will over-compensate by producing even more as
a safeguard.
All Fruit, Grain, and Vegetables are Carbohydrates.
It is Plants-Based eating.
And it’s how our family had been eating years ago. Our plants-based eating was a carbohydrate-focused diet. All carbohydrate is sugar or glucose. Sugar/glucose is blood sugar. Blood sugar stimulates insulin.
Insulin.
Wait a minute. How does this blog jump from cholesterol to insulin? Insulin is involved in cholesterol??? Insulin is about blood sugar. How are blood sugar and cholesterol connected?
How To Lower Cholesterol Naturally By Focusing On The Driver Of High Cholesterol… Insulin
Insulin is not only our blood sugar regulating hormone, it is our body’s fat regulation hormone, too.
The mighty hormone insulin is responsible for body fat production, fat storage, fat lockdown and/or body fat release. Insulin is a powerful anabolic growth hormone.
Therefore, the cause of a thickening waistline is… Insulin.
The cause of thickening blood vessels? Insulin.
Carbohydrate stimulate insulin, and all the processes leading to plaque-ing of the arteries are caused by the overproduction of insulin. Insulin, not cholesterol (gasp!) , is the driver of thickening blood vessels.
This is what we’re really concerned about. right? Our fear is that ‘too much cholesterol’ will cause a blockage by thickening its walls over time.
The Real Cause Of Cardiovascular Disease
Our blood vessel lining is delicate, but strong and supple. Like a brand new garden hose, it is flexible and the water pressure running through it is easy and magnificent.
However, like a garden hose over time, our blood vessels, veins and arteries, develop wear and tear. As I drag my hose over any concrete, tiny invisible scrapes develop. Our blood vessels are subjected 24/7 to what’s flowing through them. Fat is slippery and soft. But glucose? Sugar?
Sugar is abrasive to our delicate blood vessels.
This is the place where people have a hard time wrapping their heads around the truth.
Sugar.
Nomenclature, the naming of things, has us confused on what, exactly, sugar is.
When I say sugar. You think………what?
When I heard ‘sugar’, I used to think “sugar bowl”. I used to think candy, treats, desserts, added sweetener to my iced tea.
Today I know better.
I know science-wise that sugar means carbohydrate. All and every carbohydrate.
- Organic carbohydrate is sugar.
- Real carbohydrate is sugar.
- Colorful carbohydrate is sugar.
- Carbohydrate is every single plant food. Fruit. Vegetables. Grain.
And yes, all the processed foods that line every grocery store shelf even in organic, high quality shopping venues like Whole Foods… sugar.
Dietary fat does not scratch blood vessels.
Protein could, a bit, if consumed in excess because protein is converted to glucose aka sugar.
Yep. It’s the carbohydrate that compromises blood vessels. Not our cholesterol (fat).
Now that’s not to say you can’t ever eat bread or carbohydrates again. That’s no way to live!
NOTE: Visit our “How To Eat Healthy” post to learn more about a lifestyle that keeps insulin low, cholesterol healthy and energy high, even with bread and carbohydrate.
The 6 Steps Of Cardiovascular Disease Development
Every plant is sugar. Every fruit. Every vegetable. Every grain. Butter is not sugar. Butter is pure fat. Bread is sugar. Bread, upon digestion, is blood sugar. Every bit of it. And it’s the glucose or sugar that was, just moments ago, bread, that is the scratcher, the scraper, the wear and tear-er of the lining of our delicate blood vessels.
- Glucose pours into bloodstream from digested carbohydrate food.
- Glucose, sugar, is sticky and abrasive. It sticks or scratches the lining of blood vessels.
- Cholesterol, healing agent, reinforces or patches damaged area.
- Insulin, stimulated by blood sugar raising carbohydrate food, signals smooth muscle cells to grow over damaged area, thus thickening the weak spot of the blood vessel wall.
- Thickening blood vessel walls, over time, lead to hypertension or high blood pressure. Less open flow area means greater force.
- Increased pressure, along with compromised walls and hardening over time (due to repeated scratch-repair-grow cycle) leads to increased risk of heart attack or stroke.
The 2 Ways Blood Vessels Are Damaged Irritated by Sugar or Weakened by Free-Radicals
#1 – Blood Vessels Are Damaged By Sugar
Blood sugar causes high cholesterol indirectly by damaging or irritating blood vessel lining.
Cholesterol is manufactured by us (thank goodness!) to keep us in the game of life by patching any blood sugar irritated or degenerated areas. The insulin response that always accompanies blood sugar ensures tissue growth to smooth over and reinforce the repaired area. Blood sugar (glucose aka carbohydrate) is the abrasive agent. It’s the “damage doer”.
Insulin is the thickening agent. It’s the narrowing of our vessels and eventually the cause of heart attack and stoke.
#2 – Blood Vessels Are Weakened By Free-Radicals
There is another culprit that can weaken our blood vessel lining. Free-radicals.
Free-radicals specifically from fake fats or industrially produced oils and their associated packaged carbohydrate (sugar/glucose) products. This is where we can understand that if we lessen our intake of processed foods our overall health will naturally improve.
PUFAs, polyunsaturated fatty acids, like all fats, are essential. They are called essential because the body can’t make them so we must get them from foods. This is the fat category of the famous Omega 3s and the infamous Omega 6s. Both occur naturally in real food and when they do they are in the right quantity, amount and ratio.
Nuts, greens and animal fats give us all the Omega 3 and Omega 6 we need.
However, the factory produced versions that proclaim to be healthy under the misleading heading of ‘vegetable’ oils (canola, soy, corn, sunflower etc…) These oils are entrenched in our factory foods. And they deliver an overabundance of Omega 6 with a severely deficient amount of Omega 3.
In nature the omega 3 and omega 6 are balanced. Outside of nature, they are quite unbalanced.
Real food trumps fake food every time.
With the SAD: Standard American Diet, our bodies are flooded with PUFAs that are not nature-given but manufacture-driven. Unlike saturated fats (coconut oil and butter), unsaturated fats go rancid or oxidate quite easily when exposed to air, heat or moisture.
Saturated fats are stable because their molecular structure is stable. This is why butter doesn’t go ‘bad’ when left out on the counter and coconut oil can handle high heat for cooking.
PUFAs are unstable because they carry unpaired electrons which are driven to steal electrons from other molecules. This is free-radical damage. A free electron, radically stealing, pillaging, plundering other cells and triggering a cascade of destruction.
Free-radicals attack cell membranes thus weakening blood vessels. Rising cholesterol isn’t the problem. Rising damage, to which cholesterol responds, is the problem.
We are hard pressed to ‘manage’ or control our cholesterol. It is produced by our body for our body’s use. And it is produced in exactly the right amount for our present health status.
Shunning cholesterol-rich foods like eggs and meat only means our body will take up the slack and amp production to meet demand. And attempts to lower it is futile. Wired for survival, the body will not tolerate less cholesterol than required. We cannot survive without cholesterol.
Cholesterol Avoidance To The Extreme
Cornered by a Raw Vegan
True story. Again comedy writes itself. This one is equal parts comedy and tragedy.
Not long ago, at an anti-aging summit of all places, I was cornered by an irritated, raw vegan.
The descriptive word, ‘raw’, was his word, not mine. It was meant to define his diet, not his disposition. Although, from my perspective, which was literally backed up against a wall by his approach in a motorized chair, the term ‘raw’ could have easily been mis-interpreted.
When he announced himself to me as a ‘raw vegan’ I heard my mind reply, “Yes. You certainly are.”
Raw. Irritated. Angry?
Yes. He was angry.
His arrival into my personal space was punctuated by a proclamation.
He: “I’m a raw vegan. I have M.S. What are you selling?”
Me: “I’m not selling any ‘thing’. We educate.”
He: “Oh……That’s good. I thought you might be pushing some kind of powder or food.”
Me: “No. We aren’t pushers. We’re teachers.”
The man went on, or should I say, spilled on with his story.
He: “I have M.S. I’m divorced and separated from my whole family. It’s because I’m a raw vegan. They don’t want to eat the way I have to. I only eat organic plants…..raw.”
Me: “Yea…..I got that.”
Are you thinking what I had been thinking?
What might he have been missing?
Cholesterol, fat, of which no plant offers us, is essential for the brain’s serotonin receptors. This means that when cholesterol supply is low, mood can suffer.
Twenty-five percent of the body’s cholesterol is in the brain. And the brain is made up of over 60% saturated fat. Low fat diets are strongly associated with aggression, anger, and anxiety.
It makes sense, right?
Of course we would feel hostile when our body is deprived of it’s critical players. Any of us who’ve ever attempted a calorie restriction diet can attest. The absence of dietary fat means a body is operating on sugar/glucose/carbohydrate and/or protein. This is a sugar burning metabolism.
My new raw vegan acquaintance was brimming over with sugar burning churning. He was physically pinched, shriveled, and ticked-off.
And it’s completely understandable especially since his circumstance was further assaulted by the unforgiving, progressive and debilitating central nervous system immune condition, Multiple Sclerosis.
Sclerosis is an abnormal hardening of body tissue.
What hardens body tissue? Glucose and insulin. Sugar.
So all his discipline, pain and suffering to following a raw vegan diet, thinking that it was helping to better manage his MS, is actually exacerbating his MS.
Sugar burning is oxidative (think rusting) therefore damaging, and demands near constant refueling. We know we are immersed in sugar burning when we experience cravings, lethargy, chronic pain, irritability, brain fog and lackluster living.
Grazing and grumbling? That’s a symptom of sugar burning.
Cholesterol Lowering Benefits And So Much More!
Fat burning, on the other hand is clean, not at all damaging but rather fortifying instead. And it doesn’t require re-fueling for hours, even days!
Fat burning feels like freedom because a body is satisfied, not craving, not ‘hangry’ nor raving, and in far less pain, discomfort and fatigue than when burning sugar. Fat is our friend. There’s nothing to fear, but rather, something to revere.
Fat insulates nerves and surrounds our organs. Fat fortifies every cell membrane. Fat is preferred fuel for both brain and heart. Neurological conditions like Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis are significantly softened by fat and highly exacerbated by carbohydrate. Lessening the over-stimulating and corroding damage of sugar (carbohydrate) and increasing the calming and healing fortification of fat is our best bet.
The internal shakiness, inflammation and fatigue of M.S. dampens.
The muscular mayhem and tremors of Parkinson’s quiets.
The cognitive decline of Alzheimer’s reverses.
Low serum levels of cholesterol and DHA, a primary fatty acid, is linked to many neurological disorders including depression, cognitive decline, memory loss, and Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s can actually be avoided!
The Dark Side Of Statins
How many of us know someone suffering from any one of these? Cholesterol lowering drugs are a billion dollar pharmaceutical triumph. And Alzheimer’s has reached epidemic status. You see it too, right?
The liver and all of our body’s cells will never stop generating cholesterol.
The only way to stop it is to interfere with the body’s natural ability to create cholesterol. This is where statins come in. These drugs ‘lower cholesterol’ by eliminating a cells’ ability to generate cholesterol. When a cell can no longer create cholesterol, it slowly dies. Dies!
Every cell in our body will die without sufficient cholesterol.
How Statins Work:
Statins specifically block an enzyme called HMG CoA Reductase. This enzyme is a key player in what is called a cell’s Mevalonate Pathway. This pathway is a cell’s basic ability to maintain optimal cell functioning. The Mevalonate Pathway involves the processes for sustaining cell life.
Interrupting our cell’s Mevalonate Pathway is exactly what statins do. Statin-impacted cells can present with defective autophagy.
Defective autophagy? No thanks!
Autophagy is our cells’ natural ability to self-clean or renew parts for optimal functioning. Blocking our cells ability to self regulate can lead to inflammation and subsequent cell death. The Mevalonate Pathway, which statins interrupt, produces key life-sustaining cholesterol, Vitamin K, Coenzyme Q10, and all steroid hormones. Messing with this critical mechanism seems irresponsible if not an outright crime.
*Statins not only restrict our body’s ability to generate cholesterol but they also hamper the production of other critical players like Coenzyme Q10 a key component to brain health. No wonder our brains are suffering.
(*Mevalonate Pathway Blockade, Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Autophagy: A Possible Link)
How Do Statins Work? | Are Statins Dangerous?
Are you taking statins to lower cholesterol but wondering about the long term impact on your health?
A statin prescription seems to go hand-in-hand with a high cholesterol diagnoses. But, there is a better, safer and natural way to lower your bad cholesterol while maintaining the GOOD cholesterol that your body and brain need.
Watch the mini-lesson below if you are concerned about statin dangers.
The Ripple Effect Of Cholesterol Lowering With Medication
The crazy madness is that “lowering cholesterol” with drugs leads to all kinds of fat-starved circumstances such as deteriorating brain health, chronic pain from compromised nerves, depression from less-than-optimal hormone balance, weakened and fragile cell membranes….think arteries with flimsy walls.
Like I told my physician years age… “No thank you”.
It’s time to let cholesterol do its job for us, without our misguided, ignorant accusations. It could mean going toe-to-toe with or even against our medical team’s directive. But, in the end, each of us is responsible for us.
CHOLESTEROL Basics
- Cholesterol is produced by the body for the body in the amount required by the body at any given time.
- Cholesterol production is naturally more… in times of stress and inflammation.
- Cholesterol production is naturally less… in times of ease and health.
- Cholesterol is over-produced when a body consumes very little to no cholesterol. This is considered by the body to be a time of stress as the diet is not providing the essential nutrients required to sustain life.
- Cholesterol is a repair substance. It heals arterial wall damage.
- Cholesterol is a building substance. It is foundation raw material for all of our hormones.
- Cholesterol is a fortifying substance. It reinforces cell membrane structure.
Elevated cholesterol is not a problem. It is a consequence. A signal that our body is in some form of distress. When our body presents with what the doctors say is ‘high’ cholesterol, our knee jerk should NOT be to lessen it, the scout and repair compounds, but to lessen our body’s need for them.
If any of us wants to know the details of the human body’s intricate and complex fat-based fortifying, fueling, and founding players, cholesterol, we need only look to the science books.
The basics of cholesterol are undeniable and beyond argument.
HDL – High Density Lipoprotein.
This is a carrier of cholesterol. It is the smallest particle in the cholesterol family. And having enough of it is critical to heart health.
You got that? Having enough is critical.
That’s because it acts as an endothelial cleanser. It swabs the deck which in this case is the inside lining of the blood vessels. “Keep that endothelial layer squeaky clean.” “Let’s not have any debris collecting there.”
HDL functions to maintain a debris-free internal blood vessel wall. Thanks HDL! That’s why HDL was given the nickname “the good cholesterol”. It even sweeps away any LDL that may have been leftover after a patch job and excretes it from the body. Nice.
LDL & VLDL – Low Density and Very Low Density Lipoprotein.
This is the carrier of cholesterol that has been labeled the “bad cholesterol”. That’s due to the fact that LDL are more prone to glycation damage than HDL.
Again, that damage is caused directly by sugar from any and all carbohydrate.
Usually fluffy and soft, think beach ball-like, LDL when corrupted by sugar can turn hard and dense. Once compromised any glycated LDL become more of an adversary than an advocate. When it comes to cholesterol it’s not so much quantity that counts, but quality. And it’s really easy to establish quality. Reduce carbohydrate intake.
Triglyceride
Triglycerides are fats comprised of three fatty acids (Tri) three (glycerides) fatty acids. Triglycerides transport fat and sugar (blood glucose) – both are forms of energy – from the liver to all parts of the body. It’s important to note that carbohydrates become fats inside of us.
Triglycerides rise in proportion to carbohydrate consumption.
Cholesterol Conclusion
There is no argument that cholesterol is critical to life. In fact it’s so critical, we’d die, pretty quickly, without it.
Cholesterol is used by every single cell of the body. Every cell! Brain. Heart. Muscles. Hormones. Reproduction. Digestion. Comprehension.
Cholesterol is so vital that our body doesn’t leave it to chance that we’ll consume enough from our diet.
Our body MAKES it specifically for sustaining all our critical functions that support life.
Why the red flag?
Why the fear?
We have been led to believe that cholesterol is a health adversary rather than an advocate. We’ve been inundated with the message that cholesterol gums up our arteries and creates deadly clogs. It’s time the message becomes more science than sensationalism. And it’s time cholesterol was revered rather than feared.
When we are afraid it’s because we are in the dark. Step into the light. Learn. Apply. Know.
Cholesterol saves lives.
___________________________________________________________
Author Note: When my teen-age daughter was diagnosed with a lifetime chronic, lethal disease she was also ushered into the “high-risk” for Every Lousy Way to Die category. Cancer. Alzheimer’s. Heart Disease. In fact, high cholesterol and heart disease were virtually guaranteed. Just another insult to injury to be accepted as part of the Type 1 Diabetes package.
She and we don’t fear the cholesterol. We instead are mindful of the insulin. Insulin drives cancer. Insulin drives Alzheimer’s. Insulin drives heart disease. When statins were suggested, she said “No thanks. I’ve got it under control. I know what I’m doing.” Her doc supports her decision.
Below are our favorite books on “How To Lower Cholesterol Naturally” (Using science and commonsense.)
Cholesterol Clarity. Jimmy Moore with Eric Westman, MD
Eat Fat, Get Thin. Mark Hyman, MD
Vegan Betrayal. Mara J. Kahn
Brain Maker. David Perlmutter, MD
Grain Brain.
The Vegetarian Myth. Lierre Keith
The Big Fat Surprise. Nina Teicholz
A Mind of Your Own. Kelly Brogan, MD
The Obesity Code. Jason Fung, MD
The Diabetes Code.
The Anti-Anxiety Food Solution. Trudy Scott, CN
About Barbara McDermott
Regarded as America's #1 Insulin Suppression Coach, Barbara is the co-founder of SHIFT Health & Wellness Solution, and the best-selling author of the groundbreaking book, ‘FOOD B.S.’, With SHIFT, Barbara brings common sense to nutrition, weight loss and health gain. Her refreshing, no nonsense approach to uncovering the truth using non-negotiable rules of science demystifies food and how to defeat chronic disease once and for all.
Wow!What a clear and simple explanation of some very complex body functions/issues! I get very upset by how mislead we are – all driven by big pharma, big ag, chemical producers, etc ….. MONEY!!! People are getting fatter, sicker, dumber – and the big guys are getting wealthier. Good to know there are folks like you who are trying to get the truth out with good, clear education. Thank you!
Thanks Janet! Yes, there’s a lot of money being made in keeping us SICK.
Hello and thank you for all this information. I have Afib and now the doctor says I have congestive heart failure with a heart fraction of 50. I have been reading a lot about magnesium by Dr. Carolyn Dean and how it can really help heart problems. Do you think that is true? There is so many different kinds of information out there that I don’t know what to do.
Hi Eleanor… great question!
Magnesium relaxes muscles, including our heart muscle!!
This is why magnesium is so powerful for heart health.
Your best offensive for getting enough magnesium are leafy greens.
And your best defense against a magnesium deficit in the first place is taking in LESS carbohydrate overall.
Thanks for asking!
Barbara McDermott
I am so glad I found you guys, which by the way was by accident. I am so glad I am part of the Shift family. I feel empowered knowing about food. I wish I could convince family and friends when I share about sugar/insulin/vegetables/the list goes on and on. They don’t realize a carb is a carb is a carb. ALL CARBS RAISE INSULIN–INSULIN CAUSES DISEASE. Thanks for sharing such an amazing article. Love you guys.
Thank you Barb. It’s wonderful having you in the community. And keep leading by example. Eventually friends and family will want in and you’ll be there to show them the way. 🙂
❤️
Barb & Charlie