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Radio program on dietary fat vs carbs

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
I thought that this programme on BBC Radio 4 last night was rather good.

Synopsis:
The Truth About Fat
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00jkr1q
The Report

There is no link between saturated fat and heart disease, according to a recent report in a respected scientific journal. So why has official public health advice for the past decades recommended a low fat diet? Adrian Goldberg investigates.
 

Bob

Senior Member
Messages
16,455
Location
England (south coast)
I thought that this programme on BBC Radio 4 last night was rather good.
Yes, I heard that during the day yesterday, and found it very interesting. The main thrust of the program is that sugar and refined carbs are the enemy of the heart, and not fat. And that we've been misled over the years by vested interested and biased/shoddy research. It was claimed that some animal fats, such as dairy, have a protective effect on the heart.

It was impossible to analyse the evidence that they were presenting, without having access to the actual evidence, and I'm not sure how much of it to believe. I can easily accept that unrefined vegetable oils might be healthy, and that eating unprocessed white and red meat can be healthy. But when it comes to processed meats, such as turkey twizzlers, sausages and cheap deep-fried burgers, I tend to believe that those really aren't a healthy option! But perhaps I'm just biased, because of years of indoctrination?

Also, I think that e.g. chips from a chip shop aren't a healthy option, because the fat has been used for so long and so it's full of toxins. I think the issues may be related to how food is prepared and cooked. My personal opinion is that we should feel fairly safe eating fresh whole foods, prepared and cooked in a traditional manner. And the more vegetables the better. It also seems sensible to eat minimal refined carbs or sugar.

The issues explored in the program have parallels to the world of ME; Vested interests carrying out biased and shoddy studies which (for various reasons) governments, vested interests and some industries buy into, and the public get carried along with the prevailing wind.
 

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
Yes, I heard that during the day yesterday, and found it very interesting. The main thrust of the program is that sugar and refined carbs are the enemy of the heart, and not fat. And that we've been misled over the years by vested interested and biased/shoddy research. It was claimed that some animal fats, such as dairy, have a protective effect on the heart.

It was impossible to analyse the evidence that they were presenting, without having access to the actual evidence, and I'm not sure how much of it to believe. I can easily accept that unrefined vegetable oils might be healthy, and that eating unprocessed white and red meat can be healthy. But when it comes to processed meats, such as turkey twizzlers, sausages and cheap deep-fried burgers, I tend to believe that those really aren't a healthy option! But perhaps I'm just biased, because of years of indoctrination?

Also, I think that e.g. chips from a chip shop aren't a healthy option, because the fat has been used for so long and so it's full of toxins. I think the issues may be related to how food is prepared and cooked. My personal opinion is that we should feel fairly safe eating fresh whole foods, prepared and cooked in a traditional manner. And the more vegetables the better. It also seems sensible to eat minimal refined carbs or sugar.

The issues explored in the program have parallels to the world of ME; Vested interests carrying out biased and shoddy studies which (for various reasons) governments, vested interests and some industries buy into, and the public get carried along with the prevailing wind.

I think it was the paper discussed in this thread.

The Alliance for Natural Health has some good articles on nutrition:

http://www.anh-europe.org/news/re-thinking-your-food-choices-for-2015

http://anh-europe.org/news/saturated-fat-myth-busted-in-british-medical-journal?utm_source=The Alliance for Natural Health&utm_campaign=00d01221e6-131023_ANH_Intl_e_Alert_No_17110_23_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_aea8a87544-00d01221e6-84942449

and an article advising not to cook with extra-virgin olive oil:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=dailytip&dbid=261

I've been following reports on this issue for a number of years, and am pretty-well convinced that the new info is correct.

I agree with you that reused fat is probably bad, ditto processed meat - indeed processed food generally. It looks as though the five-a-day is an absolute minimum - I have read that five was the number chosen in the UK because the UK public would reject a higher number. Some countries do recommend more. (I think this was from the World Health Organisation site.) Most of the fruit-and-veg should be veg.

I wonder how long it will take for doctors, dieticians, etc., to stop giving the wrong advice...
 

Gondwanaland

Senior Member
Messages
5,092
But when it comes to processed meats, such as turkey twizzlers, sausages and cheap deep-fried burgers,
Did they claim that processed meats are healthy? :eek:
AFAIK unprocessed organic saturated fats are healthy, and are indicated for several conditions (especially Alzheimer's and epilepsy - i.e. brain health), and I thought that it was common knowledge that processed foods, both animal and plants lead to cronic disease.

I watched a TV documentary about the North American corn supercrop and how vegetable oils became the "right thing to eat" out of the blue in the late 50's-60's. Not research based, but :moneybag: based, and it has been adopted as true by the mainstream healthcare.

Same thing about the food pyramid :depressed:

Bread with margarine anyone? :cautious:
 
Last edited:

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
I spread coconut oil on bread, toast, roast potatoes, etc. It has a lovely smooth, creamy texture. I use it for all cooking purposes too. For salads I use flax oil. I used margarine for decades, along with those omega-6 cooking oils we were urged to use. I only saw the light recently.
 

Gondwanaland

Senior Member
Messages
5,092
I spread coconut oil on bread, toast, roast potatoes, etc. It has a lovely smooth, creamy texture. I use it for all cooking purposes too.
I used it too until I became salicylate intolerant. Now I am no longer sal intolerant, but I guess my thyroid gets overstimulated by coconut oil.
 

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
I used it too until I became salicylate intolerant. Now I am no longer sal intolerant, but I guess my thyroid gets overstimulated by coconut oil.

That's a shame. But maybe only a big issue if you're a vegan (as I am). AFAIK the only vegan sat fats are coconut and palm oil, and palm oil carries serious environmental problems so I try to avoid it. Claims for sustainable palm oil can be questionable.

Here is an article about this for any fellow-Greenies who are interested. (Maybe out of date)