In this article you will read all about the myths about coconut oil and eggs that has been brought up in the news here in The Netherlands this last week about the Pioppi Diet. It is worth to read it through and get informed about it all. It is all about your health and I am sure you want to keep looking after yourself very well.
There are lots of discussion happening here in the Netherlands about this new mediterranean diet called Pioppi diet. This method is based on a small Italian village called Pioppi, where people live average 90 years and remain healthy for a long time. They speculate that the way they eat and live is big reason they live so long and healthy. Their mediterranean diet, with a lot of vegetables and raw products, good olive oils and of course fresh pasta. But the author of this book, doctor cardiologist Aseem Malhota, gave a twist in it - little carbohydrates and a lot of saturated and unsaturated fats.
The dietician association in the Netherlands says that the Pioppi diet conflicts with recommendations from the Health Council and especially with the diabetics and coronary disease patient’s protocol. The association bases on the carbohydrates intake on a Mediterranean diet which is totally not the case of Pioppi diet. They say that "The traditional Mediterranean diet is not low in carbohydrates and that this approach could be detrimental to diabetes patients. "The body needs carbohydrates as an energy source". Whoever avoids them may miss out on vitamins, minerals and fibers.
" What it is interesting that it is well known that we can get also several different source of fibers, vitamins and minerals through low carbohydrates diet. The carbohydrates shouldn’t been seen as a vilon of the story but we, as professionals, should be able to discern when, what sort and how much we should prescribe carbohydrates to our clients. A very simple example: a patient with high concentration of candida or parasites in the gut shouldn’t be eating carbohydrates and sugar at all during a treatment. As well as a patient with high insulin sensitivity. "
I understand the association’s concern on not letting the generalism of a diet to discept what specific each individual should be eating. I agree on that as I preach also individualism in my daily work with my clients.
That’s is why I compose a specific advice based on various tests and I do monitor the results on regular basis together with my clients.
However I am interested to know what the reasons behind that these associations amongst others health association such as the American heart association share the same views on that. Would that be possible that there is a subtle interest of attracting funds for researches from different private sector companies?
The scientists have been publishing great works on nutrition the last 10 years and many findings have already confronted the normal nutrition guidelines with serious and eye-opening results. However it remains difficult to find out why some of these health associations choose to keep their eyes closed to the new
A good example of it here in the Netherlands, is that the dietician association says that Coconut oil is exactly the same as butter as regards to the negative effect in the coronary system. They say that coconut oil is unhealthy and leads heart diseases. Let’s go into this topic and try understand why so statement should be better discussed and explained to the population. Let’s see here what is the difference between a vegetarian saturated and animal source saturated fat.
Coconut oil vs Butter: is all saturated fat bad for you?
Despite the fact that more than 2,000 studies have been performed on coconut oil, demonstrating a wide range of benefits,it continues to be wrongfully vilified to this day, mainly because 90 percent of its fat content is saturated fat. However, saturated fats, and most particularly coconut oil, are an important part of the human diet. If you have bought into the media hype that saturated fats are unhealthy and will raise your risk of heart disease, it may be time to reconsider your position.
A very interesting research is from the BMJ (British Medical Journal) where they make a comparison between coconut oil, olive oil and butter and they measure the differences in the cholesterol levels and other cardiovascular risk factors. The results show that coconut oil is definetely superior as regards to the positive impact in the HDL and LDL levels. (1)
Animal and human studies have found that heart disease risk factors such as total, LDL and HDL cholesterol levels are improved by taking coconut oil.In particular, coconut oil's saturated fats may increase "good" HDL cholesterol, while also helping convert "bad" LDL cholesterol into a less harmful form. (2)
The lauric acid, antimicrobial lipids, capric acid and caprylic acid that coconut oil contains are known for their antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties. Regularly using it may help prevent colds/flu, and alleviate illnesses like hepatitis C, herpes and the Epstein-Barr virus. (3,4)
It's beyond unfortunate that the American Heart Association (AHA) decided to slow down much-needed progress by sending out its international presidential advisory (5) warning against the use of coconut oil and butter, reiterating its old recommendation to use polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as margarine and vegetable oil instead.
Overall, the AHA still recommends limiting your daily saturated fat intake to 6 percent of daily calories or less, which is far below what your body needs for optimal health.(6)
This advisory, sent out in June last year, was sharply criticized by many health experts, and for good reason. For starters, the studies on which the advisory was based all date from the 1960s and early 1970s — the eras when the low-fat myth was born and grew to take hold. Many studies since then have demolished and refuted the science the AHA still clings to, but none of them were included.
According to Dr. Cate Shanahan, (7) a family physician and author of "Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food," the AHA's message "is not only false, it is dangerous," noting that the AHA is actually making false claims since none of the studies included in their analysis involved coconut oil specifically.
Eggs are good for your cholesterol
Another concern that the dietician association in the Netherlands as well as the American Heart association brings up is that we shouldn’t eat more than 10 eggs per day. Let’s discuss some facts about eggs and debut this myth.
The latest study notes that people with Type 2 diabetesor prediabetesate a dozen eggs a week for a year, at which point a series of tests showed no negative results whatsoever. Study participants consumed high (8), medium and low (two) eggs per week for the first three months.
Prior to the study, Australian Men's Health observes, cardiovascular risk factors such as blood sugar and blood pressure levels were taken into account when the researchers gathered the results, as those are considered risk factors associated with egg consumption.
Interestingly, the study concluded that the 128 individuals in the study lost weight even on a high-egg diet and continued to lose when the study came to a close. Backing up the study results, the Australian Heart Foundation notes that "eggs are extremely nutritious (and) contain good quality protein and are a source of healthy fats including omega-3 fats.” (9).
As for the cholesterol content:
"Eggs don't altercate the LDL levels in blood. An egg contains only 212 mg of cholesterol which is lesser than even the half recommended dietary allowance of cholesterol for a day. Since the liver already produces a large amount of cholesterol every day, consumption of eggs balances the ratio with the liver's production. In fact, eggs increase the HDL or good cholesterol levels in your body.” (10)
Another important detail that lots of professionals and researchers do not mention is thtat cholesterol in your blood known as LDL is narrowed down to two subtypes: dense, small particles and large, fluffy particles. The dense small-particle LDL type is what can be identified as a risk factor for increasing your heart disease risk, while people with large LDL particles have a lower risk, but here's the kicker: Eggs convert small LDL particles to large particles. Check some more researches on BMJ website.
Conclusion
Half of the Dutch people are overweight and more than one million people have type 2 diabetes. It is becoming increasingly clear that healthy nutrition can help some of the patients to get rid of diabetes 2 and live healthier. And then there are also many people with irritable bowel, high blood pressure, and menopausal symptoms. Therefore we, health professionals, should be on top of the game in the latest researches and focusing on individualism instead of trends, myths and old believes.
Be interested in your health, and look for guidance by a professional but always keep questioning why and how things work in your body. Treat is as the best and ever possession you will always have. Our body is our temple literally.
References
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/8/3/e020167
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-coconut-oil
https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/oils/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html
http://primalpaleo.com/3-ways-coconut-oil-can-boost-your-immune-system/
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000510
https://www.healthnutnews.com/in-defense-of-coconut-oil-rebuttal-to-usa-today/
http://drcate.com
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mct-oil-101
https://www.incredibleegg.org/eggcyclopedia/c/cooking-functions/
https://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f6340?ijkey=ddce39b3e3c3eebabbefc4081b918ecce26b839b&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha
https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/healthy-eating/food-and-nutrition/protein-foods/eggs
https://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g3332