What type of diet do you choose with all the confusion?

Hi everyone

I'm just interested in what type of diets people have heard about that are good for preventing heart disease.  From what i've read, sugar is probably a much bigger problem than fat - because it causes inflammation.  The inflammation then leads to plaque build up.  I have read about low fat diets that cut out all oils as well....and i attempted to follow one for a while.  I have the discipline (i saw my dad die in front of me) but i think it didn't work very well....i initially dropped two dress sizes (but that was grief) but now am noticing belly fat - even though people say i'm thin.

My feeling is that low fat diets lead to hunger and no amount of eating vegetables really works to suppress appetite.  I can stuff myself full of porridge and then wholegrain rice at the end of the day - but intuitively this feels wrong....

so now i'm thinking more about diets such as the paleo type diet, eating more lean meats and fish (although i won't eat meat - only fish) and protein (ie eggs).....and not being concerned about the fats so long as the food is natural, not processed and contains only natural sugars....

I'm going to give it a try.  I've resisted it because i bought into the theory that cholesterol was the problem...but what if this other theory is right?  what if it's not the cholesterol but the inflammation that's the problem?  and that the cholesterol actually serves the body?  By avoiding fat (in the form of protein) i'm eating loads more bread and grains - such as oats and wholegrain rice....although these are complex carbs, they still break down to sugar and still encourage inflammation.  

When i have (in the past) ate a 'fatty' meal, like egg on buttered toast - i have felt calmer with much more stable blood sugar and less 'swings' in appetite....and i would be less likely to want to eat again soon...intuitvely that feels right.

just interested in your thoughts.

[mm901]

Dr. Dean Ornish has had results in the prevention and progression of CAD with diet and meds if needed.  He was a guest on the Dr. Oz show recently (here in the states) has a web site and has written a book. The theory is that if you keep your LDL below 70, you will not develop the disease.  It appears to be very highly correlated with fat intake if you are genetically predisposed to the disease.  My husband has been following this way of eating since three of his bypasses closed 3 months after surgery.  Hope this helps, at least you can look at it and form your own opinion.

[ed34]

I think research is confused to say the least. There are people with low cholesterol who get CAD and there are people with high cholesterol who also get the disease. There are smokers and non smokers, there are those who exercise and those who do not. There are fat and thin people, tall and short. There are those who eat healthily and those who do not. Personally I think different people get the disease through different things and you have to try and find the cause for your own body, or causes. When my cholesterol was found to be very high, I went on statins and a very strict diet but the disease continued to grow, quite quickly too. I was already exercising a great deal and so I tried exercising less. I gave up smoking, this gave no positive results. In the end I went to relaxation therapy and discovered I was the type of person who enjoyed the buzz of stress, an adrenaline junky. After a few weeks of therapy and psycho analysis, my disease began to slow down and eventually stop. I used to love stress, the more the better but I had to give it up because it was wrecking my arteries. I now stick to no diet, but I still take statins. I eat LOTS of fat and sugar but my angiograms keep revealing no further growth to the disease.

[Rosemary349]

Wow!  Thanks for sharing that!  My dad was an adrenaline junkie, but no one could slow him down and unfortunately no one got to him before the disease did.  He loved the 4 hours sleep a night, race race race kind of life.  People were always saying 'i don't know how he does it!'  

He didn't eat a lot of fat.....but he did dip into sugar on and off during the day.

It's interesting Ed34 that lessening the stress worked for you.  I'm reading a book at the moment which is kind of spiritual so not everyone's taste but it talks about how you have to take the whole person into account and find out what is the trigger for them.

Getting back to the nutrition side of things....i've read loads recently and i am seriously seriously questioning the fat thing.  I have no bias, i want the answer and don't care what it is - but it really does seem as though fat may not be as big a problem as sugar........and now particularly the cheaper version of sugar they are starting to use in our food - glucose-fructose syrup (otherwise known as fructose corn syrup).

This syrup wreaks 4 times as much havoc on the body during it's breakdown as normal glucose alone would - and yet that would be bad enough.  It is more likely to lead to abdominal obesity and insulin resistance.....and also it makes you hungry, soemthing about how it breaks down chemically makes people more hungry.  Sometimes getting fat isn't about greed, it's not about the amount someone eats but rather what they eat.  Fructose corn syrup is said to make people more hungry and therefore more obese - it stops the body producing the normal hormones that supress appetite.

You can have all the will power in the world but if your chemistry is out of balance a diet will not work.

In the past people were less obese but ate stuff like butter, etc.  They were satiated by the fat and didn't want any more food.  I have tried the low fat, eat lots of grains thing and i've been ravenous.  What's more i started getting belly fat even though i'd lost two dress sizes and everyone said i was thin.....something wrong with that approach.

Intuitively there's something wrong with it and grains promote inflammation, so i will eat them but i won't rely on them as being 'the answer' as they are low fat.

I'm giving good fats a chance, avocados, olive oil, fish, even eggs.....if i am fuller then it's worth it because walking around hungry and dizzy must be just as bad for the arteries, since it reflects a problem with blood sugar.

[Rosemary349]

Thanks yes i've heeard of Dr Ornish

interestingly he also promotes meditation and relaxation which ties in with what Ed34 said.

There is another doctor....Dr Eccleston i think who is on the website www.heartattackproof.com.  I like his approach and he cites Dr Ornish too ...........i think he is offering a decisive approach but i am concerned about one thing....his approach is focussed on the fat again and keeping LDL below 70......but when people avoid fat they eat more carbs and that means more sugar and more inflammation.

He also states that any oil is bad and (correct me if i'm wrong but this is what i remember) that we don't need the essential fats.....problem is that when i try to stick to what he says i walk around looking gaunt and feeling faint and hungry all the time, no matter how much i eat.

Also the mediterranean diet which contains lots of olive oil appears to be protective......and since olive oil contains resveratrol which is associated with higher HDL and also longevity generally, i just think the low fat camp might be slightly off the mark........

at the same time i think they are part way to helping us find a solution so i am not knocking them.

thanks for listening  :-)

[Rosemary349]

I would seriously encourage people to look at the website though for Dr Esselstyn (spelt it wrong above - oops!)......it's the most decisive approach i've seen and also you may want to see the results for some of his patients....he claims and shows a reversal of coronary blockages.  I know we should keep an open mind and at the same time it's definitely worth checking out!

Would love to hear people's thoughts on this, we all have something to offer on the 'lifestyle' side of things  :-)