Central New York Quarantine Day 8.
My Dad is currently on a virtual conference about the medical effects of cannabis. As I was making some food, the presenter went on a tangent about the importance of dietary fat from whole food sources. He explained the brain and much of the structures (myelin sheath) of the nervous system depend on fat to function. He cited the fact that cholesterol from an individual’s diet has very limited effect on the cholesterol measured in that individual’s blood. The liver produces the majority of cholesterol in body and HDL is the type of cholesterol that retrieves unused LDL in the body and brings it back to the liver. A good strategy for those seeking to lower cholesterol is to increase their HDL number. To do this……
Maintain an elevated heart rate for at least 20 minutes every day. Elevated HR means above 65%. Gender doesn’t matter. Do you have a heart? Then elevate it.
20 yr old: 154 beats per minute
30 yr old: 147 bpm
40: 140
50: 134
60: 127
70: 121
80: 114
90: 108
If your that many years old, keep your HR above that number for at least 20 minutes. The more the merrier.
Drink Alcohol in Moderation
1-2 drinks/day increases HDL, more than that screws up your liver and creates dependence.
Eat certain unsaturated fats (olive oil, almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, cashews, avocados).
Didn’t set out to write a blog post about cholesterol, but I was pumped someone from the medical community said something legit! If you’re finding it hard to get past the mental roadblock of eat fat, get fat, I understand. However, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms of how you get fat at the cellular level. Then try to put things back into perspective. It’s complicated, but that’s science. The good news is you don’t need to buy anything in order to make science work. If you’re struggling with weight loss or exercise performance, go back to the PRINCIPLES. They always hold true.
