The End of Heart Disease: The Eat to Live Plan to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease (Eat for Life)

by Joel Fuhrman

Almost half the saturated fat in coconut oil is lauric acid, a medium-chain triglyceride that is safer than other saturated fats. But just because coconut oil is not as bad as butter doesn’t mean it’s a health food.

Coconut oil

Eating unsaturated fats lowers cholesterol when substituted for saturated fats, but excessive amounts may promote cancer and obesity. Examples of unsaturated fats are the fats in nuts and seeds such as flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, macadamia and pistachio nuts, almonds, walnuts, and cashews as well as avocados and olives.

Unsaturated Fats

It is always best that our fat intake come from whole food, not oil.

Avoid all foods whose ingredients contain partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oils.

Hydrogenated fats

Individuals with a ratio of total to HDL cholesterol higher than 4 are considered to have an exceptionally high risk of developing heart disease.

Cholesterol

Eating five or more servings of nuts per week is estimated to reduce the risk of CAD by 35 percent.36 Long-term studies have shown that eating nuts and seeds protects against sudden cardiac death, reduces total and LDL cholesterol and inflammation, and is also associated with longevity.37 A 2010 review pooled the data from twenty-five clinical studies that compared a nut-eating group with a control group: It was shown that eating 1, 1.5, and 2.4 ounces of nuts per day was associated with a reduction in LDL cholesterol of 4.2 percent, 4.9 percent, and 7.4 percent, respectively.

Nuts

eating nuts, even though they are high in fat, decreases fat absorption to such a degree that it can substantially lower the fat digested and absorbed from one’s total diet.

nuts and seeds do the following: Lower cholesterol49 Lower triglycerides50 Prevent gallstones51 Prevent or improve diabetes52 Lower blood pressure53 Lower body weight and body fat54 Prevent stroke55 Prevent dementia56 Prevent cancer57 Reduce all-cause mortality and extend life span58

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for senility.

CELTIC SALT AND SPINACH COMPARED NUTRIENT CELTIC SALT (½ T.) SPINACH (1 C.) Calcium, mg 5.3 245 Potassium, mg 3.8 839 Magnesium, mg 13.5 157 Phosphorus, mg 0.002 102 Iron, mg 0.08 6.4 Zinc, mg 0.0001 1.4 Copper, mg 0.0001 0.3 Fluoride, mcg 0.01 68 Manganese, mg 0.02 1.7 Selenium, mcg 0.0001 2.7

Salt chart

suggest that people not add more than 300–500 milligrams of extra sodium to their day’s dietary intake over and above what is provided naturally.

How much salt

salt increases the body’s excretion of calcium, which could lead to loss of bone mass and osteoporosis.

This emphasis on curing medical problems through nutritional excellence is not “alternative medicine,” nor is it integrative medicine. Emphasizing nutritional excellence is progressive medicine; it is correct medicine.

I recommend 1–2 tablespoons of flaxseeds and/or chia seeds daily, plus 1–3 ounces of raw seeds and nuts (depending on caloric needs), plus about 200–300 milligrams of DHA-EPA, preferably not fish oil. My dietary and supplemental recommendations are designed for effectiveness and long-term safety, alleviating concerns about nutritional completeness.26 All of the diets with documented cardiovascular benefits have more similarities than differences. By now, you should be able to understand the

list of foods that you should eat liberally: 1. All green vegetables, both raw and cooked, including frozen. If it is green, you get the green light. Don’t forget raw peas, snow pea pods, kohlrabi, okra, and frozen artichoke hearts. 2. Non-green, non-starchy vegetables, including tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, mushrooms, onions, garlic, leeks, cauliflower, water chestnuts, hearts of palm, and roasted garlic cloves. 3. Raw starchy vegetables, such as raw carrots, raw beets, jicama, radish, and parsnips. They are all great, shredded raw, in your salad. 4. Beans/legumes, including split peas, lima beans, lentils, soybeans, black beans, and all red, white, and blue beans. Soak them overnight, then rinse and cook them, add them to salads and soups, make bean burgers, sprout them, and eat bean pasta. 5. Low-sugar fruits, one or two with breakfast and about one more each meal. 6. Try to have berries or pomegranate at least once a day. Frozen berries are the most cost effective.

Guidelines

an intact grain has a lower glycemic index than one ground into a flour, so steel cut oats are better than oatmeal flakes, which are better than oat flour.