The Rice Diet Solution by Kitty Gurkin Rosati

Author:Kitty Gurkin Rosati
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 2006-01-23T16:00:00+00:00

High Cholesterol

As mentioned earlier, elevated cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart and other vascular disease. The Rice Diet was the first effective treatment for high cholesterol. It lowered the cholesterol in 93 percent of patients with cholesterols above 220. Now we know that optimal cholesterol is below 200. It turns out that the diet lowers the cholesterol in over 90 percent of patients no matter what their cholesterol is to begin with.

It cannot be emphasized enough that saturated fat, not dietary cholesterol (which is the cholesterol that comes in food), is the most important factor in raising cholesterol. The serum cholesterol is affected by dietary cholesterol in only about one of every five people. Beware of products that advertise “no cholesterol”; many of these products are high in saturated fat and partially hydrogenated oils that are significantly more dangerous than dietary cholesterol itself. Even some monounsaturated oils can raise your cholesterol.

Reduce or eliminate saturated fats to lower your cholesterol: Saturated fat will raise blood cholesterol more predictably than any other substance, including dietary cholesterol. As you know, saturated fat is higher in animal products than in vegetables. The higher your saturated fat intake, the higher your blood cholesterol and the higher your risk of heart disease. If your cholesterol (or “bad cholesterol,” called LDL-C) is high, less than 5 percent of your calories should come from saturated fats. Saturated fats have been shown to raise cholesterol about twice as much as mono- and polyunsaturated fats lower it.

Replace saturated fats with either healthy monounsaturated fats or omega-3 fats to improve cholesterol. Generally, when monounsaturated fats are used to replace saturated fats, blood cholesterol levels will decrease. But some monounsaturated fats seem to be more advantageous than others. Olive oil is highest in monounsaturated fats and has been shown to lower cholesterol as impressively as any other fat, without lowering the HDLs, as polyunsaturated fats tend to do. This is especially important for preventing heart disease in women, although more studies on women and heart disease need to be done. Since very low-fat diets, and polyunsaturated fat-rich diets not only lower cholesterol but also usually sacrifice significant amounts of HDLs, it might be to our benefit to enjoy a couple of teaspoons of olive oil daily, preferably uncooked. Canola oil appears to be the lowest in saturated fat, though it has not been proven to lower cholesterol without lowering HDLs, as much as has olive oil. But not all monounsaturated fats can be recommended. Peanut oil is one worthy of note. Although peanut oil does not appear to be that high in saturated fat, it has been shown to raise cholesterol and produce atherosclerosis in animal studies. So for those wanting spreadable nut butter, try using small amounts of tahini, ground sesame seeds (usually sold in ethnic sections of chain grocery stores), or almond butter (found in health food stores). When polyunsaturated fats are used in place of saturated fats, blood cholesterol decreases. This is not to suggest that large

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