We have to discuss it. You’ve heard it before but it must be repeated. You ARE what you eat. There are over 13.5 million Americans alive today who have a history of heart attacks, angina or a combination of both. 50% of them are age 60 or older and 83% who die of heart attacks are 65 or more.
Today, many doctors rank fat intake right up there with smoking for leading cause of death. What can you do about? Plenty.
Fat – Americans love fat. We love fat so much that we eat the equivalent of 1 ½ cups of butter every week! Yes, that’s correct. Walk to your refrigerator and pull out 6 sticks of butter and imagine them placed at different points in and out of your body. Pretty scary, isn’t it? Excess fat intake is directly attributable to:
- Elevated cholesterol
- Elevated triglycerides
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Excess weight.
Taking control of just this single area of your overall health will substantially reduce your chances of heart disease as well as reducing the risk of stroke. Stroke occurs when blood clots block arteries that supply blood to the brain.
Cancer is another possible by-product of excess fat in the diet.
In fact dietary fat is credited with playing a role in as much as 40% of cancers in men and 60% of cancers in women.
Red meat is considered to be one of the biggest culprits, increasing the instance of colon, rectal and prostate cancer in men.
For women the results are colon and possibly breast cancer. And, researchers are now beginning to believe it may play a role in lung cancer as well.
So why do we still eat it?
Yes, it is true that dietary fat exists for a reason. It does provide us with the fatty acids we need to control our body temperature, give us healthy skin and hair and protect nerves and our vital organs.
The problem is that not all fats are created equal and many of us just don’t understand the difference.
In fact dietary fat is credited with playing a role in as much as 40% of cancers in men and 60% of cancers in women.
Red meat is considered to be one of the biggest culprits, increasing the instance of colon, rectal and prostate cancer in men.
For women the results are colon and possibly breast cancer. And, researchers are now beginning to believe it may play a role in lung cancer as well.
So why do we still eat it?
Yes, it is true that dietary fat exists for a reason. It does provide us with the fatty acids we need to control our body temperature, give us healthy skin and hair and protect nerves and our vital organs.
The problem is that not all fats are created equal and many of us just don’t understand the difference.
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