This fall we will once again teach our [LivFit] seminar series. We have taught this seminar in our Roanoke chiropractic office over the past 6 years to hundreds of people. But this [LivFit] seminar is going to be unlike any other. We are taking it up a notch this year, as we will be teaching an advanced class that will be problem based focused. This [LivFit] seminar will focus on the important topics of an effective detox, cardiac health, hormone balancing, fat loss, inflammation reduction, cancer prevention and more. We will still teach beyond the informational level and into the application level of nutrition, helping you to be on the path to your success.
Each week this month our newsletter we will be previewing a topic that will be covered in the [LivFit] seminar. This week we are looking at cardiac health.
[LivFit] Cardiac Health
The American approach to cardiac health of spending hundreds of billions of dollars on crisis care with little to no effort in prevention has offered little results. We still have over 65 million Americans affected by cardiac disease, over 1 million people having a heart attack each year, and 1 in 3 deaths in America are still caused by a cardiac related condition. The finger can easily be pointed at an outdated model of cardiac disease and over 40 years of bad science.
Historically, the hypothesis that cholesterol and saturated fats cause heart disease has been widely promoted by the medical establishment and has been accepted by the public as fact. Although the image of an artery clogging like a pipe under the kitchen sink after bacon fat has been poured into it is easy to understand, it is wrong. Unfortunately, as the research continues to point away from clogged arteries being the cause of poor health, the medical establishment refuses to look towards other models. These other models better explain the process of cardiac disease and lend themselves to preventable treatment much easier.
The prevailing model emerging from current research looks at an inflammatory cause of heart disease. This model shows how inflammation causes the artery to harden and that cholesterol in the artery is merely an accumulation of the healing process. This would be similar to fibrin and collagen being present in a scar. The fibrin and collagen fibers didn’t cause the scar: they simply are there to heal the cut. Prevent the cut and you prevent the scar. Prevent the inflammation and you prevent the atherosclerosis and the resulting heart attack and/or stroke.
So what causes this inflammation? Well, it is not eggs, bacon, red meat, and saturated fats like coconut oil. The largest contributing factor to inflammation in the vascular system is insulin-resistance and problems related to metabolic syndrome.
Insulin-resistance stems from our inability to maintain normal blood sugar levels. Foods that elevate blood sugar will contribute to insulin-resistance. High sugar and highly processed foods greatly amplify blood sugar levels which will lead to insulin-resistance causing an increase in inflammation and therefore cause heart disease. This is why a low-carbohydrate and high fat diet (including bacon!) has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease.
Metabolic syndrome is characterized by a number of factors including high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and obesity. In our high stress and sedentary American culture is it any wonder that millions of Americans are classified as having Metabolic Syndrome. Sadly, over 90% of patients suffering with cardiac disease are a product of their own diet and lifestyle. We have the ability to change that. If we were focused on becoming more active, obesity rates would drop. If we were to focus less on the amount of fat in our diet and more on the quality of the food we ingest, insulin-resistance would decline. If we focused on living a fit life that took stress away, blood pressure would normalize.
Action Step:
Focus this week on eating foods that are in their most natural state and not processed. In [LivFit] we call this eating food by God, not man. Don’t count calories or worry about grams of fat, or try to determine how many points it is going to cost you. Eat foods in their intended form. Eat vegetables, eat meat, eat some fruit, and move a bit more during the day.
Try these easy to make breakfast ideas instead of one of those breakfast cereals that are sure to raise your cardiac inflammation.
Strawberry Cheesecake Shake
¾ cup frozen strawberries or raspberries
½ cup 1% cottage cheese
½ cup almond milk
1 scoop Vanilla Whey Protein
1 rounded tablespoon cream cheese
1 ½ cups of ice
Optional: add 1 teaspoon of stevia
Blend until smooth
Egg-Bread Scramble-up
1 Tablespoon butter or Coconut oil
2 eggs
1 cooked sausage link
1 piece of sprouted bread
Nutritional yeast
Parmesan cheese
Hot sauce
Heat oil in a skillet, add eggs, bread, and sausage and spread around until cooked. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast and parmesan cheese. Add hot sauce to taste.
Put into practice these simple steps and you will be on your way to optimal health. If you want many more tips on this topic including recipes, menu plans, and a list of detoxifying foods, join us for [LivFit] Thursdays, September 28th-October 12th, at 6:00pm. Learn more on our [LivFit] page. Seats are limited, so email us to reserve your spot today!
Daryl C. Rich, D.C., C.S.C.S.
