As a consultant I only give specific advice on a one-to-one basis. There are countless reasons for this, and all of which prevent me from recommending what people should do or eat on my website or via social media. I am however still afforded the right to give my opinion on the world without needing to justify and reference every point I make, but trust me, I have done the leg-work to distil the consensus from the best minds and current thinking out there. So the following post is an ever growing list of the “facts” for the layman,as I see them, and I live by.

Diet and Nutrition

1) No food is 100% bad or 100% good. Eat or drink too much of anything and you’ll die. Clearly some foods are far more healthy than others but should still form part of a varied diet. Some foods should be avoided in general (e.g. TransFats) but unless you’ve got a specific medical condition they won’t hurt you if you have them sparingly. Krispy Kreme doughnuts are cooked in oil containing TransFats, which is a real shame considering how tasty they are.

2) Saturated Fat doesn’t cause CHD (Coronary Heart Disease) and is fine to eat.

3) Oxidised PUFA (Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid) & imbalanced Omega-6 : Omega-3 ratios most likely cause CHD

4) Carbohydrate intake increases triglycerides, not saturated fat intake

5) Eating carbohydrates in the evening does NOT make you fatter than eating them during the rest of the day. This is a myth. Recent studies have shown that people lose more fat if they shift carbohydrate consumption into the evening.

6) Drink around 3 litres of water per day. Your muscles perform better when fully hydrated.

7) A good night’s sleep beats most nutritional tips for effective fat loss.

Cholesterol

1) The body needs cholesterol and every human cell contains it.

2) Low total Cholesterol counts are linked with increased rates of mortality.

3) Total Cholesterol is not positively correlated to heart disease. Focus on small dense LDL and Triglyceride levels instead when getting blood tests.

4) LDL cholesterol in general is not “bad”. It comes in two types. Big fluffy LDL cholesterol (LDL Pattern A) is not a problem. Small dense LDL cholesterol (LDL pattern B) is bad, as it is the stuff that gets oxidised in the build up to heart disease.

5) Eating saturated fat increases serum (blood) HDL (aka “Good” Cholesterol) and in some cases increases the big fluffy LDL. It does not increase small dense LDL levels.

Physiology & Metabolism

1) The body’s fat cells are like a wallet full of energy. The body constantly withdraws and deposits energy from it. This balance of withdraw and deposit makes us grow fat/get lean or stay the same.

2) Eating saturated fat is like eating pure energy for your body to use. The body will only store it as fat if it can’t be used for energy, just like everything else. Eating fat does not equal getting fat.

Links to Sites with References (Explanations, references and discussion)

Definitive Guide to Cholesterol – Mark Sisson
Cholesterol doesn’t cause heart disease – Chris Kresser
The Definitive Guide to Saturated Fat – Mark Sisson

Other Great Links:

Saturated Fat and Heart Disease Short Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8WA5wcaHp4&feature=related