Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Aftermath

I read the most interesting, informative and eye-opening summary of how poor meal selections affect me physically, and I reference the link at the bottom of this post. To paraphrase:

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER ONLY ONE HIGH-FAT MEAL? (yes, only 1 high-fat meal)

Immediately:

- your triglycerides levels rise
- your cholesterol levels increase
- clotting factors in your blood have been affected

2 Hours Later:

- triglyceride levels have increased by 60%
- blood flow has decreased BY HALF

3 Hours Later:

- lining of arteries have lost elasticity
- blood vessel function has become abnormal

4 Hours Later:

- blood has gotten even thicker

5 Hours Later:

- triglyceride levels have now increased by 150%

6 Hours Later:

- the anti-inflammatory affect of "good" cholesterol has been compromised

The piece goes on, but I was stunned by some of these revelations. Why don't they teach us this stuff? Anyway, the link to the article is here:

http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome/messages/FatFoodCountdown.pdf

Please note, I am not a medical professional, clinician, or dietician and am not offering medical advice or critique in any form. I am merely commenting and summarizing what I've read, and provide the link to the full piece for your own reference and evaluation.

5 comments:

  1. ...and that (plus three glasses of red wine) put me in the hospital 4 years ago with massively elevated liver enzymes. I thought I was having a heart attack. It turns out I had just tremendously overloaded my body with too much fatty food and it just began to shut me down.

    That was the first and loudest wake up call for me. I am glad to be off of that path.

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  2. I'm just curious, but did the article talk about how much carbohydrate was in the meal? I have read that in the absence of carbohydrate, a lot of those factors are different.

    Hugs,
    Mary

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  3. Hi Ann, a new reader here. While I didn't read the article to see if they gave an example of the total fat grams in the meal, I know that we all need some fat in our diet. I guess moderation is key.

    ~Sheilah

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  4. Wow, Clyde, that was scary! I'm glad you ar eokay now, and on a much better path!!

    Mary, I'm assuming standard recommendations for a meal, except with fat content over the daily recommended percent.

    I don't know that the article qualified it, I'd have to reread it. I just think it is interesting how a human body responds to increased fat content. I'd like to actually see the same list for too much carb, too much sugar, etc.

    Any way you look at it, the human body is an amazing thing, with very complicated systems of checks and balances and responses.

    Sheilah, you are so right! We need fat, cholesterol, etc. in some amounts, in order to function, but clearly I haven't practiced moderation well. LOL I overloaded my systems ... and it shows!

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  5. Hey Miss Ann
    I sometimes go on a "fat fast" where
    All I eat is butter and macadamia nuts.
    Not too much, but really about 90% fat.
    Zero carbs on those days.
    My question is: Is it just fat, or fat mixed with carbs, etc?

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