ONE DOZEN THINGS TO EAT INSTEAD OF EGGS

Apr 20

Believe it, the human body needs cholesterol. Just not from food.

Our liver produces cholesterol, one type of fat that we need to stay healthy.

Cholesterol is essential for cellular structure AND super important for converting sunlight into vitamin D.

Think of it this way: cholesterol hangs out in cells, while our skin is the largest organ we have. As we absorb vitamin D everywhere but behind those tan lines, cholesterol is shuttled throughout the body. Science calls this shuttle a lipoprotein. I think of it as a Fat Taxi.

And some of these taxis cause traffic problems.

This is why we think of cholesterol as either good or bad. Particularly, when dietary cholesterol from food is the source of the bad traffic.

Low vitamin D is a chronic problem for a LOT of people. Increasing risk for osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, hyperglycemia, and feeling awful in general from low energy. Several different issues can arise from this widespread deficiency and here are the main causes:

1) Decreased exposure to sunlight. Overnight workers, hospitalized, and institutionalized people, immensely suffer from low vitamin D levels. 2) Not enough daylight for those who live in the north. The days are shorter during the coldest months of the year. The sky is often gray and we bundle up to stay warm. 3) Insufficient absorption of vitamin D, either through sunlight, food, or supplementation. 4) People with dark skin require prolonged sun exposure and elderly folks have a tough time maintaining healthy vitamin D levels.

Another problem: most food sources of vitamin D are unsustainable and frankly, unappetizing. Cod liver oil, salmon, swordfish, tuna, sardines, beef liver, fortified dairy -not a health food.

It doesn’t matter how much of a supplement you swallow if your tummy can’t take it. To improve absorption, we must first heal damaged tissues. Cells thrive on nutrients that we obtain from food, mostly plants. Eating a diet high in animal protein doesn’t make anything easier on the inside.

Saturated fat is not our friend and it’s the problematic source of dietary fat that we don’t need. To be completely blunt: saturated fat kills people and it jacks up cholesterol to dangerous levels. This Fat Taxi is bad.

Can you see how a healthy foundation is determined by the variety of plants that we eat? Repair, rebuild, and regenerate, are all awesome words associated with a body that operates very efficiently. Healing is the first step towards thriving. Otherwise, we are spending money on supplements that won’t help until we set the digestive stage.

EAT TO HEAL

Guess what lowers cholesterol levels?

Here it comes… You know what I’m about to say…

What’s your favorite F-word?!

FIBERRRRRRRR! Say it out loud. Tell your friends and your enemies.

YES - hand over the carbs.

Not the cookies, cakes, and chips, but the beans and whole grains. Fruit and vegetables ARE carbohydrates. Anyone who treats veggies like they are outside of this macronutrient is misleading you. And plants have protein.

PLENTY. Of. Protein.

Yes, egg prices are going up and we’ve established that cholesterol isn’t the main problem here, but have you ever seen a factory raised bird? Do you know what a battery cage is? It’s one thing to keep chickens as pets and treat them as royalty while they produce eggs for your family. It’s another thing to buy eggs from the grocery store, blindly ignoring the fact that this industry is horrifying. There is no room in the modern world for cruelty or complacency.

A lot of good would come from widespread knowledge of where food comes from. If sticker shock is required to get us to change, then change is upon us in more ways than one. After further investigation, your morals may be rattled to the core of compassion. We might also call this progress.