<p>dmd77, you must have some good genes! </p>
<p>I’ve read that both cinnamon and turmeric have been shown to lower cholesterol. Turmeric, in particular, sounds like a super-food. I sprinkle it onto just about everything – soup, beans, tuna salad, sardines, etc. I will probably turn yellow.</p>
<p>teriwtt…I mean 4 ounces. Maybe 5. That’s all we really need. It goes far on a salad or in a sandwich. Plus it’s so darn expensive…so small amounts make sense. At Wegmans,2-pack we buy is usually about $10. We buy filet…you can get less expensive cuts like sirloin. Do you have a Whole Foods? Or an organic food shop with meats? </p>
<p>H and I watched Temple Grandin last night - an HBO special about an autistic lady who improves the conditions at slaughterhouses. Those poor cows. H announced he doesn’t want to eat beef anymore. Well, we only did once a month anyway…but I guess I’ll need to substitute wild fish or scallops. Or beans :). I’m VERY picky with fish too…you really have to watch out to avoid those that are loaded with mercury or PCBS. Glad that wild salmon is coming back in season,</p>
<p>Using fresh garlic in your food, and if you dont like the taste you can use garlic softgels, reduces cholesterol. Using olive oil reduces cholesterol. Red Yeast Rice as mentioned.
One of the problems with eating low fat cheese, or drinking low fat milk is that in order to get the consistency right certain things are then added to the low fat milk. It is always best to stay with limited quantities of whole foods, fresh foods and in the growing season to eat foods locally grown as they are higher in nutritional value.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It still has a reputation for being a "fad diet’ in many circles. I don’t know why the criticism-how can you criticize a diet which advocates 4-5 cups of fresh veggies per day, fresh fruits, moderate consumption of whole grains, elimination of trans fats and refined carbohydrates, and portion controlled lean meats?</p>
<p>I think the only thing “fad-ish” about this diet is that you do the phases. Phase I is very very restrictive, but I could easily live on phase 2.</p>
<p>Yes, Nrdsb4, I had the impression that it was a celebrity diet. I did not realize until I “read” (actually, listened to on my cell phone!) part of the book how scientifically-based and sensible it is. It is also consistent with the kind of eating plan that I have found makes me feel better. </p>
<p>morrismm, Congratulations on your success in changing your eating habits! And you have seen some great effects. </p>
<p>expatme, What is added to low-fat milk? I buy only non-fat, and I didn’t realize that anything was added. Will have to check the label.</p>
<p>Regarding animal protein…</p>
<p>Not all farmed fish is bad. I believe the Monterrey Aquarium in California has a web site of fish sources that it recommends, wild caught and farmed [yes, I am aware of the vociferous opposition to west coast salmon farming]. One good example of fish farming are commercial oyster operations. Also, when you can’t get a local supply, Shrimp from Thailand are favorable, as opposed to shirmp raised in ponds in China.</p>
<p>As for red meat, you just can’t get around the fact that beef and port should be consumed sparingly. I’ve been told buffalo tastes great and is leaner than beef. Omaha Steaks Company has ocassional sales on bison meat. Also, Aidell’s company sells bison sausage in many supermarkets. As for pork, today’s pork products are much much better than the meat sold in markets 20 years ago. Stick to pork white meat with few streaks of fat.</p>
<p>Thank you for that information, LakeWashington. I can contribute a suggestion: Trader Joe’s sells frozen buffalo burgers that taste just as good as beef. Eating them on a bun with cheese, lettuce, tomato, condiments, etc., I challenge anyone to detect a difference. Whole Foods sells fresh ground buffalo meat that makes burgers that are better than beef.</p>
<p>nymom: the idea is that whenever they take something out of a food, something must be replaced to keep it at the same consistency, or nutritional value, So, in many low fat milks, nonfat dry milk is added back in; vitamin a is added because it comes out with the fat; vit d is added because the cows don’t spend enough time ( or any) in the sunshine to make vit d.
other additives are palmitate ([Q</a> and A - Q and A - Stand-In Vitamin - Question - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/10/science/q-a-stand-in-vitamin.html]Q”>Q&A; Stand-In Vitamin - The New York Times)) other links to additives in low fat milk: [additives</a> to low fat milk - ??? Google?](<a href=“additives to low fat milk - Google Search”>additives to low fat milk - Google Search)</p>
<p>
Some non-fat milk is fortified to increase protein but this is clearly labeled on the carton.
Around here - nearly ALL low fat and skim milk is just that - pure milk with the fat removed.</p>
<p>MYTH: * Vitamin D is added because cows don’t spend time in the sun. *
Vitamin D is added to prevent rickets in young children.</p>
<p>I have heard that ground cinnamon can reduce Cholesterol levels, but I don’t have all the information about it. Same with red yeast rice supplements, supposedly.</p>
<p>Just a mom: You may be correct about vit D: however that was not the main point. Why not just drink smaller amounts of whole milk? or drink raw milk? for example:
"A vitamin A compound called retinyl palmitate is added to all low-fat and fat-free milks to replace vitamin content that is lost through the removal of milk fat, said Dr. Sheldon Saul Hendler, co-editor of The PDR for Nutritional Supplements.
Retinyl palmitate contains palmitic acid, a 16-carbon saturated fatty acid, which is the major fatty acid found in palm oil, Dr. Hendler explained. The palmitic acid is attached to the alcohol form of vitamin A, called retinol, to make the vitamin A stable in milk. "</p>
<p>The original point was to raise awareness for those trying for a healthier diet to pay attention to the fact that low fat milk, and most low fat dairy products have things added back into them. ([What</a> Low Fat Foods Really Taste Like - Low Fat Foods Taste Test](<a href=“http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/lowfatbasics/a/lowfattaste.htm]What”>Vegetarian Dessert Recipes)) We all need to be aware of what is being done to our food sources and how the FDA is planning on NOT labeling genetically modified foods.</p>
<p>Drinking whole ( organic or raw) milk is no different than eating whole grain foods, which we do because the naturally available nutrients are better than the fortified ones which are added back into white bread because the bleaching process removes them.</p>
<p>Again my main point is to make those who are making a concerted effort to make their diets healthier aware that some things that we take for granted as being safe and healthy may not be what we think they are. So read labels.</p>
<p>The most obvious reason for not drinking smaller amounts of whole milk is that then you don’t get the same amount of the other nutrients–protein, calcium, etc. All choices are a balancing act and I like to have three servings of nonfat milk a day as a calcium and protein source. If I changed that to whole milk, I would get another 300 calories of fat daily.</p>
<p>500 IU of vitamin A are added to each serving. That’s equivalent to 500*.3 micrograms of vitamin A–or about 170 micrograms or .17 milligrams of vitamin A–which is a lot less than the amount of saturated fat I’d get from whole milk.</p>
<p>dmd77: I think that’s a great response. My point was simply so people know there are things to look at so they can make informed decisions like yours. For someone who only uses milk in tea or coffee or perhaps small amount in cereal it may be a different decision.</p>