My mom recently told me she did not want to eat
dark chocolate anymore because of a recent article
in the local newspaper that said that it was
actually unhealthy due to the saturated fat content.
Well, I decided to research on my own and I discovered
that about half of the total fat in dark chocolate
is indeed saturated fat.
Most of the saturated fat is a certain type called
stearic acid. When researching this I got
conflicting information.
What else is new. LOL.
Here are two reports but there are others
that support both views.
View #1
Unfortunately for chocolate lovers,
chocolate's high content of stearic acid
puts it in the same category of risk of
coronary disease as meat and butter -- i.e.,
View #2
Stearic acid is a saturated fat that's
mainly in animal products. It's also
in some plant foods like chocolate.
A relatively large percentage of stearic
acid consumed is converted to oleic
acid (a monounsaturated fat). Stearic acid
is used to form margarines, shortenings,
spreads, and as a cream base for baked
products. Even though stearic acid is a
saturated fat, studies have suggested that
it has little effect on blood cholesterol levels,
because such a high proportion is converted
to oleic acid.
So, what do I tell my mom?? How can I make an educated
decison when the more educated people can't agree??
I told her it was okay and was healthy and don't
worry about the saturated fat. But ultimately, it would
be her decision.
What's a Youatarian? It's my own phrase I have used when people ask me how I have lost my excess weight. I'm a Youatarian and live the youatarian lifestyle. Simply put, a Youatarian is someone that follows YOU On a Diet. For any YOAD followers out there that would like to adopt the phrase
for themselves, please feel free.
- Marshall (aka Orlando Tek)
for themselves, please feel free.
- Marshall (aka Orlando Tek)
Welcome to my blog!
More Pictures of Us
My Story
In July 2006, I visited the doctor for a multitude of
ongoing medical problems and when I weighed
in I remember being 305lbs. That was the heaviest
I could ever remember weighing on any scale in my life.
My wife, also overweight, started some small changes
in her diet at that time and those changes made its way
through into my diet as well.
In September 2006, I watched my mother undergo
triple bypass surgey. And I always believed her
to be of modest health although she had passed
on a few of her problems to me including high blood
pressure and acid reflux issues. In her early 20's,
unaware of her high blood pressure problem, she
actually had a stroke, although not very severe.
My dad is a bit healthier even though being
12 years older than my mom, but he has borderline
adult onset diabetes and he had a stint put into an
artery a few years back.
Taking in all this information, It was then I decided
I needed to make some serious changes in my life
or I will be the next one on the heart ward not too
long from now.
It was Novemeber, 2006 and I was already following
the few changes my wife had made to her diet and we had
both lost about 15lbs in the last few months. Any
change at this point was a good change. We watched
a Discovery Health special called YOU: On A Diet featuring
the YOU docs and a few families incorporating YOAD
into their daily lives and showing their amazing progress.
The very next day, November 7th, 2006, my wife and
I went through every cabinet and cupboard in our
house and got rid of ALL the bad foods. We then
went to the grocery store and bought foods that
met YOAD and from that day we have not looked back!
We could not find the book at any local store so we
ordered it off Amazon. It took a few weeks to arrive
but we started cooking with only YOAD approved foods
using YOAD approved methods and we WERE seeing
results even before the book arrived.
From there it has been all downhilll. I have lost 110lbs
since starting on YOAD in November but about 125lbs
over the last 18 months total. Wahoo!
And most of my medical problems related to my weight
have now vanished including high bood pressure, acid
reflux and sleep apnea. I have much more energy and
I feel better than I can ever remember!
And its all thanks to YOAD!
ongoing medical problems and when I weighed
in I remember being 305lbs. That was the heaviest
I could ever remember weighing on any scale in my life.
My wife, also overweight, started some small changes
in her diet at that time and those changes made its way
through into my diet as well.
In September 2006, I watched my mother undergo
triple bypass surgey. And I always believed her
to be of modest health although she had passed
on a few of her problems to me including high blood
pressure and acid reflux issues. In her early 20's,
unaware of her high blood pressure problem, she
actually had a stroke, although not very severe.
My dad is a bit healthier even though being
12 years older than my mom, but he has borderline
adult onset diabetes and he had a stint put into an
artery a few years back.
Taking in all this information, It was then I decided
I needed to make some serious changes in my life
or I will be the next one on the heart ward not too
long from now.
It was Novemeber, 2006 and I was already following
the few changes my wife had made to her diet and we had
both lost about 15lbs in the last few months. Any
change at this point was a good change. We watched
a Discovery Health special called YOU: On A Diet featuring
the YOU docs and a few families incorporating YOAD
into their daily lives and showing their amazing progress.
The very next day, November 7th, 2006, my wife and
I went through every cabinet and cupboard in our
house and got rid of ALL the bad foods. We then
went to the grocery store and bought foods that
met YOAD and from that day we have not looked back!
We could not find the book at any local store so we
ordered it off Amazon. It took a few weeks to arrive
but we started cooking with only YOAD approved foods
using YOAD approved methods and we WERE seeing
results even before the book arrived.
From there it has been all downhilll. I have lost 110lbs
since starting on YOAD in November but about 125lbs
over the last 18 months total. Wahoo!
And most of my medical problems related to my weight
have now vanished including high bood pressure, acid
reflux and sleep apnea. I have much more energy and
I feel better than I can ever remember!
And its all thanks to YOAD!
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Wednesday, October 3, 2007
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4 comments:
What the H...
Thanks Marsall for the info, I love dark chocolate, but don't eat it often. Poo.....
Chari
I went looking too, but only found one thing about what you said.
"Doesn't Chocolate Have a lot of Fat?:
Here is some more good news -- some of the fats in chocolate do not impact your cholesterol.
The fats in chocolate are 1/3 oleic acid, 1/3 stearic acid and 1/3 palmitic acid:
Oleic Acid is a healthy monounsaturated fat that is also found in olive oil.
Stearic Acid is a saturated fat but one which research is shows has a neutral effect on cholesterol.
Palmitic Acid is also a saturated fat, one which raises cholesterol and heart disease risk.
That means only 1/3 of the fat in dark chocolate is bad for you."
Things that make you go hmmm, how could the good Doctors steer us wrong I say?
I agree :)
I had found the same research. I had found a lot actually.
I saw your post on your blog about the whole grains. I meant to post back but haven't yet. Good stuff!
I try to have between 1/4 to 1 ounce of dark chocolate everyday.
Have a great one :)
A lot of people don't realize this, but all oils have some percentage of saturated fat. Even the healthiest ones like canola (7% saturated fat) and olive oil (14% saturated fat) have at least
some.
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