Sesame and Flaxseed Oils

[wsandford928]

Hello,

This is a great site and learned of Dr. McDougall in the "The China Study" book.

I'm on day 11 of a WFPBD and I'm learning quite a bit in the last couple weeks. I have a question about oils. I've always heard olive oil is good for you and that doesn't seem to be the case, the same goes with sesame seed oil, which I love but very willing to give up.

My goal is to raise my HDLs and get off my blood pressure meds.

I recently had my blood work done and received my results yesterday:

Total cholesterol: 128
HDL: 37
LDL: 67
TRI: 121
I also had my doctor check my B-12 and it sits, right now, at 659. (180 - 914 being considered as okay)

Note: I'm 6' 1", age 64, male, 198 pounds, swim 2x a week, spin 2x a week, run 3x a week and workout with weights 1x a week. I just stopped doing half ironman events in 2014. I could still do them, but the long training days got to be tiresome and I got burnt out on them. So I'm doing all I can on the exercise side of life.

I routinely check my BP in the a.m. and p.m. and my morning numbers are usually higher. Example last night 117/64, this a.m. 140/84.

I'm eating a strictly WFPBD since Sept 5th and I know I'm early in the game. I feel I'm on the right track so far, but I want to eliminate anything that could slow my progress and oils are my main concern at this point.

Flaxseed oil: Good or bad? Why?
Sesame oil: Good or bad? Why?
Olive oil: Good or bad? Why?

Any help in this would be most appreciated.

Thank you,

Bill

[colonyofcells]

lots of free information on how to do the dr mcdougall diet :
https://www.drmcdougall.com/2014/06/30/food-poisoning/
https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2017nl/jul/simple.htm
https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/educ ... l-program/
https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/prog ... ick-start/

[barryoilbegone]

Hey Bill, welcome to the Board

Olive oil is only better compared to things like lard, beef, eggs, and dairy: but it isn't actually a health promoting food. Neither are other oils. It's worth going through this newsletter from Dr McD from 2007, that lays it down:

https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/aug/oils.htm

This video from Dr Michael Klaper also lays it down about olive oil:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGGQxJLuVjg

Check out how much some negative posters/trolls shrill at the bottom of this video: as you learn more, you'll be able to reflect back in time unfortunately the denial; how shallow and ill/poorly researched are some of their comments; the straw man arguments; and tattacking the findings on olive oil reduction and elimination, without actually trying it out for themselves.

I got much better when I chucked out all oils from my already vegan diet. It was goodbye catarrh, and chest tightness!

Best wishes,

Barry

[Willijan]

I suggest reading Dr. McDougall's newsletters and/or books to find out why (all) oils are bad for you, and also to find out about HDL. Get your information from the source or sources, not from us.

However, from what I remember from the reading I have done and videos I have seen, you should not have a goal of raising your HDL. Your total cholesterol is great, and you do not need high HDL for health. And, I know a basic tenet of the diet is to eat NO oil. That's what you have to do to get the benefits of this diet.

There's just too much information to get it without doing some reading.

[wsandford928]

Colonyofcells -- Thanks for the direct links! I'll definitely check them out.

Barry -- I'm on the tail end of "The China Study" (Audible) with just a few chapters to go. What an eye opener!!! I just ordered "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure by Dr. Esselstyn and it will arrive on Monday. Dr. Esselstyn's book will definitely be my next read as well as the links everyone has kindly included.

I'll go through the links tonight, this is a fascinating subject and this forum is a Godsend.

Willijan -- Your advice on getting information from the "source of sources" is spot on, no argument here. I love to read and do Audible so this is no chore for me. Although my total cholesterol numbers look good, it's accomplished through simvastatin. A drug I want to remove from my life. I'm going to stay with the WFPBD of course and in six weeks I'm going to get another blood test to see where I am. Same thing with my BP. From here out No oil will work for me and I'll be sure to read up on it! Thank you.



Bill

[Lyndzie]

Hi Bill.

I just had my bloodwork done as well. My total cholesterol was 110, with my HDL at 35. My doctor was not concerned at all, because my total cholesterol is so low. That HDL minimum is for the average Americans whose cholesterol is much higher.

As everyone else mentioned, oil is refined. Just eat some flax seeds.

For blood pressure, maybe cutting back on sodium, and caffiene, can help. It sounds like you've got everything else looking great.

If you give this a good try and still aren't getting the results you are aiming for, Jeff Novick does phone appointments. I've had a call with him before and found it to be most helpful.

Good luck to you!

[wsandford928]

Hi Lyndzie,

I'm now on Day 14 of going Vegan and loving it so far. Since I now know all oils aren't healthy, I believe I have the right tools to do the WFPLD the right way.

I'm no longing taking BP meds (Valsartan/HCTZ 160/25) and Simastan (40mg) as of my last physical on Sept 13. My doctor of 20 years knows how active I am and gave me the okay. I also monitor my BP a.m. and p.m. and log it on my iPad.

I read that hemp tea may help with BP, so I ordered some to check it out. Keeping a BP log will help to verify whether it helps or not. Yes, I try to stay away from caffeine and salt as much as possible. Those two ingredients are of no help to me with BP.

I also started doing breathing exercises and renewing my Yoga commitment session on Saturday's.

Thanks for the recommendation with Jeff Novick, I'll definitely keep him in mind.

Congrats on your Cholesterol level!

[Lyndzie]

Bill - reading your message reminded me of this video on Nutrition Facts about using hibiscus tea to treat hypertension. https://nutritionfacts.org/video/hibisc ... ertension/

I'm impressed with how you're diving straight in. I'm sure you'll find the right balance soon.

[wsandford928]

Hello, Lyndzie:

Thanks for the Hibiscus video, great info all around for me!

I just picked up some Hibiscus tea at Earth Fare over the weekend. I like the way its packaged with just a tea pad. It tastes great and a nice treat. My blood pressure is starting to respond to the plant-based, whole food diet. My last eight readings were all below 125/ 85 without my Diovan. I check it in the a.m. and p.m. just to be on the safe side. Once I get my bloodwork results in 4-weeks I'll know how it's affecting my cholesterol. My weight has dropped five pounds since Sept 5 and I'm not really trying to lose weight. My exercise is the same, which is way above normal for most folks.

One thing I've added is beet juice and real whole beets that you can find bundled in the refrigerator section of markets. I drink two cups of beet juice a day, morning and night. And I eat "real" beets every other day and it seems to be helping with by BP. [b] Any precautions I should take?

After reading the links and other sources, I now understand why ALL oils are not on the plan. I did find two vinaigrettes I can use as a substitute, which will work for me.

I have a friend of mine who is on a gluten-free diet and she's concerned all she can eat is vegetables as a Vegan. From what little I know of gluten-free diets, wouldn't she be able to eat the Vegan "meats", "cheeses" and other meat-free sources in stores? I found a lot of Vegan menu choices at Earth Fare and Harris Teeter, now that I'm actually looking for them.

She seems interested in going Vegan, is there any recommended links I can send to her being she's gluten-free?

Thanks, everyone!

Bill

[bbq]

Are these (rodent) studies totally full of it or what?

Water-Soluble Components of Sesame Oil Reduce Inflammation and Atherosclerosis
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4281857/

Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Activities of the Nonlipid (Aqueous) Components of Sesame Oil: Potential Use in Atherosclerosis
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4390211/

Water-Soluble Components of Sesame Oil Reduce Inflammation and Atherosclerosis
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4948257/

Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant Effects of Sesame Oil on Atherosclerosis: A Descriptive Literature Review
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5587404/