Saturated fat: Cardiologists claim warnings that it clogs arteries are 'plain WRONG'

a reply to: texasgirl

I cook all the time. I use my slow cooker when I want a certain type of meal. Here is some basic info:
A slow cooker will cook meat but it does not brown it. It also cooks down the fat and leaves it in the food.
It will slow cook the bones of the meat, so nutrition from the bones eventually gets into the "soup".

Never fill slow cooker above 3/4 full. It won't cook as well. But don't fill it UNDER 1/2 full. Might cook too fast.

When in doubt, read the instruction book.

You can make foods in the slow cooker, let cool, put in fridge overnight, and skim off the fat the next day if fat bothers you. or you can brown the meat in a skillet to remove fat. I like fat, husband does not. So I know all the ways to get fat out of his food, and keep it in mine.

Easy healthy soup:
one small yellow onion, chopped well. Place on bottom of slow cooker
3 chicken thighs, rinsed well (with or without skin) Place on onion
one clove garlic chopped fine. Place on chicken
12-16 oz bag frozen mix vegetables. Dump over all. (you can also add fresh chopped veg if you want. Frozen is just easy)
Add cold water until cooker is 2/3 to 3/4 full.
Cook on high until chicken is done (could be 6-8 hours). Chicken is done when it is falling off bone and skin is loose.
Remove chicken, pull it off the bone, remove the skin. Stir soup well. Add herbal seasoning like Spike or Herbamare or plain sea salt. Add 1 teaspoon at a time, stir and taste until you like it. Add back chicken.
NOW: you can cook on low with lid off to reduce the amount of liquid in it. Or serve as is. You can add noodles or 1/2 cup rice/barley/oats.

By the way, pets love this when they are ill. The slow cooked onions and garlic does not seem to hurt them.

Final note: as you get accustomed to using the slow cooker, you can add herbs at the beginning of the soup, so they cook into the broth. But I have had some real disasters with herbs. The ONLY herb I recommend anyone add to the soup in the beginning is fresh PARSLEY. Very healing to the kidneys.

Robert Atkins proved it long ago.

a reply to: seasonal

I've been struck with Ulcerative Colitis. Was in the hospital for a week because of it.

And I've been doing some research into fats.

Omega-6 fats. Those derived from plants. Are pretty much poison. You should not be using them to cook with. And of course everything is cooked with them. Up to about 100 years ago these plant derived fats did not exist. It was only recently that we had the technology to produce them. And they are bad for you. Omega 6 fats increase inflammation in the body. A bad thing.

You want to start using healthy fats. Such as extra virgin olive oil. Low in omega 6. Coconut oil is also good for other reasons. Start taking that omega 3 oil pills as well such as krill oil.

good luck folks.

originally posted by: katfish
a reply to: rickymouse

WOW again! Garlic acts like bromelain as well? Thinking on it, I almost always cook .onions and garlic with my meat. As for soy, I would only use fermented soy like miso and soy sauce. Occasionally I have tofu.I wonder how the refining of the soy bean changes it? I ate crunchy baked soy beans as a kid and never reacted.

Aged soy is somewhat better, we use Kikkomens soy sauce when we make things. It is brewed and aged the natural way, not like the hydrollyzed soy protein in many of the soy sauces. There are other real soys out there, most of the Asians actually only use real stuff in their cooking and meal prep, but remember, the fake stuff is much cheaper so some restaurants have that. I can taste the difference. Now if I won't eat this hydrolyzed protein, why would I feed it to my pets.

Cooking is nothing more than aging food fast, it is a different way of catalyzing the food to make it edible for us. Everyone has different amounts of enzymes they create, it is the same with cats and dogs. Most dogs will bury bones to try to age them so they can get nutrition out of them. Cats need Taurine in their food, they cannot produce it, so they need some raw foods. Taurine is created by an enzyme which most cats lack. I actually make lots of taurine, I even pee it out. I do not need to eat raw meat Taurine is in energy drinks, it gives people energy. But most people do not realize it can be used to control epilepsy. N-acetylcysteine does the same thing. Our bodies will change NAC to taurine, and taurine to NAC. So will a cat. But NAC and taurine are heat liable, meaning that they will fall apart when heated over two hundred degrees, the sulfide bond is broken. So if you boil meat, make sure there is a little sulfur veggies in with it
and some other veggies to keep the boiling point under a hundred ninety degrees. Also a little hot sauce, just five drops of tabasco in a big pot, will help to keep the NAC and Taurine from falling apart. Taurine falls apart at around one hundred eighty five degrees completely, but NAC is stable a little higher. Both of these start falling apart at about a hundred thirty if there is no sulfur food or niacin type food added. That is one of the reason people will put garlic or onion salt on their steaks, then cooking them to a point less than a hundred sixty degrees internally means they still have a little of these compounds in the meat.

If you overcook your steaks, one of the important chemistries our cells need is destroyed. You guys are talking about slow cooking here, that uses a lower heat.

With a slow cooker, make sure you boil beans like navy beans and kidney beans for half an hour after soaking for eight or more hours., they contain a agglutinagen that will goop up our blood and cause strokes or Thrombosis. The chemical is not heat stable over about two hundred degrees. But the chemistry actually increases if you put it in a slow cooker, you need to boil it to destroy this chemical then it's ability to form in the slow cook environment is way less and safe. Now if you use canned kidney beans they already neutralize this chemistry properly, it is a regulated process, canned kidney beans are usually not a problem, neither are canned pork and beans. Green beans need to be boiled for about ten minutes too, we do not need to raise our risk of blood clots or strokes. Cats and dogs should not eat these things, it is bad for them too.

Cats will eat grass as a digestive aid, there are enzymes in Rye grass and also a growth hormone where the grass comes together that helps them repair. Yes, this works for us too. It is heat liable, meaning it kind of gets messed up over about a hundred twenty degrees, about the same point that bromelaine falls apart if I remember right. So if your cats are getting old acting, get them some Rye grass that is pulled out of the sheath, a little of this slightly sweet hormone is all that is needed, it is quickly absorbed. I was taught to suck on the grasses to get the sweetness out of the grass when working on the farm. It stimulates growth and repair. The grain does not contain hardly any of it, it is within the sheith where the grasses come together on the stalk. This hormone is present in the diet of grass fed beef, it helps keep them healthier. Traces will be in their hays, but it does loose a lot when it is dried.

Sorry for getting off topic, bring some grass in to your cats.

originally posted by: grey580
a reply to: seasonal

I've been struck with Ulcerative Colitis. Was in the hospital for a week because of it.

And I've been doing some research into fats.

Omega-6 fats. Those derived from plants. Are pretty much poison. You should not be using them to cook with. And of course everything is cooked with them. Up to about 100 years ago these plant derived fats did not exist. It was only recently that we had the technology to produce them. And they are bad for you. Omega 6 fats increase inflammation in the body. A bad thing.

You want to start using healthy fats. Such as extra virgin olive oil. Low in omega 6. Coconut oil is also good for other reasons. Start taking that omega 3 oil pills as well such as krill oil.

good luck folks.

Soybean oil is high in Omega 6 fats. I keep reading soybean oil is healthy. People need to be aware that it isnt. I cannot believe how much food out there contains it.

I love coconut oil.

originally posted by: katfish
a reply to: texasgirl

I cook all the time. I use my slow cooker when I want a certain type of meal. Here is some basic info:
A slow cooker will cook meat but it does not brown it. It also cooks down the fat and leaves it in the food.
It will slow cook the bones of the meat, so nutrition from the bones eventually gets into the "soup".

Never fill slow cooker above 3/4 full. It won't cook as well. But don't fill it UNDER 1/2 full. Might cook too fast.

When in doubt, read the instruction book.

You can make foods in the slow cooker, let cool, put in fridge overnight, and skim off the fat the next day if fat bothers you. or you can brown the meat in a skillet to remove fat. I like fat, husband does not. So I know all the ways to get fat out of his food, and keep it in mine.

Easy healthy soup:
one small yellow onion, chopped well. Place on bottom of slow cooker
3 chicken thighs, rinsed well (with or without skin) Place on onion
one clove garlic chopped fine. Place on chicken
12-16 oz bag frozen mix vegetables. Dump over all. (you can also add fresh chopped veg if you want. Frozen is just easy)
Add cold water until cooker is 2/3 to 3/4 full.
Cook on high until chicken is done (could be 6-8 hours). Chicken is done when it is falling off bone and skin is loose.
Remove chicken, pull it off the bone, remove the skin. Stir soup well. Add herbal seasoning like Spike or Herbamare or plain sea salt. Add 1 teaspoon at a time, stir and taste until you like it. Add back chicken.
NOW: you can cook on low with lid off to reduce the amount of liquid in it. Or serve as is. You can add noodles or 1/2 cup rice/barley/oats.

By the way, pets love this when they are ill. The slow cooked onions and garlic does not seem to hurt them.

Final note: as you get accustomed to using the slow cooker, you can add herbs at the beginning of the soup, so they cook into the broth. But I have had some real disasters with herbs. The ONLY herb I recommend anyone add to the soup in the beginning is fresh PARSLEY. Very healing to the kidneys.

Thank you so much for this! I like chicken breasts better than thigh. Will it work just as well?

a reply to: katfish

I thought onions were toxic to cats? They can handle garlic in small quantities.

originally posted by: mikell
I just did a study with a couple of scientist downstairs and they all agreed that we will all die sometime!

Ha!! But you want to feel your best (and disease-free) before you die, right?

I would recommend to anyone to read it starts with food which explains a lot about diet, and paleo style eating, and the science behind what certain foods do to your body.
trackers in Alaska used to die, if they were only catching rabbit, because it is a very lean meat, hardly any fat on it at all, and if that was all they could catch, they'd have no fat in their diet, and you need some fat for you brain to function properly. olives, coconuts, avocados, fatty fish like mackerel, salmon, etc.
restrict the intake of any sugars, and any processed foods, just eat healthy, organic, meat, healthy fats, and plenty of organic vegetables, and drink lots of water (1/2 fl Oz per 1lb of body weight - for me it works out at about 4 litres a day)

a reply to: rickymouse

My animals have always sought out the sweet grasses. We don't use pesticides and we watch where the the neighbor's lawn care drifts. We only let the animals eat grasses from "safe" areas. I will be harvesting some for myself, now. In fact, I will grow a nice patch on my back deck for everyone.

Many thanks for all the info. I forgot about the bean thing, but, yes. I gave up on cooking dry beans because my water is hard and I cannot get the beans to soften. I use canned beans. I simmer green beans for 10 mins.

Making chicken soup today; I will add onion.

Yes! I use thighs because I like the flavor. But any chicken or turkey will work. In fact, I am making chicken soup today. Because, rain.


I left extremely well-cooked onions in foods I fed to my cats, dogs and chickens. The "onion" is cooked into the food, true. And I do NOT feed it daily. Maybe once a week?

originally posted by: texasgirl
a reply to: katfish

I thought onions were toxic to cats? They can handle garlic in small quantities.

I thought it was onions and garlic....to dogs

a reply to: seasonal

It's true. Modern medicine has done a lot of good, but the profit motive has had bad consequences for patient and rewards pharmacy companies.
Why do you always hear about "treatments", instead of cures? Because big medicine would go bankrupt if they provided cures.

a reply to: Mousygretchen

The best advice is to eat clean, whole plants, nuts, greens, green tea

As far as feeding "toxic" foods to animals. I was taught never to feed any being (incl fish and humans) a new food in a quantity larger than their eyeball. That seems to be the triggering quantity for an illness or allergy.

As far as foods that can build up in the liver: onions and their like can do that. As can glutens and chocolate, etc. Basically anything that would not be in the animal's natural diet can harm them badly.

I am referring to a soup or casserole for humans that the dogs and cats can get a sample of. In a "treat" size quantity. Depending on the animal's size, couple tablespoons to 1/2 a cup. And I have never had any issue with any animal that had a broth with onions cooked down into it. Mind you, not an onion soup. But chicken broth, turkey broth, yes.

It really depends on the animal.

Very interesting information here. I was diagnosed as Type 2 Diabetic 4 months ago and 2 years ago after a liver biopsy, I was diagnosed with NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) and stage 3 liver disease. In between, it was discovered that both of my kidneys were full of stones and the kidney walls were partly calcified. I have high uric acid and now my blood pressure is also high but I've resisted taking medication for either incase it makes my liver disease worse.

I'm female, mid 40s and lived in a small town in southern Spain up until about 12 months before my liver disease was diagnosed. I visited my GP once in the past 10 years for a bacterial infection and used to see an Osteopath for lower back pain but apart from that, I thought I was active, fit and healthy with 3 teenage children, 2 dogs and 2 cats to keep me busy. We ate a healthy Mediterranean diet because there were no supermarkets with processed foods so we could only shop at local greengrocers, butchers, fishmongers, etc. and we also drank plenty of water because it was easy to become dehydrated if we didn't. I've never been a big alcohol drinker - maybe a couple of glasses of wine if we went out for a meal which was usually once a week. I'm not perfect by any means and used to drink vodka and coke if we went to a party or friend's bbq which was probably once every 2 or 3 months. I gained weight after my 2nd baby and never really lost it despite my diet and the fact I was walking my dogs twice a day and swimming once a day - I'm 10lbs over my recommended BMI. I suffered from major lower back pain after my 3rd baby and every GP I saw blamed it on me having had 3 c-sections (not by choice, I had complications and all 3 were born premature) but since the kidney stones have been removed the back ache has gone so it was actually more likely that the stones were causing the problem.

I have absolutely no idea how I ended up with these medical issues and was in total shock with the liver diagnosis! All the doctors said change my diet, stop drinking alcohol and exercise more and that really wasn't very helpful because what was I supposed to change my diet to and how much more exercise than I was already doing? They didn't seem to be able to narrow it down and be specific so I asked to be referred to a dietician which was a complete waste of time because she just told me to eat low fat, less salt and less processed foods. It was (still is) so frustrating because I didn't eat processed foods or salt anyway and had already cut all alcohol since my diagnosis. Going on to develop type 2 Diabetes hasn't helped convince my doctors that it's not my diet or exercise that's caused my problems. Finally, after developing a bowl problem one GP agreed that there are too many 'rare' things happening at the same time for it to be a coincidence and not connected so she referred me to a Geneticist. There are other family members on the paternal line that have similar medical problems although not as many as me! We'll know the results in another couple of months and on the one hand I hope they finally find a reason that this is happening to me but on the other hand I really, really do not want to have passed the risk of this on to my children and I'm told it will be a 50% chance.

I recently started Dr Michael Mosley's 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet so I'm hoping that will help reverse my diabetes and maybe finally help me shift the 10lbs to get within my BMI and possibly even get rid of some, if not all, the fat in my liver so it stops the fibrosis getting worse and the inflammation goes away. As for the high uric acid - high purine rich foods make that worse and it's found in foods I thought were good for me such as broccoli, spinach, beans, pulses, lentils, oily fish, the list goes on and I was so surprised that I was actually causing myself problems eating these things! It's a total maze to know what are the right things for me personally to eat and drink so I'm sticking with Dr Mosely's way for now and hoping for some good results. By the way, my husband and 3 children are all fit, healthy and within their BMI with no medical problems despite having spent their entire lives (25 years of hubby's) eating the same food as me... frustrating!

a reply to: Maya00a

I am sorry you are having these issues. It is not fair, that's for sure!

For me, and only for me, food does not digest correctly and does not go where it should. So I have deficiencies though I eat well. I seem to be having some success with probiotic foods.

But as I am aging I notice I have to eat more and more nutritious food. I have a cook book from the 1960's that emphasizes the "golden years" as a time to eat even better, eat more good fat, consume more liquids, etc.

I hope you get a good diagnosis and the health issues go away.