Yes, there is a tremendous amount of misinformation being suggested by
"experts." Unfortunately, they don't read the actual scientific
literature, but instead rely on textbooks, which say things like "it
appears" or "there is some evidence that suggests" or "it may be the
case that..." If you want the details, just search this group for
montygram and you will see my posts debunking the "essential fatty
acid" claim. These molecules and their metabolites are incredibly
dangerous - largely responsible for "chronic disease." I cite
voluminously from the scientific literature, as you will see. The
stuff you hear about "lower your cholesterol," avoid "saturated fat,"
"eat plenty of fiber," "avoid salt," is just ridiculous, but they need
to generalize,and they tell you what they tell people who are in really
bad shape, even though those suggestions don't work in those cases most
of the time. Even when it does work, as in hypertensives avoiding
salt, there are much better ways of dealing with the problem, though a
temporary avoidance of high salt foods is a good idea in this case.
But the general public should not be told to avoid salt. Instead, they
should be told to make their own food and use salt to taste, but that
would detract from their economic interests and they might say, "well,
that's not practical." You have to decide whether you want optimal
health or "practicality," but in the case of unsaturated fat and
cholesterol cooked while exposed to air, your health will be
compromised if you don't try to avoid major sources of these things,
with few exceptions (olive oil is okay, if it's of the highest quality
and not heated up while exposed to air, but again, that's not practical
for most people).
