Another Mind-Blowing Chart from Sweden

A couple of weeks ago in the Natural Health Solutions Weekly Update, I sent out a hysterical diatribe carefully reasoned article about the fact that the U.S. lags woefully behind Sweden when it comes to official dietary recommendations.

I pointed out that here in the States, both the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the American Heart Association are still urging ever-fatter Americans to cut back on saturated fat and dietary cholesterol and keep on pounding those “heart-healthy” grains and vegetable oils.

You know, because this advice — now official policy for over 50 years — has worked so well so far.

Meanwhile, in 2013, Sweden’s prestigious Council on Health Technology Assessment officially recommended a high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet — one that emphasizes vegetables, meats, and animal-based fats.

The diet had been growing in popularity in Sweden since the early 2000s. Early indications are that it’s working: Sweden is becoming the first country in the world to actually reverse its obesity epidemic.

But I want to focus here on one specific food, and one specific — and surprising, to Americans anyway — improvement in Swedish health since the country started revamping its way of eating.

As it turns out, Swedish butter consumption has roughly doubled since 2005, and acute myocardial infarction (doctor-speak for serious heart attacks) dropped about 35 percent over the same period. Take a look:

Source: Andreas Eenfeldt, M.D. The Real Association Between Butter and Heart Disease in Sweden.
ww.dietdoctor.com. Nov. 8, 2013

To an American who has been marinating in misinformation about butter for five decades, this chart can create room-spinning cognitive dissonance. We’ve been conditioned to think that our arteries are like kitchen drains — pour in too much grease and they’ll clog.

But if you understand that heart disease is largely the result of inflammation — which stems from overconsumption of carbohydrates such as sugar and grains — there’s nothing at all surprising about this outcome. Eating more saturated fat and fewer carbs is one of the simplest ways to keep inflammation in check.

I’m glad to say this information seems to be going mainstream. Working out at my gym last week, I saw a buff dude wearing a T-shirt that read simply “Butter, Not Bread.”

I don’t usually glean nutrition advice from T-shirts, but this one was right on. Skip the bread, but don’t hesitate to add butter to a wide variety of foods — drop a pat on your steamed veggies, throw a couple more atop your steak, and use a hand-held blender to whir a tablespoon or so into your morning coffee.

Or if you are lactose intolerant or just not a butter aficionado, use another healthy fat, such as olive oil, lard, or coconut oil.

In any case, take it from the Swedes — eating fewer grain-based carbohydrates and more natural saturated fats is one of the best moves you can make for your health.

Sincerely,

Brad Lemley
Editor, Natural Health Solutions