dianec42: Joshua tree against a blue sky (Default)
dianec42 ([personal profile] dianec42) wrote2004-10-25 08:10 pm

peeve of the day

It really gets on my nerves when people bang on about how great a particular fruit or vegetable or nut is because it's "cholesterol free". Cholesterol comes from ANIMALS, people! AN-I-MALS. The last time I checked, neither almonds nor avocados belonged to the animal kingdom.

Sheesh.

Fats

[identity profile] gypsy0131.livejournal.com 2004-10-26 03:06 am (UTC)(link)
People are quite ignorant about fats which naturally occur in plant matter versus animals. What most people don't seem to get is that when you consume trans fats, and other saturated fats- the latter of which does occur in things like avocados and nuts- that your body converts it into cholesterol. But because that is less known, marketers make a big deal about the fact there is less cholesterol in eggs for instance... which we know is silly, because the actual fat content of an egg yolk is astronomical in relation to its volume.

I suppose one could be equally silly and say, hey chocolate is great for you because it is low in sodium- another health risk...

No wonder Americans have such problems with their health. Trying to re-educate my parents on this one has been a challenge- if the media immerses the public into a collective happy state of ignorance, it is hard to convince individuals that they have been lied to.