I switched to full-fat dairy years ago after learning the truth about the lipid hypothesis especially after watching the documentary called Fat Head. We are doing such a disservice to our children by loading them up on carbs, which they don't need, and depriving them of fat, which they do need, particularly for brain development (Hmm, a government supported program that dumbs down our children. Who would have thought?...)
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Be careful with those high-fat ketogenic diets, they are not for everybody. You have to have super-healthy liver to eat like that because metabolism of fats is heavy on your liver. Also it needs a superb discipline, because you absolutely need to stay away from carbohydrates if you are eating high-fat. If you sin just a bit with some carbs your body is not functioning in a ketosis mode any more - that means you are not eating paleo/keto/whatever any more, you are just eating crappy diet. If you like that sort of food good for you, but my body does not tolerate such diet. I have a hard time digesting it and get after-meal fatigue. And the most importantly, if I eat high-fat my cholesterol soars. Actually the only way to keep it within a healthy levels is by eating whole food, low-fat, plant based diet. I base this not on assumptions but on repeated blood tests. And high-cholesterol is never a sign of good health.
Thanks for your comment but I never said anything about a ketogenic or paleo diet. Your cholesterol levels may be genetic and they also are a marker of inflammation. You also did not distinguish between LDL and HDL in your comment. While overall cholesterol might have risen for you, it's makeup is important and still may be in a healthy range. Cholesterol is not just for repairing your vascular system but also is needed for proper brain function. It is the precursor for vitamin D, progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, cortisol, and is a powerful anti-oxidant for the brain. Your body naturally produces 1200 to 1400 mg per day. Your liver also uses adrenalin to increase blood sugar. High carb diets also tend to weaken the liver and make them fatty further reducing its effectiveness and contributes to cirrhosis. What I do know is there are essential fatty acids and essential amino acids but there are no essential carbohydrates for human beings.
While I am not advocating a keto or paleo diet, your depiction of them is quite misleading. "sinning" just a bit does not mean you are eating a crappy diet. Most of the literature I have read on the subject states that humans were created to go in and out of ketosis. It's being chronically out of ketosis by eating a high carb diet that is troublesome.
Did you ever consider that your cholesterol might elevate because you are depriving your system of what it needs to fully repair itself on your normal diet? More firemen showing up to a burning building isn't necessarily a bad thing. Cholesterol doesn't cause vascular disease just as scabs don't cause cuts and firemen don't cause fires. I found this documentary to be a decent look at what I consider a healthy way of eating, I don't agree with everything in it but it has been a good foundation for me. If you enjoy the way you eat, more power to you.
Documentaries are the gateway drug to pseudo-science, but I'd love to see some actual scientific studies about the benefits of high fat diet if you can find them.