FAQ

Why is cholesterol increased in hypothyroidism?

Cholesterol is precursor of steroid hormones and bile acids. When metabolism is slow the less cholesterol is converted.

Dangers of Vegetable Oils

Most plants' goal is to have as many of their seeds spread as far as possible. Thus, plants often encapsulate seeds in appetizing wrapper to entice organisms to ingest the seeds. At the same time the seeds contain substances that would inhibit the ability of this organism to digest (destroy) those seeds. One of the most commonly used substances by the plants are the oils found in the seeds. Seed oils happen to be a powerful suppressor of both digestive and metabolic activity (the two are closely related). Most vegetable oils sold on the market are extracted from seeds (sunflower, cottonseed, canola, rapeseed, soybean, peanut, etc), and as such are likely to suppress both metabolism and digestion. In addition, many of the seeds contain toxic substances based on the well-known poison cyanide to further discourage organisms from attacking/eating the seeds. (Pro)anthocyanidins and some of the most common cyanide-derived poisons found in virtually all seeds. [1]

As a general rule, the seeds of a plant contain the most powerful toxins and should be avoided as food unless there is nothing else available. In contrast, olive oil and coconut oil are extracted from the actual fruit and not from seeds. I guess another distinction is that both olive and coconut oil are actually fruit oils and not vegetable oils. The fruit is typically meant to be eaten as a means of spreading the seeds and usually contains beneficial substances like sugars and pro-metabolic oils. The vegetable plant, as opposed to the seeds, is usually less toxic when eaten but it is still very difficult to digest (most plants are mostly cellulose and water) and it is usually not very calorie-dense. Given our large brains and daily caloric demands, it just does not seem likely that vegetables (and derivative oils) are the food we are supposed to eat the most.