About 3 weeks ago somebody - I forget who - asked me if cholesterol was not a concern when eating large amounts of raw meat. I will let Ron Scmid and Aajonus Vonderplanitz address these questions. From page 232 in "Native Nutrition' by Ron Schmid: "The fat composition of conventially raised meat and , by inference dairy products and eggs, was shown in chapters 3 & 13 to be very different from that of naturally raised animals and their dairy products and eggs. The former are much fattier; the fats are much more saturated and contain almost no EPA. These, rather than cholesterol content, are among the real reasons such foods contribute to the development of heart disease. The meat of wild game and of commercial animals has the same amount of cholesterol. Primitive people eating large amounts of wild game, including cholesterol-rich organs, did not develop high blood cholesterol and heart disease. Cholesterol is clearly not the difference between traditional and modern meat, and it is not the culprit in heart disease." "So while cholesterol-rich conventionally produced animal-source foods are best avoided, there are nevertheless cholesterol -rich foods one may enjoy, secure in the knowledge they are among the healthiest of foods. Though a bit paradoxical, the logic of this conclusion should be clear in light of information presented in this book. When one follows a traditional diet, blood cholesterol generally falls into and remains in the 150 to 200 range, considered excellent by all authorities." >From "We Want To Live" by Aajonus Vonderplanitz page 190: "Cholesterol Level, High And Low: Cholesterol are necessary fatty-based substances that help fuel (for example, needed for the body to develop sex and adrenal hormones), clean , lubricate, and protect the entire body, including the immune system. Cholesterol that the liver forms from raw fat, or cholesterol that we consume in raw foods like meat, dairy and coconut are all beneficial in large quantities. Cholesterol that the liver makes from cooked fat or that we consume in cooked foods are the problem. On a raw diet with plenty of raw fat, a high cholesterol level is wonderful, indicating that you are digesting, cleansing, lubricating, fueling and protecting the body. See Appendix O, pages 279-24, and Appendix W, page 295, to understand why most people have problems with cooked cholesterol. In all cholesterol problems, whether high or low, there is a deficiency in utilizable blood fat, lacteal fat and lymph fat. Usually these conditions are due to eating cooked fat. Eating plenty of raw fats, like unsalted raw butter, raw fertile eggs, stone-pressed or below-96 degrees pressed oils, raw cream, no-salt-added raw cheeses, fresh coconut, avocados, and raw meat, and fresh pineapple juice quickly correct blood cholesterol problems. Over a period of many years, those foods gradually remove stored cooked cholesterol (toxins) from body tissues. Note that while a person detoxifies the stored toxic cholesterol, the blood cholesterol levels soars because the toxic cholesterol enters the blood to be carried to the bowels and dumped there. There is no cause for alarm; it is cause for celebration. This process is getting rid of cellulite and other toxic fatty storages." Most of the above correlates well with the research done by "The Price Pottenger Nutrition Foundation" and promoters of various Paleolithic type diets. An excellent example of the latter is "Protein Power" by Michael & Mary Eades that goes into great detail on the benefits of a high cholesterol diet. Their research shows that as long as there is the correct protein/carbohydrate ratio in the diet it is not possible too eat too much cholesterol. I guess it is time that I in order to raise my low, vegan cholesterol levels make some of that delicious raw icecream that Aajonus raves so much about. :-) Best, Peter [log in to unmask]