So while I was doing some web-searching about cashews... I read an article that indicated that cashews are high in oleic acids, the same oleic acid as in olive oil... and, it sent me into a tailspin of thoughts!! Why...???
Because I have high blood pressure (I prefer the phrase "elevated blood pressure") the nurse at Hippocrates Health Institute (Hippo) recommended I consume very minimal, if any, olive oil! Olive oil apparently thickens the blood, although I don't know exactly why...
So now I'm wondering... Is it the oleic acid...???
Which is also found in the nuts I've been consuming a bit liberally...
I haven't been eating cashews because Hippo doesn't use them. As I mentioned in previous post, Anna Maria Clement indicated in one of her lectures that cashews (and peanuts) have a fungus that has been found to be a carcinogen.
So... what about these oleic acids and how much are in the nuts I'm eating...
But as my search on this subject continues I start to wonder if it is actually the Vitamin K content of olive oil that results in thickening of the blood.... and nothing to do with the oleic acid...
As chance would have it, I was just talking to my mom some days ago about vitamin K. She recently had knee replacement surgery and was saying that the instructions she received from the doctor/nurses included avoiding vitamin K and dark leafy green vegetables (e.g. spinach, broccoli, etc.) because they would off-set the blood thinning (blood clot-avoiding) medicine she is on...
Well, low and behold if I didn't find a random writing on the web that indicated that "Vitamin K is a nutrient found in the small intestine where it combines with protein to produce clotting of the blood" and listed the following foods high in vitamin K :
Kale Mustard, collard and turnip greens, Lettuce, Spinach, Cabbage, Broccoli, Red leaf lettuce, Coleslaw, Sauerkraut
Now, I know you can't trust everything you read on the web but, it seems to correlate with the instructions my mom received from the doctor/nurses to minimize blood thickening. I also found another article that indicated vitamin K as important for blood clotting and therefore could be considered a blood thickener... That same article indicated,"1 tablespoon of olive oil provides 8.1 micrograms," which isn't very much compared to the vegetables (i.e. broccoli-220, swiss chard-299, spinach-145)... So, it can't be the vitamin K in olive oil that thickens blood. Otherwise I think the nurse would have recommended I also avoid the leafy green veggies... and sauerkraut! Sauerkraut is recommended at Hippo 1 to 2 spoonfuls before each meal to aid in digestion...
So, I'm still not sure why olive oil thickens blood... I think it's time for a question into Hippocrates to get this straightened out! I'll update this blog post when I find out!
UPDATE: I emailed Hippocrates to find out what it was about olive oil that thickened the blood... The answer from Anna Maria Clement is that olive oil does not thicken the blood... hmmm... the plot thickens... I thought she had said something in one of her classes... I need to go back and check my notes! I wonder why the nurse said so... I guess I should have asked then...
The other confusion I had was that I thought Potassium and Vitamin K were the same. But, they are NOT! I was confused because I was remembering that in chemistry class, potassium is shortened to the letter K. But, that doesn't mean it's vitamin K! Vitamin K is phylloquinone.
I have also since found out that oleic acid is omega-9 and considered a "good fat."
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