Cholesterol and saturated fat, keeping healthy eating inexpensive, and practicing Lifestyle Medicine with Dr. Michelle McMacken

Dr. Michelle McMacken is an internal medicine physician and assistant professor of medicine at NYU School of Medicine. After attending a lifestyle medicine conference in 2013, she was inspired to integrate lifestyle changes and a whole food, plant-based diet into her clinical practice. She works tirelessly to educate patients and health care professionals alike, is the author of multiple research articles, and speaks regularly at medical conferences. Dr. McMacken is also the director of the NYC Health and Hospitals/Bellevue Plant-Based Lifestyle Medicine Program.  

In this episode we cover: 

• How she transitioned into medicine from being an English major 
• Discovering lifestyle medicine and integrating it into her practice 
• Why physicians should not assume patients are not willing to change 
• How she discusses food and diet with her patients 
• All about The Plant-Based Lifestyle Medicine Program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue 
• Common nutrition myths 
• Optimal protein sources and why protein combining isn't necessary 
• How a plant-based diet can be cost effective 
• Talking nutrition with patients below the poverty line 
• The relationship between dietary cholesterol, saturated fat, and LDL cholesterol 
• Why it's ok if your HDL drops when you go plant-based 
• Remission of type 2 diabetes in patients who adopt a whole food, plant-based diet 

You can connect with Dr. McMacken on Instagram: @veg_md and Twitter: @Veg_MD 

Information about the Plant-Based Lifestyle Medicine Program is here: https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/bellevue/health-care-services/plant-based-lifestyle-medicine-program/ 

Episode resources: 

• Front Nutr. 2019: An economic gap between recommended healthy food patterns and existing diets of minority groups in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013-14 
• ACC Expert Analysis: Quality Over Quantity: The Role of HDL Cholesterol Efflux Capacity in Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease 
• Drugs Context. 2018: High-density lipoprotein (HDL) functionality and its relevance to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease 
• J Am Coll Cardiol. 2006: Consumption of Saturated Fat Impairs the Anti-Inflammatory Properties of High-Density Lipoproteins and Endothelial Function 
• EAT Lancet Summary Report 
• Canada’s Food Guide 

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Music credit: Scott Holmes.