From my doc and from my reading, I think it is fairly well-established that total cholesterol levels have little directly to do with cardiovascular disease, but perhaps LDLs do (LDL bad, HDL good, supposedly, and all more heavily genetically-determined than dietarily).
Dietary LDL may or may not have a meaningful impact on cardiovascular disease. For what it's worth, LDLs are found in poultry (even lean poultry skinned), all dairy, fish, shellfish, and red meat. Docs like to recommend salmon because it helps HDLs. Heck, it's all theoretical, but I do like salmon (with the right LDL-laden sauce, of course).
In my view, obsessing about food is neurotic, and it's Christmastime too. Who would go to a party where they served "healthy" crap? Not me. Just take your damn Lipitor, skip the carbs, hope for the best, and live it up.
Eggnog must surely be evil because it tastes good, but I do not know a doc at my club who will turn it down. We make it with Wild Turkey bourbon, fluffed eggwhites floating on the top, with tons of freshly-grated nutmeg abundantly on top of that. The recipe we use is very close to this. (That article also has a brief history of Eggnog. Rum is in fact more traditional in Eggnog than bourbon whiskey, but I prefer it with bourbon.)
Traditional New England clubs always put out a bowl of eggnog every cocktail hour between Advent and New Year's Day. We chill it with a block of ice in the middle of the punch bowl, but it can be served just as made without chilling it. My family has traditionally made it a little too strong, but without some booze who would want to drink pre-cooked scrambled eggs? Still, it's really all about the freshly-grated nutmeg.
In the (deep) South, they make Milk Punch. I've never had that.
What are our readers' favorite Eggnog concoctions? Or do you just pick up a half-gallon of the pre-made at the store?
