# Hey Val

> Hey Val is a calm, photo-based saturated fat tracker for the anxious-normal adult who just got flagged with high cholesterol and wants to track what they eat without obsessing over calories or going carnivore.

Hey Val is a wellness and nutrition tracking iOS app and a content site about heart-conscious eating. The app uses photo-based meal logging to estimate saturated fat — the dietary lever with the most consistent effect on LDL cholesterol — without requiring users to search a food database or count calories.

The brand position is "the calm middle." We avoid the AHA orthodoxy / cardiology-clinical voice on one extreme and the MAHA / carnivore / Attia-bro / "diet-heart hypothesis is wrong" voice on the other. Our reader is a 30-55 year old who got their first elevated lipid panel back, doctor said "let's recheck in 3 months," and they want to make changes without picking a tribal side.

Hey Val is operated by First Encounter Ventures LLC. Hey Val is not a medical device and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All content emphasizes consulting qualified healthcare professionals.

## Core pages

- [Home](https://heyval.app/): Brand overview, value prop, early access waitlist
- [About](https://heyval.app/about/): Why Hey Val was built, mission, team
- [Features](https://heyval.app/features/): What the app does — photo logging, daily tracking, trends
- [Get Early Access](https://heyval.app/early-access/): Email signup for TestFlight beta
- [Support](https://heyval.app/support/): FAQ, account deletion guidance, contact info
- [Privacy Policy](https://heyval.app/privacy/): What data we collect, how we use it, user rights
- [Terms of Service](https://heyval.app/terms/): Legal terms, disclaimers, liability framing
- [Account Deletion](https://heyval.app/account-deletion/): How to permanently delete an account

## Blog (the Hey Val Journal)

The Journal is calm, plainspoken, evidence-based writing on cholesterol, saturated fat, and heart-conscious eating. Aimed at first-time-flagged adults searching for clarity at 11pm.

- [I Just Got High Cholesterol — What Do I Do Tonight?](https://heyval.app/just-got-high-cholesterol-what-to-do/): Anchor article. Calm 90-day plan: don't panic, ask for Lp(a) and apoB, reduce saturated fat, add soluble fiber and plant sterols, retest in 3 months. Discusses the statin question, what not to do (carnivore, single TikTok videos, supplements as primary intervention).
- [Why Saturated Fat Matters More Than Calories for Heart Health](https://heyval.app/saturated-fat-heart-health/): Why saturated fat is the dietary lever for LDL, the hidden sources (cheese, butter, coconut oil), and what the science actually says about recent "saturated fat is fine" claims.
- [Ultra-Processed Food Guide](https://heyval.app/ultra-processed-food-guide/): What ultra-processed foods are, why they matter for heart health, and how to spot them.

## Editorial principles

- **Calm, not panic.** We never use fear-based copy. The reader is already scared — our job is to bring them down, not up.
- **Plainspoken, not clinical.** Contractions. Short sentences. No "transform your health" or "optimize your heart."
- **Anti-tribal.** We don't pick sides in the carnivore-vs-vegan, statin-debate, or seed-oils-vs-tallow culture wars. The reader doesn't need another tribe to join.
- **Evidence over anecdote.** We cite consensus where it exists (saturated fat → LDL → ASCVD is well-replicated) and acknowledge uncertainty where it doesn't (LMHR, individual variability).
- **Wellness, not medicine.** Every article includes a disclaimer that Hey Val is not a medical device and does not provide medical advice. Always defer to qualified healthcare professionals for individual decisions.

## Topics we cover

LDL cholesterol, saturated fat, ApoB, Lp(a), the 2026 ACC/AHA dyslipidemia guidelines, statins (without partisanship), the Mediterranean diet, plant sterols and soluble fiber, ultra-processed foods, menopause and cholesterol, photo-based food tracking, heart-healthy eating without restriction.

## Topics we explicitly avoid

Carnivore advocacy, statin demonization, MAHA/RFK Jr. dietary guideline politics, seed oil panic, "lean mass hyper-responder" advocacy as a free pass to ignore high LDL, and any claim that Hey Val can prevent, treat, diagnose, or cure any disease.

## Contact

- Email: support@heyval.app
- Operator: First Encounter Ventures LLC
- Site: https://heyval.app