Monday, November 21, 2011

Grains and legumes

   I am going to try to make this simple and brief. I am not going to go into great detail on every little thing and the science behind it. The science is there and there is a lot of support for what I believe. This will be a general, simplified, over view. Feel free to ask questions or do your own research.
    Grains are bad for you. Yes even whole grains. One of my smaller issues with grains is that they are digested and turned into sugar. The rise in blood sugar, insulin spikes, and blood sugar fall roller coaster is not good for your body at all. Grains and legumes also contain substances/anti nutrients, yes there are many and they have names, but this is just an overview so I wont go into that here. These bind to to minerals causing deficiencies, damage ones ability to digest and use dietary protein, are thyroid inhibiting, as well as "foreign proteins" that are extremely common sources of allergies and sensitivities that can lead to many adverse physical and emotional issues. They also damage the intestinal lining causing "Leaky Gut Syndrome" (also called Increased Intestinal Permeability) allowing toxins to leak out of the intestines. This triggers an autoimmune response and can lead to many autoimmune issues and diseases.
Many Paleo followers are evolutionists. In fact the diet is loosely based on what they think hunter/gathers ate during the Paleolithic era. I am a creationist so I have my own ideas. During biblical times its believed that there were about 5 different types of wheat, storage of wheat was rudimentary and lead to the grains sprouting and/or fermenting. This wheat was stone ground and made into bread using few ingredients and no man made chemicals. Now there are hundreds of different kinds of wheat, it is processed and bleached, chemicals are added and it is baked into things that in no way resemble the bread of biblical times. Soaking/sprouting/fermenting grains neutralizes many of the anti nutrients and makes it rather safe to eat. So I believe if you could replicate the process of biblical times with some of the original wheat and prepared it correctly you could safely eat it. What remains is the grains remain a very high carbohydrate food source, and very low in nutrients. Instead I consume my carbohydrates in the form of nutrient dense vegetables and occasional fruit.
  I also enjoy meat (preferably grass-fed/ pastured), eggs, healthy fats like coconut and olive oils, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds.
 

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