The trouble with grains
For the longest time we have been told that grains are a good source of fiber, and were the base of the food pyramid. But new research is now finding that they are not all they were cracked up to be.
First of all the fiber argument doesn’t hold up. For example a slice of whole wheat bread has about 2 grams of fiber, compare that to raw green beans, which has 4 grams of fiber! The bread has 0% of vitamin A and 0% vitamin C. Green beans have 15% of daily vitamin A and 30% of vitamin C.
Keep this in mind, remember in elementary school when you made paper mache? It was made out of water and flour that’s it and it produced rock hard glue to make your creations. That is going into your stomach every time you eat flour!! One of the most eye opening books i read was Grain Brain by David Perlmutter MD. In his books he’s describes how grain can lead to leaky gut, brain dysfunction, and even mood shifts.
The link between depression and gut damage is clear, once the lining of your gut is damaged it’s unable to absorb nutrients such as zinc, tryptophan, and B vitamins all of which are crucial for brain health! When you don’t absorb the nutrients you don’t produce neurological chemicals like serotonin (the happy hormone).
And if you are eating grains they can cause inflammation in your body causing brain fog, blood sugar imbalances, and make weight loss hard.
Secondly as far as vitamins and minerals go there’s no way absolutely no way to compare grains to grass fed beef, pastured chicken, sea food and veggies. The highest nutritional value that a cup of brown rice has is 2% of daily calcium and 6% daily iron, that’s it!! Compare that to all the amazing nutrients listed below. According to the NTA (Nutritional Therapy Association) there many vitamins and nutrients in these foods:
Beef is an excellent source of niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, zinc and selenium as well as a good source of iron and phosphorus.
Beef liver is very high in vitamin A, D, E, K, B12, Folate, Copper, Iron, and many more. These nutrients are beneficial to our livers helping aide in Phase II liver detoxification.
Lamb is an excellent source of riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 as well as phosphorus and zinc. It is a good source of iron, potassium and selenium.
White and dark chicken meat are both an excellent source of niacin, vitamin B6, phosphorus, and selenium, as well as a good source of pantothenic acid. Dark meat is slightly more nutrient dense, and is also a good source of riboflavin, selenium and iron.
Chicken eggs are rich in protein and monounsaturated fat and are a good source of riboflavin, vitamin B12, and phosphorus, as well as vitamin A, when they come from pasture-raised hens. They’re also an excellent source of the an,oxidant mineral selenium.
Both white and dark turkey meat are good sources of zinc, and excellent sources of niacin, vitamin B6, phosphorus, and selenium. Dark meat is also a very good source of riboflavin, pantothenic acid, iron, and copper.
Wild-caught salmon is high in omega-3 fa#y acids. It is an excellent source of riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, phosphorus, and selenium. It is a good source of vitamin D, thiamin, pantothenic acid, potassium, and copper.
Oysters are sustainably farmed in nets, and they are an excellent source of vitamin B12, zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, and iron. They are also a good source of vitamin C, riboflavin, niacin, and phosphorus.
Look at your body as a complicated machine; it needs energy to do everything. This includes basic functions of organs, digestion alone takes a lot of energy and your brain will not function properly without adequate nutrients. Digesting grains takes energy without any nutritional benefits from the food itself. It’s an uneven trade of sources.
Finally remember you only have one body and it’s important to properly nourish it. Some people claim that healthy food is too expensive and yes some foods are, but not all of them. A whole head of organic kale is $2.99 (which will give you 2/3 salads), while that daily coffee run is about $4.99 providing you with 1 drink.
Again your body is a temple, fill it with foods and drinks that will nourish it, make you sharp, and give you vitality. If you put premium gas in your car why not do the same for your body? You can always buy another car, you can’t buy another body.