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.
Meal prep for success
This is probably one of the biggest obstacles that people mention when they talk about switching to a healthier lifestyle. The thought that every meal has to be home made is daunting. My answer for this dilemma is, no, not all your meals have to be home made. There are ways to make eating like this easier.
A few perks of making your own meals are that you save money, and have higher quality food. You know exactly what’s in your food and that it isn’t hidden with marinades, sugars, and other additives that throw your body off kilter.
Instead of making your meal from scratch every time, take one day out of the week and prepare food for the week.
Here are some easy buys to make meal prep easier:
Pre washed and cut veggies
Salad kits
Pre made guacamole or salsa (check for added sugars)
Smoked salmon
Primal kitchen frozen skillet meals
Siete grain free tortillas, chips or dips
Bone broth
Primal Kitchen marinades, dressings, and condiments
I’ll cut up veggies for salads and bake some chicken breasts, fish, or steaks. The main thing you want to prep ahead of time is your protein. When you have protein that is ready you can use it in anything.
Dice up the chicken make a chicken salad, quick fish tacos on jicama tortillas, or add beef to sautéed veggies for a stir-fry. If you get home and you’re hungry you will make a better food choice if there is something already prepared.
Always have some protein bars, frozen veggies, and packs of chicken or tuna for emergencies. These are for those times when you have to run out the door and don’t have a chance to pack your meal. Also, the frozen fruit makes for a quick smoothie in the morning.
Finally remember that when you eat out, it’s okay. Make the best choice you can. If you are really proactive, look at the restaurant’s web site before hand to see if they have any choices that line up with your nutritional requirements. If it doesn’t then you have time to choose another place to eat.
The two week junk food root cause.
How many times have you bought a book or a meal plan only to loose interest after a week? How many times have you gotten frustrated when the diet hasn’t been working so you quit?
This is when we have the opportunity to look at our relationship with food and our hormonal health. Let’s look at some possible questions to ask yourself.
Do you think food is good or bad?
What messages did i get growing up around food and dieting?
What food did i grow up eating?
Do you love it or enjoy it?
What is food and it’s role in your life?
What do you know about how hormones influence your mood and food cravings?
Food can be viewed many ways, both good and bad. We can see it as nutrition helping us have energy to live our lives, and the thing that can bring friends and family together. Or we can also view it as the very thing that is keeping us from having the slim trim body we want. As long as we view food in a bad and or negative way we can have trouble getting our health and weight in order.
For example, a negative thought will cause our bodies to produce cortisol instantly! Stress signals your brain to pump cortisol into your body, your heart and breathing rate gets higher, and your liver releases glucose into the blood stream for fuel.
The moment you think negatively about how you look in those jeans, grocery shopping, or meal prepping. Your body can’t distinguish that this thought isn’t really happening it just follows what it’s told to do, be stressed.This causes digestion to shut down making the assimilation and burning of calories less efficient. And an added “bonus” of your body holding on to fat as a result of high cortisol.
As a women we also have hormonal phases throughout the month, and some of those phases naturally have higher cortisol levels. During the luteal (7-10 days before your period starts) and menstrual phases (actual bleeding week) of your hormonal cycle your resting cortisol levels go up. During those two weeks your body needs more fuel/calories and it needs to take it easy on the crazy hiit cardio workouts. Per the wisdom of Alisa Vitti and her book In The Flo “you need about 237 more calories during this phase”. On those weeks your metabolism increases 8 to 16% and brings an increase in hunger. If you keep trying to restrict foods, intermittently fast and workout out doing hiit training your setting your self up for hormonal disruption and a possible binge on junk food.
When you have a craving for something sweet or savory find some alternatives that will support your hormonal health. Dark chocolate (sugar free Taza has some great options), avocados, sweet potatoes, coconut yogurt and bone broth are great options to curb the cravings and nourish your body. And i have a free dessert ebook available with a chocolate mousse dessert that is so creamy and rich.
Take this time to observe without judgment when you crave certain foods, are you on hormonal cycle where your body requires more fuel? Or was the craving or hunger triggered by bad day or emotion that got stirred up? Having the awareness of what triggers the cravings can help you have a more loving response to it and help you have an action plan that will support your body.
Learning to to have a more calm, peaceful, and positive view of food will have numerous benefits. You will be able to enjoy food, make better food choices, digest and burn calories more efficiently, even stick to that meal plan more efficiently. Next time you begin to stress about finding the perfect diet or workout routine ask yourself- what is my relationship with food like?