The Unhealthiest “Health Food” on the Planet

YOUR GUIDE TO GRAINS

FOLLOW UP ON GLUTEN

• Eating GF pancakes, crackers, bread, muffins, pretzels, and cereal deals with the gluten problem, but does very little else for your health! Don’t buy that junk!

• Go GF naturally – by replacing those foods with REAL food – meat, eggs, fish, fats, veggies, fruits

• If you are gluten intolerant – also watch for foods you might cross-react to: other grains (esp. corn and brown rice), dairy, yeast, and coffee.

Otto and EwaldThese are German twins photographed in 1969. Otto, on the left, was training for competitive long distance running, and Ewald, on the right, was training for field events like discus and shot put. Otto’s workouts were low-intensity endurance workouts that caused his muscles to process oxygen efficiently but to deactivate genes for muscle development. Ewald’s workouts were high-intensity interval training that triggered protein synthesis and increased muscle for short, explosive bursts. The twins were extensively studied by scientists.

FUN PICTURE OF THE WEEK

1. History: Did We Always Eat a Lot of Grains?

2. Why Do We React to Grains?

3. But Didn’t Jesus Eat Bread?

GAME!

1. Grains make us fat2. Grains create nutrient

deficiencies3. Grains harm our guts4. Grains promote heart

disease5. Grains contain gluten,

which promotes:• Cancer, Autoimmune

disease, Osteoporosis, Brain disorders, Bowel disease

TODAY: HOW GRAINS HARM THE BODY

But were they always everywhere?

A look at history.

CEREAL GRAINS ARE EVERYWHERE

GRAIN CONSUMPTION: UP 50% SINCE 1970

HOW MANY PEOPLE REACT TO GRAINS?

1%

• Full-blown celiac disease

30%

• Gluten intolerant

66%

• It is likely that virtually ALL people who are overweight (66% of the population) react to grains – insulin, addiction

80%

• Perhaps as many as 80% of people have observable gut inflammation from wheat

WHY DO WE REACT TO GRAINS?

• Animal foods are generally non-toxic…the animal gets no benefit from harboring poisons in their bodies to deter us from eating them because the poisons would harm them as well

• Instead, animals have fast legs, claws, horns, sharp teeth that they use to try to prevent us from eating them!

WHY DO WE REACT TO GRAINS?• Plants are different – they can’t run away from us, or claw

us, or bite us

• They developed toxins that make them poisonous to predators such as insects, fungi, and animals

• They can make toxins that are safe for them, but harmful to us

• Grains have toxic compounds designed to sabotage the digestive tracts of mammals

Grazing animals have rumens designed to bear the brunt of the toxins.

Humans do not have rumens to destroy the toxins, and therefore our guts are damaged by

the toxins

WE CAN’T DIGEST GRAINS BECAUSE WE DON’T HAVE RUMENS

• Harm done by toxins depends on the amount.

• Small Doses: The body removes the toxin, and the poison does no lasting harm

• Large Doses: Cells are killed or irretrievably damaged before the toxin can be removed

WHY DO WE REACT TO GRAINS?

WHY DO WE REACT TO GRAINS?

• The danger of plant toxins is not great as long as no plant is eaten in large amounts.

• But can you think of a plant that we eat in large amounts?

WHEAT!

Because the dose makes the poison, one of the most damaging foods in Western

diets is also one of the most common:

WHEATBecause we eat a lot of it, and because God designed it to have toxins to avoid predation,

we encur a lot of damage from it!

THE DOSE MAKES THE POISON

BUT DIDN’T JESUS EAT BREAD?• Bible time grains were different from today’s grains

• Our grains have been bred to resist disease and predators….their toxins have been increased and enhanced by man

• Bible time grains were prepared differently

• Traditional cultures soak, ferment, and sprout grains to neutralize toxins – we don’t

• Traditional cultures use the whole grain – we use refined grains, which turn into sugar in our blood

• Traditional cultures don’t make Apple Jacks, pretzels, crackers, cookies and doughnuts out of their grains like we do!

WHAT DO GRAINS DO TO US?1. Grains make us fat2. Grains create nutrient deficiencies3. Grains harm our guts4. Grains promote heart disease5. Grains contain gluten, which promotes:

• Cancer, Autoimmune disease, Osteoporosis, Brain disorders, Bowel disease

1. GRAINS MAKE US FAT

Grains turn into glucose (sugar) in the blood

We don’t need that much glucose in the blood

So we store that extra glucose in fat cells

GAME: GUESS HOW MANY CARBS/CALORIES IN 9 FOOD PYRAMID SERVINGS OF GRAIN?

GUESS HOW MANY CARBS/CALORIES IN 9 FOOD PYRAMID SERVINGS OF GRAIN?

Food Cals Carbs

1 cup Special K 117 22

1 doughnut 226 25

1 bagel (2 FP servings) 283 56

½ cup pasta salad 113 15

1 serving Wheat Thins 140 22

1 cup spaghetti 220 43

1 slice French bread 185 36

TOTALS: 1284 cals 219 g

YIKES!

Eating Too Much Grain

Chronically High

Insulin

Insulin Resistance

Metabolic Syndrome

Obesity, Heart

Disease, Diabetes, Cancer

1. GRAINS MAKE US FAT

“Wheat seems to destroy the metabolism of cultures wherever it goes.” Dr. Stephan Guyenet (Chinese who switched from rice to wheat were twice as likely to be obese)

2. GRAINS CREATE NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES

• Health markers plummet among traditional hunter-gatherer cultures whenever they adopt cereal grains as a staple food, including:• Reduction in stature

• Increase in infant mortality

• Reduction in lifespan

• Increased incidence of infectious diseases

• Increase in vitamin and mineral deficiency diseases

2. GRAINS CREATE NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES

• Vitamin A – 20-40 million children each year – blindness, death, infection

• Vitamin B – killed 10s of thousands in Asia and Southeast US - cognitive dysfunction, infection, heart disease, dementia, pellagra, beriberi

• Vitamin D – autoimmune and heart disease

• Calcium – osteoporosis

• Iron – anemia, learning disabilities

VITAMIN B DEFICIENCY

B Vitamins in grains are not bioavailable and are destroyed in processing and cooking. Beriberi (left) is caused by rice, pellagra by corn (right).

3. GRAINS HARM OUR GUTS

• Lectins in grains irritate the gut and prevent its natural repair, making it permeable and leaky

• Once you have a leaky gut, autoimmune diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, lupus, and dermatitis can develop

4. GRAINS PROMOTE HEART DISEASE

Cereal grains are a

concentrated source of Omega-6 fatty acids

and replace foods rich in

Omega-3 fatty acids

Unfavorable Omega-

6:Omega 3 Fatty Acid

Ratio

High triglycerides

Thrombotic tendencies

Athero-sclerosis

Chronic inflammation

Heart Disease

GLUTEN SENSITIVITY QUIZ

5. GLUTEN

• Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and possibly oats

• A third or more of people are gluten intolerant• Genetically influenced• Often starts as a baby• Body maladapts• Until full-blown

intolerance develops, often in the 30s or 40s

5. GLUTEN AND CANCER

Gluten OpiodsInterfere with Natural Killer Cell Activity

Cancerous Cells Left

Unchecked

5. GLUTEN AND AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE• Leaky gut• Molecular mimicry• Multiple Sclerosis• Rheumatoid arthritis• Chronic fatigue • Fibromyalgia• Crohn’s disease• Canker sores• Sarcoidosis• Lupus• Kidney disease• Hypoparathyroidism, among others.

5. GLUTEN AND OSTEOPOROSIS

Phytates in gluten grains bind to calcium, magnesium, Vitamin K,

Vitamin A, and Vitamin D

When they bind to them, we cannot absorb them

We become deficient in these vitamins (which

are critical for bone health) and develop osteoporosis

5. GLUTEN AND BRAIN DISORDERS

• More than half of neurological patients have gluten intolerance.

• Gluten has been shown to damage the brain in two different ways:

• 1) damage to brain structures and blood vessels

• 2) damage to brain waves

5. GLUTEN AND BRAIN DISORDERS

• Depression, migraines, learning disorders, sleep problems, seizures, hallucinations, schizophrenia, senility, neurotransmitter deficiencies, autism, hyperactivity disorders, and epilepsy, among others

• Symptoms of altered brain waves occur within 30 min of consuming gluten

• Symptoms resolve within weeks to a year on a gluten-free diet

5. GLUTEN AND BOWEL DISEASE• Diseases: Celiac disease, IBS, Crohn’s disease, Enteritis, and

Ulcerative Colitis• Gut symptoms that can be alleviated by a GF diet:

• abdominal pain• chronic diarrhea of unknown cause• steatorhea (excessive fat in stools)• canker sores• nausea and vomiting• flatulence• GI bleeding• enlarged, inflamed tongue• ulcers• leaky gut• pancreatic insufficiency• acid reflux/indigestion

RICE – A SPECIAL CASE• White rice is neutral

• No Toxins (Consider arsenic)• Few Nutrients• It is pure glucose that can be used to fuel the body and brain

• A safe starch for some people• It is a “safe starch” if you need starch in your diet

• It’s a “NO” Food for some people• If you are metabolically broken, it might cause weight gain• If it is consistently combined with sugars or industrial oils, it

can cause weight gain and sugar/carb addiction

ACTION ITEMS FOR THE WEEK• Read “Your Guide to Grains”

• Read “Your Guide to Gluten”

• Action Item: Eliminate grains (exception: rice in moderation IF you are not trying to lose weight OR IF you plan to eat a higher carb/lower fat version of Fit4God)

• Action Item: Change your Dinner to be Fit4God Read “Seven Days of Dinner Menus”)

• Recipe of the Week: Carolina Shredded Chicken

SUBSTITUTES FOR GRAINS• Breakfast - NO cereal, toast, muffins, bagels

• TRY Pumpkin Coconut Pancakes (for kids or a special weekend treat), eggs, bacon, homemade sausage, tuna salad, fruit, smoothies, meat and veggies

• Lunch - NO sandwiches, bagels, chips, pretzels

• TRY salads w/ lots of fat and protein, hearty soups, meat and veggies, dinner leftovers

• Dinner – NO rolls, no pasta!

• TRY just meat and veggies with potato or rice if you need starch

• Snacks- NO pretzels, chips, crackers, cereal, muffins

• Try nuts, pumpkin seeds, smoothies, tea w/ coconut oil, nitrate-free bacon, jello cream, cheese, meat wrapped w/spinach and cheese

NEXT TIME: WEIGHT LOSS!