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Be careful with the grains – In 2003, the Human Genome Project showed that, for the most part, our genes are not the cause of the diseases we see in modern times. It was believed that there had to be 100,000 genes to code for our DNA, one gene for each of the 100,000 proteins in the human body. This was the holy grail of human molecular biology for almost a century.
However, the results of the project showed that there are only 20,000-25,000 genes, each of which contains information for the assembly or production of functional molecules that we call proteins. Simply put, the researchers found that the information is transferred to RNA in the nucleus of a cell, which then interacts with ribosomes to read the sequence and translate the code to create an amino acid. This transcription and translation is known as gene expression.
Even with this knowledge, modern misconceptions about the role of genes and how they are expressed are hard to break. It is now known that diseases that result from errors in the sequence of a gene are extremely uncommon, with fewer than 1% of diseases falling into this category. Contrary to popular belief, celiac disease is not one of them.
Disease is not written into our genetic code. So why is humanity plagued with so many diseases? It is not genes, but what they are exposed to that creates disease, and that includes our food and our environment.
Chronically elevated levels of the hormone insulin are the number one problem we now have as a society. Insulin’s main job is to regulate sugar levels when glucose is present in the blood. When too much glucose is present, insulin stores it as fat, and when glucose levels are consistently high, cells become resistant to insulin because they are overwhelmed. The pancreas starts producing more insulin to bombard cells, and a vicious cycle begins. This new epidemic in Westernized countries is called “metabolic syndrome,” and it comes from eating too many carbohydrates, refined carbohydrates in particular.
THE epigenetics (the study of genes) has changed the way we think about eating. The changes that occur in organisms as a result of dietary or environmental toxins have led some researchers to view metabolic syndrome, celiac disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, ADD, autism, autoimmune diseases, and even allergies as conditions that may someday be prevented or cured through the use of food, rather than through any modification or alteration of the genes themselves.
Beware of Grains – The Story of Wheat
Wheat is the world's third largest crop after rice and corn, largely because it can withstand harsh climates. Its earliest known existence dates back to about 9,000 years ago, and today, many experts still believe that if disaster struck, few nations could survive for even a year without it.
Wheat is primarily used as a human food because it can be stored for years in seed form, is easily transported, and can be processed into a wide variety of foods.
Per capita consumption of wheat in the United States exceeds that of any other food.
It is rich in carbohydrates and is still considered by many to be nutritious, with valuable proteins, minerals and vitamins.
It is an important ingredient in breads, rolls, crackers, cookies, biscuits, cakes, donuts, muffins, pancakes, waffles, noodles, pie crusts, spaghetti, ice cream cones, pizza, and cereals. Wheat flour, germ, bran, and malt are also added to packaged foods, baby foods, soups, sauces, and gravies as fillers, binders, and thickeners.
Although the grain has been consumed for thousands of years, stored in its fresh, modern grain form and wheat is making people sick. Spelt, Kamut, Einkorn, and a few other related grains that are the result of ancient natural crossbreeding also contain gluten, but have no adverse effects on many who believe they are “gluten sensitive.” So what’s different about wheat today that wasn’t present in ancient wheat? Pretty much everything.
See here: Gluten and Low Carb Diet
Beware of Grains – The Downfall of the Modern Diet: Modern Industrial Milling
Modern grain milling (the steel roller mill) is fast and efficient. It gives a great deal of control over how the kernel is separated. This allows a sterile “flour” to be made that lasts indefinitely, can be shipped long distances through the seemingly endless distribution chain, and provides food for the masses. It remains virtually pest-free because there is nothing in it that pests want. In fact, as far as nutrition goes, there is nothing in it.
Beware of grains – Modern milled wheat was the first processed food.
It allows shelf-stable foods to be manufactured many months in advance of distribution, often thousands of miles from the end user.
It eliminates the richest source of nutrients including protein, vitamins, lipids and minerals found in the bran, germ, shorts (fine bran particles, germ and a small portion of floury endosperm particles) and red dog mill streams (the medium grade into which flour and meal are graded and which are the richest in protein, vitamins, lipids and minerals. Ironically, “middlings” are used in animal feed.
Decades of current research have shown that white flour is deficient in nutrients, yet it is still the most widely used product in the world.
Manufacturers replace natural nutrients with just a few manmade replicas, all without the entire food complex.
According to the Weston A. Price Foundation, here's what's been lost to modern industrial processing.
Thiamine (B1) 77%
Riboflavin (B2) 80%
Niacin 81%
Pyridoxine (B6) 72%
Pantothenic acid 50%
Vitamin E 86%
Calcium 60%
Phosphorous 71%
Magnesium 84%
Potassium 77%
Sodium 78%
Chrome 40%
Manganese 86%
Iron 76%
Cobalt 89%
Zinc 78%
Copper 68%
Selenium 16%
Molybdenum 48%
Grain Care – Cultivation of inputs and excessive genetic alterations
The 20th century brought a new monster to the “advancement” of food technology. While the previous decades and advances in milling had destroyed and annihilated wheat of all its nutritional value, radical techniques in agriculture changed the vital structure of the plant itself.
The Green Revolution of the mid-1900s saw the development of a system that provided high-yielding grain varieties.
Irrigation technology has been modernized
Management techniques have changed
Hybridized seeds have arrived
Synthetic fertilizers were developed
Chemical pesticides began to see regular use
All of this revolutionized the way grains were “created”.
The new wheat species was “weather resistant” and this, coupled with the elimination of insects, gave us more than enough wheat to feed hungry people everywhere. Companies like Dupont and Monsanto seized on this opportunity and, without regard for nutritional value, began to “feed the world.”
Wheat is now resistant to drought, pests and blight through the use of chemicals.
It is easy to harvest, which has given farmers a dramatically high yield per acre.
Biological manipulation (hybridized, but technically not genetically altered) has made it higher in gluten (hence it makes for a fluffier end product)
We are eating seeds grown in synthetic soil to make wheat that has been ground into a fragile dust, then de-stemmed and chemically treated, a “food” that no other animal will touch.
Genetic engineering alters the genetic blueprint of living organisms by splicing genes together to create specific traits or functions. For example, scientists might mix a gene from a cold-water fish into the DNA of a strawberry plant so that it can withstand colder temperatures. (3) Roundup Ready Wheat is a patented Monsanto product that resists the deadly herbicide Roundup, another Monsanto product.
Ironically, exports of genetically modified crops are not accepted in many countries and Monsanto has made the decision to put the development of GE wheat on temporary hold. There is currently no genetically modified wheat available for human consumption.
We may not be safe from genetically modified foods, however. “In 2000, Iowa farmers planted only 1% of their corn crop as Starlink, a genetically modified corn approved only for animal consumption. By harvest time, nearly 50% of the crop had been tested for Starlink. Product recalls, consumer outcry, and export difficulties resulted. This error resulted in the recall of hundreds of millions of dollars of food and seed products.” (4)
Grain Watchout – Here’s What Experts Are Saying About Modern Wheat.
Dr. William Davis, author of Wheat Belly: “This thing that has been sold to us as wheat is this tiny, high-yielding plant, a distant relative of the wheat our mothers used to make cookies, biochemically light years removed from the wheat of just 40 years ago.”
Neurologist Dr. David Permutter, author of Grain Brain: “The problem with gluten is much more serious than ever imagined. Modern … hybrid-structured grains contain less tolerable gluten than the gluten that was found in cultivated grains just a few decades ago.”
Dr. Mark Hyman, author of The Blood Sugar Solution: “This new modern wheat may look like wheat, but it’s different in three important ways that all contribute to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, dementia, and more. It contains a super starch, amylopectin A, which is super fattening, a form of super gluten that’s super inflammatory, and [works like] a super drug that’s super addictive and makes you crave and eat more.”
Beware of grains – Irradiation
Wheat was the first food approved by the Food and Drug Administration for irradiation as a form of insect control. The idea was to kill pests that had found their way into grains and flours during the long storage process. Today, it kills fruit flies, prevents weed growth, slows ripening, prevents sprouting and extends the shelf life of meat and fish.
In 1963, the consequences were still unknown.
In a 1975 study ( 5 ), children who had recently been fed irradiated wheat were found to have abnormal cells and polyploid lymph, the same type found in patients undergoing radiation treatment. A dramatic increase in these cells appeared in blood samples, and because of the potential danger, the study was terminated. For verification, the study was continued in monkeys and rats with the same results. The children, monkeys, and rats returned to normal after the wheat was discontinued.
Irradiated food lowers immune resistance, decreases fertility, damages the kidneys, depresses growth rates, and reduces vitamins A, B complex, C, E, and K.
Grain Care – Chemicals for the Improvement of Our Food Supply
For every synthetic chemical insecticide used in agricultural practices today, there is at least one species of insect that has developed a resistance to it.
Say hello to disulfoton (Di-syston), methylparathion, chlorpyrifos, dimethoate, diamba and glyphosate, the chemical pesticides and fertilizers that are approved and considered safe for human consumption. They are designed to create neurological fragmentation in insects.
They are seen as foreign estrogens in the human body.
They can cause severe hormonal imbalance, particularly in prepubescent adolescents, causing them to reach puberty at a much earlier stage.
They are linked to hormone-dependent cancers.
Some farmers apply cococols to wheat, a synthetic hormone that regulates growth, germination time and stem strength.
Cyocel acts as an endocrine disruptor in humans.
Next come chlorpyrifos-methyl, cyfluthrin, malathion, and pyrethrins. These are sprayed into storage containers and added as the tray is filled. They are then re-added to the top four inches of grain to protect against moths and other insects entering from outside.
Malathion interferes with the normal function of the nervous system.
Pyrethrins are neurotoxic in humans
Cyflarrhine is highly toxic to marine and freshwater organisms, is irritating to the skin and eyes, and causes kidney damage and poor growth rates in humans.
In the standard threshold test, one live insect per liter of sample calls for fumigation. The goal of fumigation is to “maintain a toxic concentration of gas sufficient to kill the target pest population.” (6) Methyl bromide and phosphine-producing materials can penetrate throughout a facility.
Methyl bromide is highly toxic. It is corrosive to the skin and eyes, affects the nervous system, and has caused malformations in embryos of animals tested on it.
Phosphine is extremely toxic and can cause respiratory, speech and motor disorders and spontaneous fractures. It induces damage to genetic material in vitro. ( 7 )
Organophosphates create the same action as nerve gases such as sarin and are one of the most widely used classes of pesticides in the U.S. and around the world. They inhibit cholinesterase, an enzyme in the human nervous system that breaks down the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which carries signals between nerves and muscles. When cholinesterase is inactivated, acetylcholine builds up in the nerves. Victims die of suffocation because their lungs are paralyzed and they cannot breathe. ( 16 )
A study published in the journal Pediatrics showed that legally permissible amounts of organophosphates have extraordinary effects on brain chemistry. The findings concluded that children with above-average pesticide exposures are twice as likely to have ADHD, (8) indicating a buildup of acetylcholine in the nerves that causes overactivity.
Beware of grains – Gluten
Spelt, kamut, and other related ancient grains contain gluten, but some people who claim to be gluten-sensitive can eat them without digestive problems. Why? It’s not gluten alone; it’s a combination of all the things made with modern wheat and other industrialized grains.
The amount of gluten in modern wheat has been dramatically increased by biological manipulation and now accounts for about 80% of its total protein content.
For the growing population of celiac patients, even small traces of gluten can cause excruciating discomfort, but the symptoms of gluten sensitivity are often much milder and health-minded individuals who are perfecting their diet are turning to gluten-free products.
The food “industry”, not missing a good opportunity, is responding with “gluten-free” foods by the dozens and, staying true to the nature of industrialized foods, most of them are junk.
Beware of Grains – Modern Grains and Modern Diseases
A growing number of scientists and medical professionals are beginning to establish the connection between modern wheat and chronic digestive and inflammatory diseases. Inflammation is the body’s natural response to pathogens and injuries, but persistent low-grade inflammation (LGI), or the continued activation of immune cells through unrelenting exposure to triggers, is associated with a number of diseases, including cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, cancer, autoimmune diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and depression.
Inflammation in response to injury is good, but a continued low burn from constant triggers can be deadly.
Beware of Grains – Phytates, Gluten and Lectins – Three Poisons We Can Live Without
Phytates – Phytates, also found in smaller amounts in nuts and seeds, are not inherently harmful, but they bind to dietary minerals and prevent their absorption. They are not as harmful as gluten and lectins if the rest of your diet is rich in minerals. To help break down phytates, you can soak foods in yogurt, buttermilk, or water combined with lemon juice or vinegar.
Gluten – Gluten is a protein that allows bread to rise by forming gas cells that contain carbon dioxide during fermentation. Modern technology has increased the amount of wheat so that it now contains about 80% of gluten.
Lectins – Lectins are so small and difficult to digest that they tend to bio-accumulate in your body. They damage the intestinal lining, which leads to leaky gut and other disorders. Lectins also cause leptin resistance, which means your hunger signal is suppressed and you will feel hungry even when your body has had more than enough calories. They are resistant to heat and digestive enzymes and can bind to almost any type of cell, causing damage to tissues and organs.
All seeds in the grass family are high in lectins that cause clumping.
Here is Merriam Webster’s definition of agglutination – “a reaction in which particles (such as red blood cells or bacteria) suspended in a liquid accumulate in clumps and that occurs especially as a serological response to a specific antibody.”
What agglutinin is capable of doing for us is the following:
It stimulates the synthesis of chemical messengers that are responsible for inflammation in response to some injury or invasion.
It inhibits the nerve growth factor that keeps neurons alive and thriving ( 9 ), and it sticks to the protective covering of nerves (the myelin sheath)
New research shows that it can disrupt endocrine function and interfere with other gene expressions. ( 10 )
It shares similarities with certain viruses ( 10 )
This induces platelet aggregation ( 11 )
Stimulates pro-inflammatory cytokines and causes intestinal permeability ( 12 ) which allows bacteria and large particles to enter the bloodstream
Gliadin epitopes in modern wheat contribute to the gut-permeating activity that moves dietary antigens into your bloodstream. It is believed to be causative in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis), asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome, and depression. 30% of the population have visible amounts of anti-gliadins in their stool. Anti-gliadins are antibodies secreted when the body sees gliadin, a constituent of gluten, as an intruder. Having the antibody in your stool means that your body is actively fighting an intruder and that you already have low-level inflammation.
Gluten triggers an overproduction of zonulin, a protein that is responsible for the permeability of tight junctions between cells in the lining of the digestive tract. Too much zonulin production disrupts the intestinal barrier function.
Agulslutin binds to the outer lining of human cells and can cross the blood-brain barrier, allowing bacteria to enter the cells ( 14 ).
Beware of Grains – Healthy Alternatives
The Paleo eating protocol revolves around whole foods, including meat and plants, but not processed plants like wheat and other grains. Don’t be fooled by products that claim to be whole wheat. In some countries, whole wheat products contain nothing more than white flour with a little bran added back in. The whole grain is not used and is processed in the same way as pure white flour. If you can’t live without baked goods, be sure to read labels carefully.
Try some of these healthy tips in your diet.
Replace grain flour – Use almond or coconut flour. There are hundreds of recipes online using these flours.
Soak and sprout nuts and seeds and grind them into flour – Nuts and seeds contain enzyme inhibitors that prevent them from sprouting too early. This works in nature, but for us, when the enzymes are blocked, we can’t use them.
To absorb: Soaking releases enzyme inhibitors to help us digest these foods. It also neutralizes phytic acid, a component of plant fiber in grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds that reduces mineral absorption.
Use raw nuts or seeds. Cover with filtered water to about 2 inches above and let them soak overnight. Make sure the bowl is large enough to accommodate the swelling that will occur. Drain and discard the soaking water.
Use immediately or store soaked nuts and seeds in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
To sprout: Sprouting increases the total nutrient density of a food.
Use raw, pre-cooked nuts or seeds. Spread them out on a plate, giving them a little space, and cover lightly with a clean, unbleached cheesecloth or muslin. Rinse twice a day.
A small white tail will appear on the narrow end when they begin to sprout. Use them immediately or store them in a jar in the refrigerator.
Make your own sprouted granola – Soak almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, and chia seeds in water for 8 hours, then place them in a paper towel overnight. Toss them in a small amount of raw, local unpasteurized honey and add organic raisins, coconut flakes, cinnamon, and sea salt. Pop them in a dehydrator or oven and you’ve got yourself a great tasting, metabolism-boosting treat.
Beware of grains – Conclusion
Grains, a food group we haven't eaten for 97% of our human existence, are now at the base of the USDA food pyramid with 6-11 recommended servings per day.
New science is shedding some light on the problems caused by this popular food group, but of all the habits you can develop regarding your health, dropping grains from your diet is probably the one that will pay off the most.
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