Grain Brain

[Carol Newquist]

I recollect the topic of the negative effects of wheat, up to and including the disputed assertion that it may be a poison, being discussed in a past thread here, but I want to discuss it more specifically as it relates to Dr. David Perlmutter's recent thesis that an imbalance of dietary carbohydrates, to include all manner of refined grains and sugar, have a deleterious effect on brain health in addition to overall health. He essentially suggests a version of the Hunter-Gatherer diet, and the Grain Lobby is going after him in a large way, deploying experts in the field of nutrition to denigrate his message as one of lunacy.

Perlmutter, for those who don't know, is a famed Neurologist to the extremely wealthy....the Elite. They travel from all around the world to visit his clinic in Naples, Florida. The Grain Lobby and its hack expert Nutritionists are up in arms because Perlmutter's suggested diet advises reducing carbohydrates to 5% of your diet and you should be highly selective of those carbs....meaning no refined flour and sugar, and he suggests avoiding sweet fruit. Of course, imagine if this approach were adopted by the entire nation, or even the entire world? Grain producers have too much invested to allow this to get any traction, and so, the notion is dismissed and marginalized by a mainstream press. Here's a link to reviews and comments of his book at Good Reads.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17333302-grain-brain

Here's a link to an example of the assassination of his book and thesis by the Grain Lobby's expert hacks.

http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Regulation/Misleading-and-sensationalist-Grain-Brain-book-distorts-science-and-confuses-public-with-advice-to-avoid-grains-say-critics

I know one of the arguments to this wheat debate in the past has been that it's Elitist to say people should eat or not eat this or that when they are starving on the margins, but to that, I would point to a quote from the article posted by WR (thanks again) in the Collapse Culture thread by Gordon at runesoup.com entitled The Unavoidable Politics Of The Post-Apocalypse.

http://runesoup.com/2013/06/the-unavoidable-politics-of-the-post-apocalypse/

The people who have all the money do not talk about it. It’s somehow impolite. Beneath them. And it’s a behaviour we ape. Which makes it a lot easier to steal from us when we don’t know we’re being stolen from.

And so it is with food.

Promoting dietary health among low income earners is somehow perceived as an attack. “Hey poor people, just eat more salad!” And phrased that way, it certainly is.

However, the notion that access to life-sustaining food is somehow elitist is an insidious form of double-think, an archonic reverse psychology. Because it’s the seats at McDonald’s that are being widened, not the seats in Lear Jets.

[DrVolin]

At the same time thought, it is hard to argue with 12000 years of human evolution.

[justdrew]

well, one major problem with wheat products is the use of Potassium Bromate. Bromide's a halide (like fluoride) that competes with Iodine in the body. It's also TOTALLY UNNECESSARY and all the 'benefits' from bromating flour could be had with ascorbic acid (aka vitamin C).

There's a breast cancer site with a lot of info on it and info on how to detox it out of your system after quitting bromated flour.

http://breastcancerchoices.org/bromided ... egies.html
http://www.livescience.com/36206-truth- ... itive.html

[Carol Newquist]

At the same time thought, it is hard to argue with 12000 years of human evolution.

That's a good point, but is it proven that what we call the "progress" of the last 12,000 years, is due to the substantial incorporation of grain into our diet? Ironically, I was at the local Farmer's Market yesterday getting some nitrate-free ham, and a woman said to me "isn't that delicious ham?" I responded, "yes it is. We love it, and the nice thing about it, it's nitrate-free." She said, "I know, that's great." At which point, I said "you know, it's sad we have to go out of our way to find things that are healthy for us. I've recently come across some literature that theorizes significant grain consumption leads to all manner of illness to include neurological disorders like Dementia and Alzheimers. There's a book on it called Grain Brain." She paused for a second, and here's the irony considering justdrew's post, and then said "that's disturbing considering my husband's line of work is grain fortification in developing countries since they're generally nutritionally deficient." Of course, at that point I took a metaphorical step back and said, "yeah, grain has served its purpose over the millenia as a stop gap against starvation. Humans, though, survived and thrived without it for millions of years." She said, "uh huh, and look at their brains as compared to ours." I smiled and my eyes said "good point" without my lips ever moving. I bid her a good day, and went on my way, and then the first two posts to this thread besides my OP are essentially a recap of that conversation at the Farmer's Market.

[justdrew]

the main thing is, grain is cheap.

but seriously, that poor woman needs to get a clue. grain in no way shape or form assists the brain in any way. ok, wait. most people's brains run on glucose, so there's that, but it's not necessary to consume any carbs. The body can build all the glucose it needs from glycerols and/or protein.

but the confounding thing about 'grain brain' is that it cant be considered separately from the problem many many have, the Low Fat diet. Lack of fat intake is a huge problem for brains, and the symptoms closely align with the 'grain brain' symptoms.

[Carol Newquist]

but the confounding thing about 'grain brain' is that it cant be considered separately from the problem many many have, the Low Fat diet. Lack of fat intake is a huge problem for brains, and the symptoms closely align with the 'grain brain' symptoms.

Exactly, and Perlmutter (I can't help but laugh when I see this name.....it sounds pretentious) emphasizes that in his diet plan. Fat is crucial. Of course, it has to be the right kind of fat, and let's not forget, the majority of meat consumed is also grain-fed these days. There are so many Bigs, aren't there? There's Big Oil, and there's Big Grain to name just a few.

[justdrew]

yeah. fuckin cartels man.

but hey, at least we got (with the help of OUR Federal Government) Trans fats out of just about everything.

[Spiro C. Thiery]

At the same time thought, it is hard to argue with 12000 years of human evolution.

I guess everything's as it should be then.

Blurb for Left in the Dark (I quote here for synopsis' sake):

I have found this book to be the missing key, the scientific proof of how our diet is of great importance. Left in the Dark is rich with scientific information on the enormous effect that a nutrient-rich plant based diet plays on our brain/body function and development. Strong evidence suggests that our species evolved from this diet over a long period of time, and that human existence was a blissful, harmonious experience. Clear, understandable evidence is provided on how our departure from this original diet in our distant past has altered, and even reversed, the evolution of humanity, leading to much of the dysfunction that we live in today.

Interview with one of the authors:

[Carol Newquist]

Here's the first video of a four part series by Dr. Perlmutter about the nexus between refined grains and sugar and ill health to include neurological degeneration. Inflammation is at the center of it, and our dysfunctional diet helps create this inflammation......at least that's his contention.



I have some personal anecdotal evidence to support this that I will provide shortly. But for now, I'm going to go grab a pizza (I'm joking.....really....although I love pizza, I stay away from it because I know it will kill me).

[justdrew]

spiro, that guy looks like he's about to say, "I'm on probation"
(he looks like the actor from Ideal)

interesting interview tho.

also, to argue with 12,000 years of human evolution, just look to the previous million.

[justdrew]

a little pizza wont kill you. get thin crust 'ny style' toss the crust if necessary. A little isn't bad enough to worry about.

[Carol Newquist]

a little pizza wont kill you. get thin crust 'ny style' toss the crust if necessary. A little isn't bad enough to worry about.

Yeah, I was just playing. I eat it on occasion, and when I do, I prefer the exact style you suggested. How did you know?

[justdrew]

I've been doing the same thing, though I've never been a huge grain fan, I've cut way way back.

btw - is that Elliott Gould in your avatar?

[Spiro C. Thiery]

spiro, that guy looks like he's about to say, "I'm on probation"
(he looks like the actor from Ideal) interesting interview tho.
also, to argue with 12,000 years of human evolution, just look to the previous million.

And the next 17. The human being adds an interesting twist to the nature vs. nurture argument. (quick sync'd aside: have you read 1491?)

There are some folks who get the danger of Monsanto (centralized control of an essential life source) and from a middle-term health perspective, but we can only imagine how it will effect the planet's evolution.

Therefore, aliens!
Or seriously, maybe the Greys are us coming back to set shit right.

[quote=justdrew asks Carol Newquist]btw - is that Elliott Gould in your avatar?[/quote]
Yeah, and what a great pic that is. I gotta check out this flick, penned by Jules Feiffer and directed by Alan Arkin.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Murders
I makes me nostalgic for when I was a wee one going alone to 65 cent movies that were entirely inappropriate for someone my age. Evolution indeed.

[Carol Newquist]

btw - is that Elliott Gould in your avatar?

Yes....he was superb in this role as Alfred Chamberlain, son-in-law of Carol Newquist. If you get a chance, check out the movie Little Murders. It's excellent. I consider this one of Gould's greatest roles in his career. Maybe I'll put a clip in the Movies for Consideration thread. It's a great movie that never received the positive acclaim it should have.

In recent years, what flour we have been using, we use unbleached, unenriched organic, so that's to your point about bromating. But I wonder if above and beyond what Perlmutter and others claim about wheat in general, if what's been done in regards to the quality of the wheat over time has anything to do with it? GMO, for example, and also the various varieties of wheat have been effectively eliminated over the centuries and now one strain, or a couple of strains, are produced worldwide, and GMO is substantial and becoming ubiquitous despite protestations and criticism of it.