Eat More Vegetables with the No-Grain Diet

Dr. Joseph Mercola’s no-grain diet, in a way, is similar to a protein diet, but the no-grain diet is different due to its strong emphasis on vegetables. You’ll be making a big mistake if you focus solely on carbohydrate content as the measurement of a food, without considering the type of carbohydrate and its effect to your body.

Avoiding grains means avoiding simple carbohydrates to normalize your insulin levels. However, you don’t need to avoid complex carbohydrate foods that don’t trigger an insulin reaction because you’ll be missing out on vital nutrients. These complex carbohydrates come in the form of vegetables.

For Dr. Mercola, eating more vegetables is as important to a healthy nutrition plan as reducing/eliminating the consumption of grains and sugars, drinking more water, or consuming vitamins and omega-3 fats.

Studies show that eating vegetables help prevent cancer, lower blood pressure, and lower the risk of heart disease and stroke, among other health benefits.

But in the same way that not all carbohydrates are the same, vegetables are not created equal. While almost all vegetables are good, some are clearly far better, from a nutritional standpoint, than others, Dr. Mercola explains.

The rule of thumb for vegetables is the greener the better, though there are a few vegetables that are not green but are also very nutritious.

Here’s a list of Mercola’s highly recommended vegetables

Asparagus	Endive
Avocado (actually a fruit)	Escarole
Beet greens	Fennel
Bok Choy	Kale
Broccoli	Kohlrabi
Brussel sprouts	Lettuce (romaine, red leaf, green leaf)
Cabbage (green and red)	Mustard greens
Cauliflower	Onions
Celery	Parsley
Chicory	Peppers (green, red, yellow and hot)
Chinese cabbage	Spinach
Chives	Tomatoes (also a fruit)
Collard greens	Turnips
Dandelion greens	Zucchini

Avoid starchy vegetables like beets, carrots, eggplants, jicima, parsnips, peas, potatoes and winter squashes because they are high in carbohydrates.

It’s best to eat organic, locally-grown vegetables that are in season raw (as you should eat at least one-third of your food consumption raw). If you can’t find an organic farmer, make sure to carefully wash your vegetables and remove peels and cores to minimize your exposure to pesticides and other chemicals.

Juicing is an important component of the no-grain diet because it’s the easy, convenient and delicious way to regularly consume large amounts of nutrients – vitamins, minerals, enzymes and antioxidants – in a form that is easily digested, absorbed and assimilated by your body.

Whether you eat a salad or drink vegetable juice, there’s no doubt that vegetables are good for you. The no-grain diet puts a premium on vegetable consumption to help you get as healthy as you can possibly be.

Source: http://www.nograindiets.com/2009/08/eat-more-vegetables-with-no-grain-diet.html

Lose Weight with L-Carnitine and the No-Grain Diet

L-carnitine is an amino acid synthesized from the essential amino acids lysine and methionine. Studies show that l-carnitine, which was discovered in 1905, is important in burning fat and providing energy to the body as it transports fatty acids to the mitochondria, your cells’ powerhouses, where they serve as fuel for energy.

L-carnitine is found in asparagus, avocado, beef, breast milk, chicken, dairy products, fish, lamb and tempeh (a fermented soy product).

Due to its fat burning effect, l-carnitine is a popular ingredient in many diet pills and weight loss supplements. Because your heart derives about 70 percent of its energy from fat, l-carnitine may help protect against some cardiovascular diseases like angina, cardiomyopathy and high blood pressure.

L-carnitine may also help:

• Improve insulin sensitivity for people with type 2 diabetes
• Promote muscle growth and bone health
• Protect against kidney and liver disease
• Improve the antioxidant effect of vitamin C and vitamin E
• Improve the overall feeling of wellness
• Alleviate chronic fatigue syndrome
• Support erectile function and improve sperm count

Pregnant women may also benefit from an l-carnitine supplement because carnitine levels are depleted due to the high carnitine requirements of the fetus.

Because it facilitates fat burning and boosts energy levels, l-carnitine can help reduce food cravings and help you exercise longer to increase your chances of losing weight, Dr. Joseph Mercola explains. Dr. Mercola’s no-grain diet enhances l-carnitine’s effectiveness because it helps normalize your insulin levels. Eating a lot of grains hinders the effects of l-carnitine because high insulin levels disrupt carnitine enzymes.

L-carnitine tartrate is a highly active and stable form of carnitine. Exercise, follow the no-grain diet and take as much as 1,000 mg of l-carnitine tartrate daily for faster weight loss results. Take it early in the morning to help jumpstart your day.

Why Use Whey Protein?

Whey protein is one of the most popular dietary supplements for athletes and bodybuilders. Why? Because whey protein is considered as the richest source of biologically active protein, and proteins are important in maximizing muscle growth.

Whey is a byproduct of the production of cheese. When the milk curdles, and later on, coagulates, the hard portion (casein) and the liquid part, which is whey, are separated.

The liquid turns into a transparent, yellowish-green liquid and is slightly tart in flavor. When the liquid whey dries, it turns into powder, where the nutrients are concentrated.

But whey protein isn’t just for jocks and fitness buffs; it’s a highly-nutritious food that everyone can enjoy. Whey proteins are complex and can provide you with distinct health benefits.

In fact, whey protein is one of the world’s first health foods, as Hippocrates, the Greek recognized as the father of medicine, recommended whey to his patients as early as 420 B.C.

Here are the top reasons why you should include whey protein in your diet:

• Provides more energy by helping you digest and use protein more efficiently – The measure of the efficiency that proteins can be absorbed and utilized by your body is called the Biological Value (BV); the higher the BV, the greater the efficiency. Concentrated whey protein supplements have a BV of around 104 while whey protein in isolated form can reach 170, compared to beef protein (75), milk protein (85) and egg protein (100).
• Contains all the essential amino acids – including glutathione and its precursor, cysteine. Dr. Mercola explains that glutathione is your body’s chief antioxidant and detoxifier. It helps support your immune system, decrease signs of aging, cleanse your liver and support athletic performance. In general, amino acids are important in developing and sustaining new muscle mass.
• Contains immunoglobins, substances that help boost your immune system
• Helps enhance insulin secretion and helps insulin work more efficiently to maintain your blood sugar level after eating.
• Helps promote optimal intake of carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals for your overall wellness.
• May promote weight loss by providing satiety or fullness signals to help you regulate food intake, both short term and long term.
• Helps maintain normal blood pressure levels

A little known fact about whey is that 60 to 80 percent of the protein in breast milk is whey protein, meaning you start experiencing its health benefits as a baby.

A whey protein supplement is an excellent addition to a well-balanced diet – whether you’re a serious athlete or bodybuilder or just want to get fit and healthy.

Whey Protein Powder with Aminogen is an instant, convenient and quality source of protein that gives you that much-needed energy boost to start the day right, sustain you anytime during the day, or help revitalize your muscles after a dynamic workout. It contains an extraordinary, plant-derived enzyme called Aminogen, which helps you absorb amino acids and digest protein more efficiently, promote lean body mass, increase your strength and help your muscles recover after physical activity.

How does it taste? Whey Protein Powder with Aminogen comes in 3 of your favorite flavors – vanilla, chocolate and strawberry – to give you a delicious experience while enjoying the benefits of a “whey” better life.

Make Whey Protein Powder with Aminogen a part of your mornings, workouts or snacks and stay active longer!

Source:  http://www.nograindiets.com/2009/04/why-use-whey-protein.html

Beat Carbohydrate Addiction with the No-Grain Diet

What were your thoughts when you first heard about the No-Grain Diet?

Yes, it may sound extreme and radical but it’s not another fad diet.

If you have trouble sticking with a strict diet or if you find it extremely difficult to suppress your food cravings, then the no-grain diet may be just what you need.

Dr. Joseph Mercola explains that when he uses the term “no-grain,” he is not speaking solely about grains; he expands no-grain to include all forms of grains, starches and sugars that promote weight gain, food addiction and health problems.

The No-Grain Diet emphasizes that grains and sugars are a dieter’s worst enemies when it comes to weight loss and living longer.

For Dr. Mercola, overcoming carbohydrate addiction is one of the most important keys to optimal health. He explains that fats shouldn’t be blamed when people gain weight and get fat; the real villains are grains, starches and sugars.

Why Most Diets Just Don’t Work

Majority of diets fail because of the cravings for grains and sugars. Foods like bread, pizza and cookies have caused a lot of people to abandon their diets due to grain addiction.

The Atkins' diet tried to solve this problem by promoting a reduced carbohydrate diet. As a result, many people started to believe that all carbs are bad. However, it was the bestselling book The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet by Drs. Rachael and Richard Heller which first drew attention to carb addiction and its associated health dangers.

But despite their sound diagnosis, the Hellers’ food plan was ineffective because for them, it was still okay for dieters to eat ample quantities of grains, starches and sweets for a brief period every day.

Dr. Mercola explains that diets fail because you just return to your old habits after doing the diet. This is not to say that you lack the willpower; it's simply because you’re just following what your body is telling you to do because of the cravings.

The Advantages of the No-Grain Diet

The common misconception about the no-grain diet is that one has to stop eating all types of carbohydrates. Mercola explains that quality high-carbohydrate foods such as whole grains and potatoes are not necessarily bad for everyone. However, people who need to lose weight should completely avoid all carbohydrates at the beginning.

Whole grains can be healthy – if you are at your ideal weight. But if you have been struggling with your weight for the longest time, it's most likely that they aren't healthy for you, especially if you’re eating processed breads, pastas, and cookies rather than healthy grains like quinoa, teff, millet, buckwheat, and amaranth.

Therefore, the first step is to eliminate all grains, starches and sweets from your diet. This will help reorient your body's signals to help you lose weight and get fit.

One of the flaws in the Atkins' diet is that it promotes excess animal protein consumption, which hinders your ability to lose weight and keep it off in a healthy and sustainable fashion.

The no-grain diet addresses this concern and helps dieters incorporate a wider range of healthier foods than other diets. Dr. Mercola recommends the consumption of more organic foods and vegetables, and guides dieters in selecting the right source of proteins, which is crucial to any successful and long term weight loss program.

With the no-grain diet, you'll also learn about the Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT, a psychological acupressure method. EFT will help you get rid of your remaining grain and sugar cravings. Once you permanently overcome your grain and sugar addiction, you effectively eliminate the biggest obstacles to weight loss.

Dr. Mercola has applied the principles of the no-grain diet for over a decade on thousands of patients with a high success rate. Slowly but surely, more scientific studies are supporting the no-grain diet’s teachings, bringing hope to those suffering from obesity and carbohydrate addiction.

Source:  http://www.nograindiets.com/2009/03/beat-carbohydrate-addiction-and-lose.html

The Truth about Grains and Your Health

Ever wondered what our ancestors ate? Generations of humans survived primarily on meat from wild animals and whatever edible vegetation they can gather. Agriculture was born when man finally learned how to till the soil.

Now, from being a hunter and a gatherer, man now grows 17 plant species to provide majority of his food needs. Approximately 17 plants species provides 90 percent of the world's food supply. Six of the top 10 are all grains: wheat, corn (maize), rice, barley, sorghum and oats.

Imagine how the world could support its current six billion inhabitants and the estimated 12 to 15 billion people expected during the next century without plant-based foods.

Food grains are rich in carbohydrates, providing you with the energy you need to function. Grains also deliver B vitamins, iron, fiber and some phytonutrients.

Carbohydrates are generally grouped into two types: simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates come from sugars while complex carbohydrates are starches from whole grains, beans, nuts and vegetables.

A common (and unhealthy) misconception is that you need a lot of carbohydrates in your diet. The truth is you can survive without eating carbohydrates. Just take a look at Eskimos. They thrive by having a diet composed of high-quality protein, fat, water and minerals.

The carbohydrates from vegetables are preferable than those from grains. Most grains should be avoided because grain carbohydrates increase insulin levels and interfere with the body’s ability to burn fat.

The USDA’s Food Guide Pyramid recommends 6-11 servings of bread, cereal, rice and pasta – all grain foods – per day.

Does this mean that the nutritionists have gotten everything backwards about grains?

This may sound contrary to everything you’ve learned and believed about diet and nutrition but if you want to experience optimal health – to stay fit and avoid disease – you should severely limit, or may even need to entirely eliminate, grains from your diet.

Go Against the Grain

From an evolutionary point of view, the simplest explanation is that man’s body was not designed to consume grains.

Humans began consuming grains and sugars only 6,000 years ago. That’s how “recent” grain consumption is in relation to our total dietary experience. Man may have been eating grain foods for "millennia," but millennia is still a very short period in the overall timeframe of human existence. The estimated amount of genetic change which has occurred in the human genome over this time period is negligible, meaning modern man’s genes have remained largely unchanged and are still essentially the same to that of pre-agricultural man.

In terms of diet, this shows that modern humans are most ideally suited to eating the same types of food which were available to pre-agricultural man, like lean muscle meats, limited fatty organ meats, and wild fruits and vegetables, and not grains, legumes or the high-fat meat of modern domesticated animals.

When man learned agriculture, he secured the world’s food supply but he paid a very high price: his health would never be the same again because he began eating food that his body wasn’t designed to consume.

As a result of the agricultural revolution, modern humans began experiencing illnesses and health problems which their hunter-gatherer ancestors never had to deal with, including: infectious diseases, reduced stature, bone abnormalities and diseases, tooth problems, iron-deficiency anemia, and a shorter life span, among others.

The numbers don’t lie: in America, two-thirds of the population is already overweight and the obesity epidemic is rising. A key factor in these developments is poor diet, including the high consumption of grains and sugars.

Dr. Joseph Mercola, a leading natural health expert and author of New York Times bestseller The No-Grain Diet, has called grains and sugars as the main enemies to losing weight and living longer. But Mercola is not the only health professional advocating this seemingly radical stand. Over the last decade, a number of doctors and nutritionists have broken away from the accepted belief that grains are important for your health.

This site was launched to educate people about proper diet and nutrition and provide information on how to live healthy, eat right, lose weight and fight disease based on the “no-grain philosophy.”

It’s time to break free from the bondage of “grain gluttony.” If you want to experience a long-lasting positive change in your health, follow the nograindiets blog over the next few weeks for more articles and relevant information.

Source: http://www.nograindiets.com/2009/03/truth-about-grains-and-your-health.html

Gene Turns Carbohydrates into Fat; Cure to Obesity Found?

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley have discovered a gene which regulates a process in the liver that converts carbohydrates into fat.

This study offers new clues as to how the body metabolizes carbohydrates and how they contribute to obesity.

The research team, led by Professor Hei Sook Sul of UC Berkeley’s Department of Nutritional Science and Toxicology believe that the gene, DNA-PK (DNA-dependent protein kinase ), is critical to a metabolic process scientists have been trying to understand for 20 years.

Your blood glucose levels – the digested form of carbohydrates – go up after you eat a carb-rich food like pizza and wash it down with soda. That spike in blood glucose triggers the secretion of insulin, which helps different cells in your body use glucose for energy.

Glucose in the liver that isn't used up for energy is converted into fatty acids, which then circulate to other parts of the body, primarily to fat tissue.

The process of converting excess glucose into fatty acids occurs in the liver. Scientists have been unable to determine the exact molecular pathway involved prior to the discovery of DNA-PK.

What they did know was that insulin binds to receptors on the liver cells and activates protein phosphatase-1 (PP1), the first molecule of the insulin-signaling pathway inside the liver. Sul's lab had previously shown that upstream stimulatory factor (USF) is needed to activate certain genes, such as fatty acid synthase (FAS), which converts glucose to fatty acids.

The link between PP1 and USF was a mystery until a UC Berkeley graduate student in comparative biochemistry finally connected the dots in Sul’s lab and discovered that DNA-PK, which is regulated by PP1, signals the activation of USF and the process of converting glucose to fatty acids.

The research team determined that DNA-PK acts as a signaling molecule in the chain reaction that begins when insulin binds to receptors on liver cells. This helps explain why untreated Type 1 diabetics, who cannot produce insulin, may experience significant weight loss because without treatment, they have problems making enough fat.

This insulin-signaling pathway is also disrupted in Type 2 diabetes because the body still produces insulin, but the cells have become resistant to its effects.

After the researchers were able to identify DNA-PK, they tested the gene in mice fed with a diet containing 70 percent carbohydrates but with zero fat. A typical lab mouse diet is composed of both fat and carbohydrates. The researchers then disabled the DNA-PK gene in half the mice while the other half served as the control group of normal mice.

They discovered that the DNA-PK disabled mice were leaner and had 40 percent less body fat compared to the control group of normal mice because they had a problem converting carbs into fat.

The DNA-PK disabled mice were resistant to high carbohydrate-induced obesity and had lower plasma lipids, which can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.

DNA-PK could potentially play a role in the prevention of obesity associated with the over-consumption of high-carbohydrate foods or carbohydrate addiction, such as pasta, rice, soda and sugary snacks if it is possible to create medication based on the gene.

However, this will only be another quick fix. Yes, such a pill may help you avoid getting fat from carbohydrates but the bottom line is: you’re still eating carbs and carbohydrates have been linked to almost all age-related diseases.

If you want to get fit and maintain your ideal weight, it doesn’t involve waiting for a magic pill. You have to make the necessary lifestyle changes because there are no shortcuts to good health.

Source: http://www.nograindiets.com/2009/04/gene-turns-carbohydrates-into-fat-cure.html

Grains and the Dangers of Mycotoxins

There are many types of toxins that can wreak havoc with your health. Most of these toxins are things that you can’t see, smell or feel when you first come in contact with them, including one of the lesser known but dangerous types: mycotoxins.

Mycotoxins are compounds produced by fungi and literally mean “fungus poisons.” Poisoning caused by a mycotoxin is known as mycotoxicosis.

Mycotoxins can cause a wide range of health problems even if you’re just exposed to small amounts over an extended period of time. Mycotoxicosis can even be lethal if a patient has consumed large quantities of mycotoxins over a short period of time.

Mycotoxicosis symptoms depend on the type of mycotoxin, the amount and length of exposure, the age, health and sex of the exposed individual, and many poorly understood synergistic effects involving genetics, dietary status and interactions with other toxins.

This means that the severity of mycotoxin poisoning can be compounded by factors such as vitamin deficiency, caloric deprivation, alcohol abuse and infectious disease status.

Mycotoxins can also increase a patient’s vulnerability to microbial diseases, worsen the effects of malnutrition and interact synergistically with other toxins.

Dr. Dave Holland, co-author of the bestselling book The Fungus Link, is an expert on the harmful effects of mycotoxins on the human body. Dr. Holland’s list of diseases associated with mycotoxins include:

• AIDS
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Amyloidosis
• Anorexia Nervosa
• Atherosclerosis
• Balkan Nephropathy
• Bechet’s disease
• Cardiomyopathy
• Cirrhosis (alcoholic and biliary)
• Crohn’s disease
• Cushing’s disease
• Diabetes
• DIC
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Encephalopathy
• Ergotism
• Familial Mediterranean Fever
• Gout
• Heart failure
• Hyperactivity Syndrome
• Hyperaldosteronism
• Hyperlipidemia (high lipids)
• Hypertension
• Infertility
• IgA Nephropathy
• Kidney stones
• Leukocytoclastic vasculitis
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Mollaret’s meningitis
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Nephritis (kidney inflammation)

That’s quite a laundry list of diseases. And because the most toxic forms of fungi and the mycotoxins they produce have become more common in America’s modern and industrialized food supply, particularly in improperly stored, pesticide-sprayed grains which humans and livestock in large amounts in various forms, there lies the danger.

In 1985, the World Health Organization estimated that 25 percent of the world’s grains have been contaminated by mycotoxins. Today, more than two decades later, we can assume that this figure has increased due to an increase in global imports and exports of grains and cereals and the changes in the environment and weather.

If you want to avoid the dangers of mycotoxins, here are the top 10 foods to avoid (hint: most of them are grains):

1. Alcohol – is the mycotoxin of the Saccharomyces yeast (brewer’s yeast). Other mycotoxins besides alcohol can also be introduced into alcoholic beverages through the use of mold-contaminated grains and fruits. Alcohol producers often use grains that are too contaminated with fungi and mycotoxins to be eaten as table foods, so the risk of mycotoxicosis is higher if you are consuming more than just alcohol in your beverage.

2. Corn – is "universally contaminated" with mycotoxins such as fumonisin, aflatoxin, zearalenone and ochratoxin. Fumonisin and aflatoxin are known carcinogens, while zearalenone and ochratoxin cause estrogenic and kidney-related problems, respectively. It’s difficult to get away from corn because it’s everywhere! For example, a typical fast food chicken nugget comes from corn-fed chicken that is covered by a corn-based batter sweetened with corn syrup!

3. Wheat and wheat products – like bread, cereal and pasta. Pasta may be the “safest” because you can remove certain water-soluble mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol (vomitoxin), when you drain the boiling water after cooking it. However, traces of the more harmful, heat-stable and fat-soluble mycotoxins, such as aflatoxin, remain. When it comes to bread – it doesn’t matter if it’s organic, inorganic, sprouted, blessed or not – if the grain used has been stored for months in a silo, it can be contaminated with fungi.

4. Barley – is equally susceptible to contamination by mycotoxins because it can also be damaged by drought, floods, and harvesting and storage processes. It’s used in the production of cereals and alcoholic beverages.

5. Sugar (sugar cane and sugar beets) – is often contaminated with fungi and like other grains and fuels the growth of fungi, which feed on carbohydrates.

6. Sorghum – is used in a number of grain-based products for both humans and animals, and is also an ingredient in the production of alcoholic beverages.

7. Peanuts – A 1993 study revealed that peanuts are colonized by at least 24 different types of fungi. The alarming part was that they were found after the exterior of the peanut was sterilized!

8. Rye – What applies for other grains is the same with rye. Also, when wheat and rye are used to make bread, sugar and yeast are added – two other products that worsen the fungi problem.

9. Cottonseed – is usually in the form of cottonseed oil but is also used in grain form for many animal foods. Many studies show that cottonseed is often highly contaminated with mycotoxins.

10. Hard Cheese – Each time you see a mold growing on your cheese, there’s a good chance that there’s also a mycotoxin present.

Rice, oats and beans, which are also sources of carbohydrates, may also contain mycotoxins but these crops are generally more resistant to fungal contamination.

Source: http://www.nograindiets.com/2009/04/grains-and-dangers-of-mycotoxins_24.html

Grains & Fungus

PSSST!... I'VE GOT A SECRET TO SHARE WITH YOU

By: David Holland

Who'd of thought that the most advanced civilization

would be experiencing the greatest rate of chronic and

debilitating disease in the history of the World?

Well, we've done it. Over half of our nation is now

overweight. Obesity is truly an epidemic. Its

long-term effects cost more than the harmful effects

of smoking (Wall Street Journal, March 2003). . It is

associated with higher risks of cancer, birth defects

(Mercola.com, 2003. Obesity and diabetes increases

risk of birth defects- citing Epidemiology, Nov

2000;11:689-694), heart disease, arthritis

(Mercola.com 2003. Finally, Proof for my assertion

that sugar is more dangerous than cigarettes- citing

an article in Public Health, June 2001;115:229-235) -

the list sadly grows every day. Being obese is as bad,

in terms of costs to lifespan, as simply cutting 20

years from your life. Obesity has spilled over into

the childhood and adolescent age groups at an alarming

rate. If it cuts life span so drastically, these

children are already starting out life facing the huge

medical, physical, and psychological challenges

associated with carrying around extra weight. In our

latest book, What makes bread rise?, we offer readers

a chance to finally learn what's at the root of most

weight problems. In this first issue of Know the

Cause!. , I've taken some of the information that we

present in this book and talk about it here. Because

obesity is such a widespread problem that I feel the

need to let you all in on a little secret right now.

There are two huge problems that lay at the root of

our nation's 60% obesity rate that we must first

discuss in order to better understand the root cause

of this epidemic. One is that carbohydrates-grains and

sugars-have inadvertently been rated as the "safe"

food choice. The other has to do with the fungal

contamination of our grain food supply. Let's talk

about carbs, first.

Until the late 1970's to the early 1980's, the United

States Department of Agriculture's dietary

recommendations did not include any cautions against

fat. Things changes after around this time, when the

USDA changed their mind about fat. Later, in the early

1990's the USDA's Food Pyramid was introduced to the

public. All of a sudden, fats were shoved up to the

tiny and claustrophobic top of the pyramid in the

category that equated to "bad foods that should be

consumed in small quantities." People-medical

personnel included-assumed that this recommendation

applied to all fats. Margarine quickly took the place

of butter. Whole grain bread and cereal became

breakfast of champs-move over bacon and eggs! Pasta

now reigned over meat. Nobody seemed to notice that it

was not a panel of esteemed scientists who devised

this new, Food Pyramid. In truth, the "esteemed panel"

was a group of attorneys working, at the time, under

Senator George McGovern (Taubes, G. What if it's all

been a big, fat lie? New York Times, July 17, 2002).

Yet, since this information was so heavily marketed

and taught to the dieticians who, in turn teach

doctors how to tell us to eat, we bought the

information hook, line, and sinker. Even to this day,

when we've learned that margarine is actually more

dangerous than butter, and that eggs and nuts are not

so bad after all-that consuming them may actually

lower risks of heart disease-we still have a fat

phobia. Doctors are terrified of giving thumbs up to

the three-letter "f" word to any of their patients

with heart disease or high cholesterol despite the

fact that repeated, small studies over the past 30

years have shown that eating a high protein, low carb

diet is just as effective, and often more so, at

reducing bad cholesterol as a low fat diet, whether or

not an exercise program is involved. We have

clinically observed lipids such as cholesterol and

triglycerides increase dramatically as a result of

following a low-fat diet. Just as Doug said when he

quoted the physiology text book: our bodies easily

convert carbohydrates into fat.

It's neither here nor there, though. Low fat and low

carb proponents will likely continue their battles for

years to come. But some interesting data has come to

surface as of late. A study by Penelope Greed of the

Harvard School of public health looked at the effects

of following either a high carb, low fat diet vs. a

high fat, low carb diet. Both groups of people lost

equal amounts of weight. There you go, you say-

there's no difference in the two diets. Not so fast.

The participants who followed a low-carb regimen ate,

on average, 300 more calories per day than the low-fat

folks. Over the 12 week span of the study, this should

have translated into an extra 7 pound weight gain. Did

the calories just vanish into thin air? Dieticians

were befuddled. From day one of their schooling they'd

been taught that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie.

The extra calories consumed MUST turn into extra

weight, they were taught. Yet the low-carb

participants managed to loose this weight with ease.

Was there a trick involved? Was there a missing factor

that we're not accounting for in the high carb group?

This, my friends, is where we must introduce to you

our fungal foes.

History was made in January of 2002 when a simple

article entitled "Mycotoxins," by Ruth Etzel, PhD, MD

was published in the Journal of the American Medical

Association. Born out of the 9-11 incident and the

subsequent need to learn more about bioterrorism

agents, such as the fungal-derived T2 toxin (a.k.a.

"Yellow Rain), this article did more than educate the

medical readers about chemical warfare. It took the

topic of fungal toxins-mycotoxins-a step further,

saying that these harmful chemicals are not just found

on the front lines of battle grounds. They are just as

easily found on playgrounds. Specifically, they're in

foods that we eat every day (Etzel, R. Mycotoxins.

JAMA, Vol 287, No. 4. Jan 23/30, 2002). The article

was beautifully filled with pearls of information. It

stated that "the primary concern in developed

countries (that's us, folks) is the long-term effects

of ingesting food contaminated with low levels of

mycotoxins," and that carcinogenic toxins, such as

aflatoxin, a by-product of the Aspergillus molds, is a

"common contaminant of peanuts, soybeans, grains and

cassava. It went on to inform us that the Fusarium

mold group of toxins known as the fumonisins "seem to

be universally present in corn and corn-based

products" and that these fumonisins might be linked to

human birth defects such as spina bifida. Another

toxin, called vomitoxin, of the trichothecene group of

mold toxins, causes nausea, headaches, and abdominal

cramps. It's a "frequent contaminant of wheat and

corn." The trichothecenes (try-ko-thee-seens) are

documented to suppress our immune system when they are

consumed in our foods or inhaled in moldy buildings.

Without a properly-functioning immune system, we're at

risk of succumbing to various, infectious and chronic

diseases. Incidentally, fungi preferably invade our

grain food supply because grains-a source of

carbohydrates-are their favorite food.

What's a mold or toxin got to do with my waistline,

you might ask. Let's go a step further. As you see in

the examples above, and as you've read in Doug's

section, antibiotics are simply another group of

mycotoxins. Most antibiotics are, in fact, mold

byproducts. Think of the penicillin that comes from

the Penicillium mold, and cephalexin (Keflex®), which

is derived from Cephalosporium molds. Antibiotics kill

bacteria in low levels, and in overdose situations,

they can kill us. Thousands of mycotoxins have been

studied in hopes of developing new, effective and safe

antibiotics. The antibiotics that make it to market

just so happen to be the ones that will effectively

and safely kill bacteria without causing much harm to

our body. How toxic can mycotoxins be? The lethal dose

of aflatoxin, mentioned above, is a mere 10mg. Think

also of the ravages of chemotherapy. Many chemotherapy

drugs are themselves fungal byproducts that have a

wide range of toxicity, including heart failure,

cancer (ironically) and death.

Let's return to the fungal-derived antibiotics, then.

It's no secret that the agricultural industry has been

using antibiotics in animals for years. Back in 1949,

it was observed that when animals were fed byproducts

of the fungus Streptomyces aureofaciens they had a

tendency to easily gain weight (Lawrence, TLJ; Fowler,

VR. Growth of farm animals, 2nd ed. CAB International.

2002.

CABI-Publishing.org/bookshop/ReadingRoom/0851194849.asp.

Pp320-330- Chapter 15). It was later discovered that

antibiotics were the byproducts that were responsible

for causing the weight gain. With this newfound

knowledge, the feedlot industry was born. To this day,

animals are fed millions of pounds of antibiotics each

year. This is a potential source of human exposure to

growth-promoting antibiotics. And what's not consumed

in our diet is taken care of at the doctor's office,

when we run to the doctor for every sniffle and ear

ache to demand yet another antibiotic. It stands to

reason that the very antibiotics causing weight gain

in animals can cause weight gain in humans. What's

more, it's not enough that we're just over-consuming

these fungal-derived drugs. We're also suffering from

the result of popping these pills, and that is the

secondary fungal and yeast overgrowth that occurs in

our body as a result of knocking out our good,

protective intestinal bacteria with these antibiotics.

These secondary growths of fungi and yeast are now

free to manufacture their own, various batches of

mycotoxins, right in our body (Shah, D, et al. In situ

mycotoxin production by Candida albicans in women with

vaginitis. Gynecol Obstet Invest. 1995;39(1):67-9).

How convenient!

Fungal-derived hormone growth promoters have also been

popular since the 1930's. One, present-day product is

Zeranol®, a commercial form of the Fusarium mold

toxin, zearalenone. Zearalenone-Zeranol-stimulates the

pituitary gland in the brain to produce more growth

hormone, which, in turn, causes rapid weight gain. It

is not a mycotoxin that we screen our grain food

supply for, despite the fact that the highest levels

of zearalenone have frequently been found in North

American cereal grains. Zearalenone wouldn't be so bad

if all it did was stimulate growth. As it turns out,

it also mimics the effects of estrogen. Some other

results of ingesting it can include feminization of

male animals, infertility, precocious (early) puberty

in females, and miscarriages (Council for Agricultural

Science and Technology. Mycotoxins: Risks in Plant,

Animal and Human Systems. Task Force Report No. 139.

Jan 2003).

We could go on. Literally hundreds of mycotoxins,

along with their toxic effects in animals, have been

studied. The fungal contamination of food is a costly

and never-ending battle, and it remains a battle

because of the seriousness of the end result of fungal

contamination of food: the eventual exposure of

animals and humans to harmful mycotoxins. Sick,

cancer-ridden and infertile animals don't yield good

profit for farmers. Sick, cancer-ridden, overweight,

and infertile humans don't yield good profits for

employers and insurance companies, either. Yet,

despite these known, harmful effects of these

chemicals, we still only screen for one, single

toxin-aflatoxin-in our grain foods. And based on

"allowable" levels (20 parts per billion) of aflatoxin

in the grains that have been cleared for human

consumption, it is estimated that we consume, on a

daily basis, between 0.15mg and 0.5mg of aflatoxin per

day. Remember what we said about zearalenone (highest

levels are found in North American cereal grains) and

the effects of the fumonisin and trichothecenes. By

law, we don't have to screen our foods for these other

mycotoxins in America. Remember that. We don't screen

for the vast majority of harmful mycotoxins in our

grain food supply.

And therein lies the secret to why low-carb diets

work. Growth-promoting mycotoxins in the form of

antibiotics and various, hormone-related substances in

grain-based foods- the supposedly healthy foundation

of the USDA Food Pyramid- are the missing factor that

allows participants in all of these, various, low-carb

studies, including the one above, to magically consume

more calories than the low-fat dieters and yet still

loose as much weight as the low-fat consumers. No need

to fret, dieticians and food experts. A calorie is

still a calorie. It's just that some calories-namely

the grains-have been tainted with growth-promoting

contaminants. It has little, if anything to do with

Glycemic index, or ketosis (a physiologic state

achieved when following an Atkins diet, or when

starving), the amount of calories consumed, or insulin

resistance. What causes insulin resistance and

diabetes is a whole, other topic covered in our book,

Infectious Diabetes. Incidentally, look again also at

the effects of some of these grain contaminants, and

you'll also understand why obese persons suffer from

higher rates of cancer and infections and chronic,

degenerative diseases.

So the secret's out. To fully understand nutrition,

you must understand that grains are commonly

contaminated with fungi and their toxins. And thus,

these are some of the steps that we feel that one

should follow in order to achieve quality health and

longevity:

* Minimize your intake of these toxins by avoiding

the more notoriously contaminated grains, such as corn

and peanuts

* Treat obvious, existing fungal infections on the

body (toenail fungus, yeast infections, ringworm)

* Reverse the previous damage done by taking

antibiotics in the past by supplementing with

probiotics

* Include in your diet some of the nutrients and

supplements that minimize or block the effects of the

fungal toxins that happen to make their way into our

body, despite your best intentions. In our book, What

Makes Bread Rise?, we outline what this program looks

like in greater detail.

Sincerely,

Dave Holland, MD

Source: http://www.texasgrassfedbeef.com/science_underscores_grassfed_meats.htm