| ext">Grains were not meant to be consumed by | | | | diet. But because humans really have no evolutionary |
| humans. Actually, grain products can be quite If | | | | history with them, society has encountered major |
| problematic when digested in the human body. And, | | | | problems due to their consumption. |
| you may need to sit down for this one: Grains are | | | | What is pH Balance? |
| largely responsible for the diseases of civilization. | | | | There is something called a pH balance that your |
| Chronic diseases, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, | | | | body strives for in different tissues, and it has to do |
| osteoporosis, auto immune disorders, strokes, and | | | | with how acidic an environment is. For example, your |
| cancer all can be tied back to the consumption of | | | | stomach needs to have a very low pH (or high- to |
| grains. | | | | be able to digest your food. Your blood however, |
| Now, take a deep breath and keep reading because | | | | needs to have a much higher pH, slightly basic |
| this is where it will start to make sense. We have to | | | | (alkaline) environment for you to continue living; in |
| go back quite a ways to understand the problem | | | | fact, your blood is one of the most tightly controlled |
| with grains, about 10,000 years to be exact. You | | | | environments in your body. Your body will fight and |
| see, before then all human beings were | | | | sacrifice other systems to keep it’s pH in the |
| hunter-gatherers. The spent their days hunting | | | | range of 7.35-7.45 (water is 7). |
| animals and gathering fruits, veggies, seeds, nuts, | | | | The Acidity of Grains |
| bugs. | | | | Grains, unlike fruits and vegetables, produce a large |
| Why should our Hunter-Gatherer Ancestry Matter to | | | | amount of acid when digested by the human body |
| us today? | | | | and allowed to enter our bloodstream. This means |
| You are the same as them. That’s right, our | | | | that your body must buffer that acidity to keep the |
| genes (the info in our cells that makes us human) | | | | blood pH in its narrow range, and the major way |
| haven’t changed really at all for the last | | | | your body deals with this acidity is to draw calcium |
| 40,000 years. Therefore, you are designed to eat | | | | from our bones. Calcium is a basic (alkaline) element |
| those same things that our hunter-gatherer ancestors | | | | and if forced to, it will exit our bones to buffer our |
| were eating - things from the earth and in their | | | | blood with a cost to our bone health. Your body has |
| natural state. | | | | a hierarchy, and within that hierarchy blood health |
| Now, have you ever tried to eat a grain in its natural | | | | comes before bone health. This calcium loss due to |
| state? Chances are you have, in the form of corn. | | | | buffering our grain laden diet is a major factor in the |
| You’ll notice if you are observant, that not | | | | pain, suffering and millions we spend each day on |
| much is digested. Other grains such as wheat, rye, | | | | osteoporosis in our country. |
| and barley are also hard to digest in their natural | | | | There are a few other ways your body can deal |
| state and much harder to collect which is a major | | | | with this extra acidity. |
| reason we were not created to eat them. It would | | | | First, it can be stored away from our blood in |
| have taken hours to collect just a few handfuls of | | | | our adipose tissue (fat), making it very difficult to |
| wheat kernels and then eating them wouldn’t | | | | lose unwanted pounds because your body does not |
| have netted many calories or nutrients. | | | | want to have that acid back in the blood stream. |
| About 10,000 years ago, with the help of agriculture | | | | Second, it can be excreted through your skin, |
| and stones tools, humans began harvesting and | | | | producing acne, boils, eczema and a host of other |
| grinding grains. This in a sense was our first | | | | symptoms. |
| processed food and it allowed us access to the | | | | Third, microforms also known as yeast, viruses & |
| calories in the grains. Now, technologies have | | | | unhealthy bacteria thrive in acidity, so the more grains |
| advanced to allow us to produce processed grains on | | | | in a person’s diet, often the more susceptible |
| a large scale, enabling new Whole Grain foods | | | | they are to low grade or repeat infections as well |
| to pop up on our grocery store shelves every | | | | (The pH miracle. Warner books, NY 2002 by way of |
| month. Items like whole grain pasta, cereal and whole | | | | Chestnut Innate diet p 56-58). |
| grain bread have become staples in the American | | | | |