For some inexplicable reason, the term “whole grain” has become synonymous with healthier eating. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth.
Let’s start out with a quick primer. Grains (a.k.a. cereals) are essentially ground grass seeds. The three primary agricultural grasses are corn, wheat, and rice which collectively provide more than half of all the calories consumed by humans. In addition, these grass seeds constitute the majority of the diets of most domesticated animals that humans rely upon for protein sources (i.e. livestock, poultry, hatchery-raised fish).
The problem with eating ground grass seeds is that they are, well, seeds. And grass seeds are mostly comprised of an endosperm which is essentially pure starch, a complex carbohydrate.
But it gets better…
Since grass seeds themselves are rather difficult to consume and digest, we humans have developed very efficient ways of processing them in order to make them more edible. By far the most popular process is flour milling which involves grinding these grass seeds into a fine powder that can then be used as an ingredient for a variety of food “staples” such as breads and pastas.
However, the problem with flour milling is that the grinding process exponentially increases the surface area of the endosperm (complex carbohydrate). This dramatically raises the immediate exposure to starch content which forces the human body to work overtime converting these higher starch levels into glucose. And the end result is a constant barrage of higher spikes in blood sugar levels which can eventually lead to insulin resistance – and diabetes as the endgame.
And don’t be fooled by the “whole grain” moniker, either. Any products made with flour (ground grass seeds) can have the same effect on blood sugar, whether the flour is produced from whole grains or not. In fact, whole grain wheat bread and white bread can have the same glycemic index. This is primarily due to the fact that whole grain kernels are still mostly starch (i.e. complex carbohydrates).
The key is, your physiology is not optimized for consuming and digesting ground grass seeds. Humans in general have not evolved to eat such high amounts of concentrated carbohydrates, and our pancreases (and adrenals) aren’t fit for the job. Bottom line, our genes aren’t adapted to these foods – so don’t eat them.
Never before in human history have we had such easy access to so much information. However, much of it is useless at best – or counterproductive at worst. So here is my attempt to cut through the pile and extract the real gems.
The following information sources represent what I consider to be consolidated privileged information that will help you optimize your short dance on this planet:
48 Laws of Power- Robert Greene uses various historical examples to effectively illustrate the timeless principles of power and influence.
33 Strategies of War – Also by Robert Greene, this book consolidates centuries of practical wisdom on the eternal subject of managing human conflict.
Your Money or Your Life – First issued in 1993, this book deconstructs the emotional components of money and teaches you to more effectively manage this scarce resource.
Getting Things Done – David Allen provides a “bottom up” approach to managing your life that’s the best I’ve seen so far. While it involves a lot of up front work, the GTD system will substantially increase your overall efficiency in multiple life areas by teaching you a project-based approach to life management.
Complete Works of Shakespeare – Every facet of the human experience is contained within these writings. And no one has yet to have captured it so eloquently as the bard himself. Do yourself a favor and add this to your reference library for life.
Mark’s Daily Apple – Mark Sisson’s comprehensive web site is a veritable treasure trove of valuable advice on how to optimize your overall health and fitness. It’s exceptionally well organized, and there’s a ton of excellent content that’s easily searchable.
The Simple Dollar – Trent Hamm is to personal finance as Mark Sisson is to health and fitness. The Simple Dollar is the most comprehensive source for information on how to optimize your money and material resources. Unlike all the “celebrity gurus” who have unfortunately hijacked this critical topic, Trent provides solid, practical information from a “regular guy” perspective with which we can all identify.
I am currently consolidating all of the dietary and consumption recommendations (along with a lot of other really great stuff) into a forthcoming new media project, Power Law Fitness. Please refer to this site for the most up to date information on this topic. Thanks!
We definitely lucked out on Saturday morning. A combination of higher air temperatures and wavy water the day before had cleared up our swim spot for the most part. The winds had not yet moved in at 7:00am, so we suited up right away to take advantage of the relatively calm water.
Dave had already de-iced Ladder #1 on a previous swim. But he needed to hammer away at the lower rungs as the ice had re-accumulated. I was wearing my brand new H2Odyssey 4mm/3mm surfing wetsuit along with the usual thermo gear on my head, hands, and feet. I opted to go with the Cressi freedivers mask in lieu of swim goggles because I wanted very little of my face exposed to the 33F water.
Four of the Ochoas had come out to watch us make our swim and to wish us good luck. Fortunately, the new wetsuit held up quite well in the freezing water, and I didn’t really experience any immersion shock upon entering the drink. I was also quite pleased with how well the Cressi worked out in these colder temperatures.
Dave and I kept a fairly slow pace and stuck close to the wall. It was pretty slow going because we were essentially swimming in a colloidal mixture of 33F water and 32F (frozen) slush. In fact, as we stopped for a moment at the 1/8 mile point, we noticed that ice crystals had begun to form on our gloves, hoods, and booties. Apparently we were providing an ideal surface area for the formation of ice crystals, so the lake was slowly encasing our extremities in ice.
We pressed on a bit further and then decided to work our way back to Ladder #1. The wind had picked up a bit and was pushing heavier ice and slush in towards the retaining wall. We swam out about 10 meters from Ladder #1, and it was like navigating a kelp bed – but all ice. We figured that was as good a sign as any to call it a day. Fortunately for us, we had a support crew show up to help us de-ice. Chris and his daughter Erin were waiting out at Ladder #1 with a thermos of hot water which they mercifully poured into our gloves and onto our hoods (thanks!).
Once again, if you stayed indoors and moped around all day, you really missed out!
Oprah Winfrey is an excellent case study of what’s broken in the “health and fitness” industry in this country. Despite having unprecedented access to the best information and resources, she has relied on the wrong set of “experts” with regards to her own personal health.
Bottom line: the whole cardio-aerobics-personal trainer-food pyramid paradigm is one big recipe for failure.
It’s not about cutting calories, low-fat dieting or running marathons. It’s about eating the way we were programmed by evolution to eat and moving the way we were programmed to move.
Diver Dave set a new Lake Monster record this morning with a 3/4 mile swim in 34.5F water temperatures. And he had to contend with one pain-in-the-arse afterdrop given the 12F outside air temperatures (no wind chill, thank goodness). In fact, his divers hood froze to the side of his wetsuit upon exiting the water. Go Lake Monsters!
