10,000 years.
Does that seem like an eternity to you? If so, you’re not alone.
Yet, 10,000 years is the number most often quoted by doctors, scientists and other experts, when explaining why grains – especially wheat – are a relatively new addition to the human diet.
You might be thinking, “How can that be? Haven’t humans been eating grains for most of their existence?”
How can something so abundant, and so integral to your diet, be harmful?
It’s what we call an ‘evolutionary mismatch’.
In other words, much of our modern lifestyle is based on products and foodstuffs that the human body isn’t designed to digest or otherwise process.
This includes chemicals and a host of other modern ‘conveniences’ that, in the long run, do us more harm than good – even though societies have seemingly thrived on grains for thousands of years.
That said, there’s a lot of talk in the media these days about threats to the environment, and whether the EPA will survive our current political climate.
Without getting overly dramatic – or political – about this state of affairs, here are some simple steps you can take to protect your health.
Starting today!
Knowledge is Power
What if government oversight of the environment and our food supply were to disappear overnight? What then?
Would you still know how to make the right decisions for yourself and your family – independent of government safeguards?
Once you know the answers, the process is very straight-forward – you just need to know what to look for.
For starters, in both my newly released “A Gluten Primer – Everything You Wanted to Know From A-Z” and “The Skinny On Weight Gain” – I break down the connections between environmental toxins and your health, in easily digestible sound bites.
By arming yourself with the right tools you’ll have all the information you need to make smart choices.
Gluten & Your Body
Even though human beings have only consumed wheat for the past 10,000 years or so – that’s but a blip in time.
When it comes to the evolution of mankind, your human DNA is no different than what it was for your primitive ancestors – you’re still genetically programmed the exact same way.
This is where the mismatch comes in – whether dietary, or evolutionary.
Does this mean that gluten is harmful to everyone? No, not necessarily. (I explain more about that here). But a great many people are better off without it.
How do you know if that person is you?
- Educate yourself. I share all about Gluten – plus inflammation, leaky gut & more – in my newly release “A Gluten Primer – Everything You Wanted to Know From A-Z”
- Get the RIGHT TESTS! The newest test on the market is called Wheat Zoomer. Aside from it’s state of the art technology & highly accurate results – the beauty of this test is that it looks at MANY of the proteins in wheat (rather than just Gliadin – the standard default on most labs & the reason WHY most test results aren’t accurate)For more info on getting set up with Wheat Zoomer, contact me here.
- If running tests are not an option for you, due to out-of-pocket expenses – no worries! You can try an Elimination Diet There are plenty of books on the subject, and information available online. And remember: you also have me as a resource!
Labeling Laws
This is as straight-forward as it sounds!
Assuming that current label laws don’t disappear anytime soon, once you know how to read labels, and what to look for – that’s half the battle right there!
In general, foods are listed in the ingredients according to the amount present in that particular item. For example, if the first ingredient is ‘Sugar’ (or a derivative thereof) – this tells you there’s more sugar than anything else in that food!
If you’re holding a jar of honey, that’s to be expected!
But if it’s a jar of peanut butter, and there appears to be more sugar than nuts – that’s cause for suspicion.
Organic labels offer protection.
Are organic foods really better?
For one thing, when you consider that organic produce has been grown without pesticides, or that organically raised animals have not been fed GMO-corn and antibiotics – that’s a big deal.
Organic foods are non-GMO – or genetically modified foods – something you want to avoid as much as possible, since research indicates significant harm for humans, as well as plants and animals. (Conversely, just because a food is labeled non-GMO doesn’t meant it’s organic!)
A common argument with organic produce and other foods, is the costs.
My counter-argument is to try and look at the costs in a different way. Instead, weigh this against the benefits to your health – and the likelihood your healthcare costs will go down as your health improves!
Plus, there are ways to navigate around this. Be sure to check out the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 lists available at Environmental Working Group website.
This way your can tailor your budge to work for you, in a way that really counts!
Chemicals & the Like
This is a huge topic, and I’ve written about it extensively here and here.
What could possibly be the problem?
The sad truth is that the vast majority of chemicals have not been checked for safety.
This is why it falls upon YOU to know what you’re buying – especially since there are thousands of environmental chemicals – in your food, drugs and the environment at large- that have become such a common part of your 21st century life.
This is also where something called the precautionary principle comes into play – which means erring on the side of safety, rather than take undue risks.
While the precautionary principle is practiced In Europe and elsewhere, U.S. regulations are still based on “innocent until proven guilty”.
That’s the bigger – or macro – picture.
In your home, you want to go micro. This means making the necessary changes that are easy and affordable – all within the privacy of your home.
And not having to worry quite so much, of what’s going on outside your kitchen window.
Want to learn more?
My newly released “A Gluten Primer – Everything You Wanted to Know From A-Z” – a series of educational videos, plus a full-length tutorial – offers the most comprehensive guide I’ve created to date!
Find out how to take matters into your own hands – and regain:
- Your health
- Your vitality &
- That spark for life that’s been missing up till now!
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