Where is the Beef?

Where is the Fish?

Speaking Spanglish, I said to the lady behind the counter at Taqueria San Jose, “I want the steak fajitas, por favor. No crema, no queso, no frijoles, no arroz, no corn. Solamente carne asada, aguacate, salsa, lettuce y cebollas. Gracias.” I wanted beef fajitas with onions, lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, salsa, avocado, and cilantro, with no sour cream, no cheese, no beans or rice or corn. That was it. She looked at me like I was crazy and said, “No beans? No rice? No sour cream? No cheese? No tortillas?!” It did not seem relevant for me to add that I am a doctor who helps chronically ill people who have usually been to more than 8 or 10 other health care providers before nearly giving up hope and coming to see me.

Much of the information in this article has come from Noel Thomas, N.D.’s research paper, “Separating the Wheat from the Chaff.”

Human genetic code and dietary habits have evolved simultaneously over the last 2 million years. Only in the last few thousand years have humans been consuming grains with any regularity. Our reliance on grains has occurred too recently on an evolutionary time scale for our genetic code to adapt to such a fundamental change, and thus, our health has suffered.

Archaeological records display a decline in human health as grain use emerged and replaced other foods. A look at societies consuming the diets of ancient pre-agricultural ancestors reveals superior immunity to infections, chronic disease, and mental illness compared to modern cultures. The invention of mechanized grain mills and automated sifting devices in the latter part of the 19th century further worsened human health by altering the nutritional characteristics of grain.

Cereal grains contain a number of anti-nutrients that contribute to health problems such as impaired mineral absorption, digestive dysfunction, leaky gut, inflammation, and cancer. There is no debate that grains offer inexpensive caloric value and provide convenience as a non-perishable and storable food. However, the predominance of grain-based foods in modern diets is costing us our health. It is recognized that human dependence on grains has created a world situation in which significant health degradation, economic disparity, class divisions, warfare, and environmental insults are some of the negative consequences. Some of the results of our reliance on agriculture are overpopulation, starvation, and ecological destruction due to mono-crop production. In this sense, our reliance on agricultural products is counter to evolutionary survival. An attempt to understand the impact of grains on human health provides an important and revolutionary perspective. Individual choices for our health and our families’ well-being are linked to all of society’s survival.

Our pre-grain ancestors were not afflicted with diseases caused by grains such as osteoporosis, gastrointestinal dysfunction, thyroid disorders, diabetes, and heart disease, to name a few. The introduction of stone tools in the archaeological record was considered the initiation of our human ancestors’ consumption of larger quantities of meat and fat. The tools date back to more than 2.5 million years ago. Much of human evolution occurred during a series of ice ages. Around 90-95% of the last 500,000 years have been glacial periods. Therefore, grain, plant matter, and fruit would not have been available for most human groups in any significant quantity during our evolution. The enlargement of the human brain and the development of our unique digestive tract were only made possible by relying on high-energy and nutrient-dense foods: fat and protein. These foods preferentially formed the bulk of most human diets, and these diets did not change significantly until just a few thousand years ago.

Currently, many people mistakenly feel that eating large quantities of meat is not good for them because they are not able to digest and absorb the meat due to a zinc deficiency, and so they do not feel good when they eat it. Zinc is found in red meat, oysters, and dark poultry. Phytates, compounds found in whole grain breads, cereals, and legumes, inhibit zinc absorption, which leads to lower protein absorption.

To test the consequences of a shift to animal protein in your diet, I would recommend to each of you, The Protein Challenge. Here is how it goes: cut out grains, nuts, seeds, beans, spicy foods, complex carbohydrates, juices, and processed sugars for 6 weeks. During those 6 weeks, eat animal protein every hour that you’re awake, even if you aren’t hungry. Eat meat or fish (even better) and vegetables for each meal. At the end of 6 weeks, you’ll be surprised how you feel.

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