Grain Brain / Wheat Belly - Thoughts from GFY?
 

Grain Brain / Wheat Belly - Thoughts from GFY?

I haven't read either fully, and I'm about 49 pages into Grain Brain, I just want to get peoples thoughts on either of, or both of these books.

Grain brain seems very interesting, haven't read any of wheat belly but have been avoiding bread and have lost weight (could be because fasting also).

There are a few questions I have so far, after only 49 pages.....

1. The suggestion of red meat as a go to food worries me, isn't that linked to colon cancer?

2. Fruit juice = avoid - I've not long started juicing as part of my daily routine, surely there are too many good thing in a mixed fruit and vegetable juice to pass up?Such as, Vitamins, Enzymes and antioxidants?

There are probably others, just a couple off the top my head.

Have not read either of those two books but it sounds like they are part of the paleo/ primal style of diets. I have been following the primal blueprint lifestyle for a couple of years now. Healthiest I have ever been.
1- colon cancer links were debunked a long time ago. Just remember that animal fat and meat are very nutrient dense. It may be a go to food but you shouldn't necessarily be eating kilos of it. All the info you will ever need is found at marksdailyapple.com

2- juice is mostly water and sugar. Pretty sure the clear majority of the nutrient is thrown out with the pulp. Ditch the juicer and eat the whole fruit/ vegetable.

Quality juicers include the pulp in the juice you receive.

Red meat is bad for you in many different ways. If colon cancer isn't a concern then think about heart disease.

A true paleo diet did not consist of a large amount of red meat. Fish were way easier to catch in abundance without hurting yourself.

Fruit juice from the store is very high in sugar and should only be had in moderation.

Keep in mind books like these are written with very little cited papers to back them up. They go against the grain of what is already established so they will sell based on shock value alone. They stir up the pot.

There are many things to consider when changing your diet. Lets say you have a family history where the men die between 55 and 65 of either heart disease or stroke. Eating a Mediterranean diet can kill you. It is very high in vitamin K which helps your blood to form clots. Eating this diet can cause you to die before your father did when he was eating a meat and potatoes diet with lots of gravy. Your wife on the other hand might flourish with such a diet. Vitamin K also helps regulate bone density. She might beat osteoporosis eating lots of kale, spinach, etc.

There is nothing wrong with reading books and finding alternate food choices, but make sure you do your own homework on how the diet would effect you personally. Looking into your family history is a good place to start.

* Authors note: I had a mini stroke after switching to the Mediterranean diet. I am lucky that it didn't kill me or cause me severe damage. The older you get the more you really need to pay attention to what you are putting inside your body. After my episode I contacted my remaining family members asking them about their own health issues and found out they are all on Warfarin or an aspirin regiment to fight blood clots. Go figure!