Day 10
I must admit, I find it hard to adjust to eating eggs every day.  In the past, the poor little guys have been given such a bad rap. But now studies are showing cholesterol does not necessarily beget cholesterol.  The processes causing plaque build up in our arteries, leading to heart disease are much more complicated than that.  I feel sorry for all the older gentlemen who gave up their egg breakfast for the sake of their health, when in fact the toast they ate with it were the probable culprits.

The true evidence of the basis of It Starts with Food will be when my main man goes in to have his blood work checked.  He is currently on both blood pressure and cholesterol medicine.  I must say, he is looking quite good and he is pleased to be moving to the smaller belt loop holes.  I will be interested in my cholesterol levels as well.  Since high cholesterol runs in the family, my levels have been borderline high.  One military doctor was ready to start me on medication and another encouraged me to add more “heart healthy” grains, like oatmeal and such, to my diet.

Which leads to the next chapter.  Is it a coincidence when our government created the food pyramid with grains on the bottom, that our country’s weight began to climb, and subsequently cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.

Chapter 10: Grains and Legumes

I mentioned the book Wheat Belly in an earlier post and in the past have tried to cut back, contrary to the food pyramid, on the amount of grain products I consumed.  It is hard, because who doesn’t enjoy a loaf of warm crusty french bread or a pile of fettucini with alfredo sauce?  We’ve been led to believe that a whole grain bagel, a bowl of oatmeal and a turkey sub on a whole wheat roll are healthy meal choices.  Choices I have made in the past.

This chapter is a long and detailed one.  A bit more than I can regurgitate.  It Starts with Food lays out the case on why the authors believe grains may be a culprit in many health issues.  They have determined grains fail all four of the Good Food Standards (see my previous post for the standards).  The chapter describes in detail how refined grains lack most of their original nutrients but still have all their calories.  Additionally, any health promoting substances found in grains can also be obtained from vegetables and fruit.  And apparently, one doesn’t have to have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity for grains to negatively affect the digestive system and create chronic inflammation.
The chapter also includes legumes, which fail three and four of the Good Food Standards. For this reason, both groups are eliminated in the Whole30 day cleanse. It provides the opportunity to determine, through gradual reintroduction, how they affect one’s system in order to make wiser food decisions.

Overall
My energy levels are starting to level out.  A bit tired in the afternoon, but I suspect it was our after midnight bedtime due to finding and investigating the additional water leak.

10 down, 20 to go.