Refined Grains

This post is mostly for me.

On June 2 I had surgery, which gave me plenty of time to rest. While resting, I tore though and reread my favorite nutrition books by Drs Fuhrman, Esselstyn, Campbell, McDougall and Lisle.

I became aware of something I've been doing glaringly wrong in my diet. Though for the most part, I've been a vegan, I've always eaten lots of refined grains. (Even though time and again, I read refined grains aren't good, I still harbored the idea that refined grains really aren't that bad for me. Boy, was I ever wrong.) And I've always wondered why my blood pressure was high, cholesterol higher than what I would like, and triglycerides higher than what I liked too. It was all related to eating a diet with lots of refined carbohydrates, including beer.

Since my surgery, I've gotten very little exercise, no aerobic exercise, but have eaten the most healthy ever in my life. All from eschewing refined grains in favor of whole grains. My blood pressure dropped immediately along with my weight. I will stay on this path of eating and then get my cholesterol and triglycerides tested later. I'm really looking forward to getting tested.

I realize my diet is what most would call a spartan or very strict diet. It definitely is. Does all my food taste good? The answer is no. Do I care? No.

But now that I've come upon this new found knowledge, it's left me with a few answers along with a few questions.

One of the answers is that if we look at other animals, none suffer obesity. No Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers for the thousands of birds that we see flying overhead. No billions of dollars spent on which diet is the right diet. They eat till full. Just as if we eat the foods that our body was intended for, we'd never have to count calories either--never, ever again.

Also another answer--obesity is not our fault. Anyone who eats the standard American diet, will eventually either be overweight, or they just have a body type in which they're blessed. While the diet should consist of mainly whole grain foods, examine the foods that you eat and others around you. It is comprised mostly of foods containing little to no fiber. With a steady diet of fiberless foods, one can't help but gain weight. And it's not your fault. It is ingrained in our culture and our customs to eat fiberless foods.

A question I have is that since my diet is spartan, and so different than everyone else, will I be able to maintain this diet? I certainly don't fit in. "Here Mike, have a piece of bread". No thank you. "Here Mike, have some of this meat". No thank you. Wow, aren't you a lot of fun to be with. I want to make sure I invite you next time we go out.