"The large quantities of unprocessed carbohydrates typically eaten by the hunter-gatherers provided much of the energy needed for hunting and gathering -- high-fiber fruits, primitive forms of leafy vegetables, root vegetables (such as yams and sweet potatoes) and contained abundant micro-nutrients. Since these are digested slowly and have a low glycemic index, early humans avoided the problem of large amounts of glucose being dumped into the bloodstream at once. Exposure to large glucose loads (50-60% calories in the modern diet), creates insulin resistance, leading to such ailments as obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Nutritionists at the Harvard School of Public Health have publicly criticised the food pyramid since this places breads, cereals, rice and pasta at its base and recommends that we consume 6-11 servings of these items daily and because it fails to distinguish between refined and complex carbohydrates and their relative glycemic responses. Dr. Willett further pointed out that there was little empirical evidence to support the dominant nutritional message that diets high in these foods promote good health[50]. Ironically, whole grain cereals espoused by nutritionists are devoid of vitamin C and beta carotene (except for yellow maize). They have poorly absorbable vitamin B6, and the phytate levels in grains impairs the absorption of most of the divalent minerals- calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc[51,52]. Although they contain intrinsically higher nutrient levels than do refined cereal grains, the biological availability of nutrients in whole grain cereals remains paradoxically low because of their high anti-nutrient content[51]. Wheat based starch has endogenous alpha amylase inhibitors which not only effectively inhibit salivary amylase but also influences pancreatic amylase secretion[53]. Legumes, soy and potatoes were notably absent from the Paleolithic diet. Legumes are poisonous if eaten raw and they are high in lectins, protease inhibitors and phytates. The high lectin content of whole grain cereals can bind enterocytes in the small intestine and cause villous atrophy in addition to changing tight junction characteristics thereby allowing intestinal antigens (both dietary and pathogenic) access to the peripheral circulation. Lectins have been identified as inflammatory and toxic and have a causal relationship with auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Type 1 diabetes and lupus[54-58]. Furthermore, the presence of trypsin inhibitors in legumes and grains interferes with the breakdown of proteins into amino acids and increases pancreatic cholecystokinin levels and leads to pancreatic enlargement. Both alpha-amylase inhibitors (cereals & legumes) and trypsin inhibitors (legumes) are not fully denatured by normal cooking processes[56, 59]. Commercially available soybean products retain 5-20% of trypsin inhibitors[59]. Therefore, vegetarians seeking protein from legumes may actually be making their protein deficiency worse. Furthermore, the soy industry has be pushing the benefits of soy with the result that most processed foods contain soy additives, lacing our food with possible toxins which at best will result in gastrointestinal problems and mineral deficiencies and at worst could induce an auto-immune response in biologically susceptible individuals[56, 57, 59, 60]."
Posted on: Fri, 05 Jul 2013 08:11:11 +0000
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