Most people agree that good health begins with eating more whole, living and natural foods and less processed foods. This can be challenging as processed foods have taken over the grocery store shelves.
Food Scientists and Doctors agree that whole grains are the missing link in most people’s diets. They provide a powerhouse of nutrition including vitamins, minerals, essential fats and good carbohydrates. They help make our cell membranes soft and permeable so that nutrients can enter our cells and waste can exit our cells – this is key, as this is how energy is produced in our bodies!
However, a nutritional problem arose when Flour Mill began processing our grains and extracted the good oils from our food to make it last longer on the shelves. Due to this lack of grain oil in our food (called lipids and sterols), we have become a nation where chronic fatigue is reaching epidemic proportions. How many people do you know who are tired of feeling tired?
Some food sources containing these good oils you could try to incorporate in your diet include: soy, kamut, spelt, millet, quinoa, oats, amaranth and rye. (Some of these require hours of soaking and boiling just to prepare them to eat or use in recipes.)
Our hectic lifestyles make it almost impossible to eat enough of these whole grain lipids and sterols to receive the health benefits. An investigation on chronic fatigue done by Doctors at Presbyterian Hospital in California concluded that lack of lipids and sterols from whole grains resulted in low energy, glandular problems, thyroid issues, hormone imbalances and premature aging.
The benefits of adding these lipids and sterols, according to a study done at Texas A & M University, include: better use of nutrients, an improved response to stress, better cardiovascular development and an increase in energy levels.
It is wise to “bridge the gap” between the nutrients we should be consuming and those we actually consume by choosing a good quality supplement containing those critical lipids and sterols.
By trying to incorporate more whole grain lipids and sterols into your diet and supplementing to bridge the gap, you are taking the first steps in working on your wellness now, instead of your illness later.