To Care for the Whole Self, Eat the Whole Grain

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I Need Some

Good Stuff...

Seattle, Washington - In the not-so-distant future...

Bleary-eyed and soggy, you step into the small diner and take a look about. This can't be right - it's nothing more than a mom-and-pop joint with a dozen or so stools at the counter and 3 or 4 booths along the wall. You check your notes. Hmm... Yeah, Paul's Pantry.

You sidle on up to the counter, order a cup of coffee and ask, as casually as you can with your heart banging around your chest, if Paul is around. The waitress gives you the once over and, before she can ask, you volunteer, "Artie sent me." She leans in close, gives a nod of her head and you follow her into the back where Paul, a spry 64-year-old, greets you with a handshake that makes you wince in pain.

When you tell him you've heard he has the "good stuff" he asks to see the cash. You pull back the flap of your knapsack and give him a peak. Satisfied, he leads you through a dark labyrinth, throws open a door and you step into nirvana. You've never seen so much "good stuff" in all your life.

Mounds of rolled oats - hundreds, maybe thousands of pounds. Piles and piles of bran, bulgur, couscous and quinoa. It's absolutely mind blowing. Since the GMO cross contamination disaster of 2017 whole grains have been about impossible to come by. Governments and big business joined forces to insist that virtually all foods be ground to a pulp, flushed through a high heat purification process and sterilized with antimicrobial solutions. If it weren't for the organic underground the bowl of oatmeal would be history...

Is this the future? Not if we know what's good for us.

Recent research reports that consumption of whole grain cereal has an amazing impact on heart health. The study followed a group of physicians over a 24 year period and revealed that those who consumed whole grain cereal multiple times each week had a much lower risk of heart failure.

The differences are quite impressive. Those consuming whole grain cereals 7 or more times per week - yes, this is certainly the dedicated group - were 28% less likely to develop heart failure. Those consuming whole grains 2-6 times each week still had a 22% lower risk. Even the slackers - those who ate whole grain cereals only ONE time per week - enjoyed a 14% reduction in risk. Wow...

So, be careful with your future. It begins today when you reach into your pantry for breakfast. And, if you're smart, you'll reach for the "good stuff.'

To read more about the study, see this from Foodconsumer.org. To read more about whole grains, see this from the Mayo Clinic.