wheat or meat

WHEAT OR MEAT


I was sent a High BS Alert e-mail from a loyal minion, imploring me to read a wheat trashing article over at Rawles site. I would like to take this opportunity to comment on the new format over at Rawles site. The articles he used to post were a lot shorter. Now they are much longer, usually. I think this might have been due to the report coming out that stated readers of specialty publications wished for in depth content whereas readers of generalized publications wanted concise writing. I don’t pretend to be in Jim’s close circle of friends, and I’m not trying to speak for him. Just making the observation that his articles seemed to get a lot fatter the day after I heard that report. I’m not dogging on it, if you hear your readers want a more detailed piece, that’s what you give them. I will say I was ahead of that curve years ago, but it wasn’t because I thought that’s what you wanted. I just love to hear myself talk. But, this does have a point, which is that I personally usually don’t have the time to read his articles now. I can only skim them. Which is what I did to the 3-24-11 article on wheat. If I’m missing a point it was because I didn’t have time to read it at leisure and digest it ( and my advance apologies to all concerned, with this as an explanation rather than an excuse ). To a certain extent, all his points were valid. Wheat protein IS seriously deficient compared to animal proteins. And a high protein diet is far better for activities such as stabbing invading zombies in the head with bayonets or running from a mob of villages. But this also misses unstated issues.

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The article states that wheat is quantity whereas animal protein is quality. I’m not arguing with that. But the reason we eat bread products isn’t because they “are yummy” but because that is western mans best compromise with long term overpopulation problems. Hunter-gatherers can only survive in an environment of extreme low density population. As soon as we passed that threshold, and our usually disasters or wars didn’t bring our numbers back below that, we had little choice but to become semi-vegetarians. In general, populated areas in the west saw the standard diet become wheat and dairy and the east go to rice and soy/fish ( in general, please don’t tell me every indigenous populations diet as if the exception doesn’t prove the rule ). Wheat isn’t eaten because we love pizza crust, it is because it suits our western climates better than other grains. People don’t go after taste, they eat what they can raise. And if people have any choice in the matter, they quickly move to animal flesh. But dairy allows the same animal to continuously give you protein. And the ocean was, at least for ten thousand years or so before exponential population growth finally bite us in the ass, a continuous source of protein for those areas too populated even for dairy animals. And lactose intolerance is not the reason Asians don’t eat dairy. As soon as you introduce microbes to milk the body can tolerate it. The reason was climate and population.

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The anti-wheat article also confused stockpiling with sustainability. His coconut and whey powder diet is fine if the high energy factories are running and the tropical export boats keep chugging along. But once his stockpile is gone, he will have to go back to the wheat and dairy diet he dislikes. Unless he honestly expects that after the crash we will magically rebuild our Oil-In-Wonderland world. How? Ask Japan how easy it is to airlift nuclear power plants, port facilities, bridges and roads from the top secret warehouse where they are seemingly stored at. All you need to do is print up money and things appear as if by magic. See how great it worked for a paltry few slums in New Orleans? Without oil and ore, rebuilding is a myth. And in a world of exploding population and shrinking energy ( with a growing soil infertility thrown in as the cherry on top of that stinking dog turd ) there are none of either to spare. See how simple economics is when you don’t learn to be an idiot by going to college for its study? Your close neighbor can grow wheat, if you can’t. But it is a lot harder to get replacement coconuts. And since any crisis will outlast your stockpile, why aren’t you stocking what you will eventual grow or trade for?

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Next up is the authors dietary knowledge. I grant you that an athlete can benefit from a specialty diet of excessive protein. For short term performance enhancement, that is fine. But long term, the body runs better with no more than half protein as a maximum. Ten to twenty percent fat and the rest carbs. You really need carbs ( blah, blah, yes I know the Native Northerners eat all meat- I ascertain that this is not an optimal diet even if it keeps them alive ). Do I base my knowledge on a medical degree or by being an athletic trainer? No, I base it on the historical fact that people everywhere go out of their way to acquire grains. The Greeks, after doing a wonderful job debasing their soil, were only able to raise grapes and olive oil ( and fish ). A lot of their wars were fought to protect access to wheat traders. The surplus oil was traded for wheat. The Bedouin had plenty of dairy and meat, yet traded for wheat ( and weapons- but that’s another story ). The Roman Empire fell with its wheat trade, but that is more a modern parallel with over population and foreign energy occupation. People don’t go to war because their diet is boring. They go to war to steal or protect the food they need. You need grain in your diet. The point is you must have grain AND animal protein in your diet.

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As I said, the gist of the article was correct, but the points ignored were pretty important. Grain alone is not sufficient. But neither is protein only. It seems that once again too much knowledge in a narrow field claims common sense as its first casualty.

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My e-mail is jimd303@netzero.com
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