Ani's Raw Food Essentials (55 page)

REMEMBER, THERE'S NO
need to be extreme. So, if you prefer using an already baked whole-grain pizza crust, just top it with your favorite raw dairy-free cheeze and sauce, plus toppings. The raw ingredients won't require any additional cooking time, so you can still eat up right away.

AMBER WAVES OF GRAIN

WE ALL
love our breads, bagels, pizza, pasta, breakfast cereals, and pancakes, which have become a staple in the American diet. But, as the book
Dangerous Grains
states, grains are at the root of many serious health issues. Wild grains are hard to eat and were never a part of our human diet until recent agricultural technology was invented. Grain farming requires more effort than hunting or gathering, but grains can be stored for long periods of time, making grains more reliable as a source of food. This enabled humans to settle into more permanent communities.

Most grains today are highly processed, have excessive amounts of sugar and carbohydrates, and are full of toxic pesticides and additives. Processing whole-grain wheat into white flour grinds away its nutrients and leaves behind pure starch devoid of vitamins, minerals, or fiber. Vitamins and minerals are later added back to the flour to make it “enriched.”

Wheat is acid forming and slows down our metabolism. It contains a protein called gluten that creates inflammation in the body and contributes to bacterial imbalance, yeast overgrowth, and food allergies; depletes the immune system; and makes us feel and look bloated and swollen. Even organic whole wheat raises insulin levels, disrupts biochemistry, and impairs our body's ability to lose weight.

Dr. Joseph Mercola, author of
The No-Grain Diet
, says one in every thirty-three people exhibits symptoms of celiac disease, a severe from of gluten intolerance resulting in intestinal complications, and the numbers are continuing to rise. Gluten is an allergen protein in wheat, barley, and rye.

My friend Billy is an organic and permaculture farmer in Portland, Oregon, and he breaks it down for me like this: Grains are mass produced and mono-cropped, meaning the same crops are grown over large areas of farmland every year. This creates a breeding ground for pests because the crops aren't rotated. So, each year, stronger and stronger pesticides need to be used to combat stronger pests. Farming the same crops year after year depletes the nutrients in the soil, while the chemical pesticides and fertilizers provide no nutrients to the soil, nor to the crops grown in it. This is why nonorganic foods contain less nutrient value.

On the other hand, organic gardening and permaculture use broken-down plant materials, microorganisms, and compost to amend the soil, to replenish it, and to put nutrients back into it so the food grown is nutrient dense.

Michael Pollan, author of many books including
The Omnivore's Dilemma
, in his TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) talk describes a farmer who calls himself a grass farmer, rather than a chicken or sheep or cattle farmer. This farmer moves chickens around his farm to help fertilize the soil. The chickens break down the cow manure and help to enrich the soil so it grows healthier grasses, which in turn feed his livestock. Pollan points out that we think that for us to get what we want, nature needs to be diminished. In this example of the farmer, there's actually more soil, more fertility, and more biodiversity created at the end of the season, not less. Says Pollan, “If we begin to take account of other species and the soil, we can take the food we need from the earth and heal the earth in the process. This is a way to reanimate the world.” I couldn't agree more.