If Starches Disappeared

The elimination of all or most starches, in one form or another, would seem like a straightforward, logical solution to our dietary ills. We've been advised to do this by the wisdom of two illustrious doctors. 

Let us look further to the realm of the absurd, to a place called science fiction where all carbohydrates are gone or are in short supply. A chaotic, troubling dimension to our lives would be added, I believe, as we indulge ourselves in this rather unsettling scenario and follow it to a logical conclusion, as though part of a science experiment. ...( A simple grain diet 'grew' our first born. He is a strong and healthy human being today and brilliant, too!)

Agricultural land is left barren, for a time, to heal from its former use as a grain repository so other 'unmodified' heritage seeds can be planted in place of the wheat, barley, oats, and other grains we had come to love. Is it possible to grow oranges, apples, grapes in place of these former tenants? Too soon to tell. Will the land and the weather map help heal the soil to allow for other healthier crops to be grown? And what would they be, now? ... 

 

The industry responsible for giving flour mills their inventory and bakeries their purpose, are gone. Farmers' markets are restricted to only fresh produce, no longer able to sell jams, jellies, artisan bread, rolls/ buns, danish pastry, croissants, crusty bread because the sugar and flour they require are not being milled or imported. ... Goodbye hotdog, hamburger, cinnamon buns and homemade doughnuts, and maybe the traditional summer barbecue. There is no sugar for jams, jellies or sauces. Will ketchup be made from processed dates, raisins or figs, for its added sweet taste? Made from scratch is gone from our vocabulary. Honey and maple syrup are still around but including them in preserves causes their prices to skyrocket, to the absurd. Do they now qualify for special status because they came from an insect and a tree? But then, who cares? The bees are dying off at a phenomenal rate because the seeds/flower blossoms they attempt to pollinate are coated in something that kills them. When we mess with mother nature, she bites back!

Canning rarely happens, as sugar, the preservative and flavour enhancer for this centuries-old tradition, is no longer being imported from those countries where it was grown. Artisan breads, homemade pies, and cakes are gone. The raw materials are hard to find plus we should not be eating them, anyway. Bakeries and flour-mills cease to exist. All Culinary Institutes where professional pastry chefs/ cake decorators and sous-chefs train have a reduced student population. Some schools are closing. The demand is low or gone. From there we can safely forget pasta, noodles, rolls, buns, breads - healthy or not. The celebratory nature of anniversaries, bridal and baby showers, birthdays and weddings is curtailed. Special cakes, squares, tarts, flans, cookies, pies and candies are no longer available, anymore. Fruit and veggie platters are now the latest rage or are they? 

Part-time, full-time jobs and careers associated with the carb/grain/dessert industry are slowly disappearing? What would the effect be on society? Since we stopped importing sugar cane and certain starchy foods/products from 'other' countries, their export quotas have dropped. What happens, then, to those countries struggling to cope with this new diminished demand? Good-bye the mixed cocktail. What about beer? (High fructose corn syrup is gone, thank goodness, but that can be done now by mindful 'clean' food choices.) The GNP (gross national product) of all countries is affected, in one way or another The shift begins. But where do we go from here? If there is not enough land to raise the animal protein on 'healthy' grass then how do we feed them and us, now? The grains are in short supply or gone.

Starches have fed populations throughout history. It is cheap, nutritious food. ... Rice and potatoes are some of the common starch staples that have given life to billions around the world. Some plant foods are endowed with cheaper sources of protein called incomplete and complete protein. We have vegetables and fruits, in abundance, with varying costs to match. We have a host of dried legumes/ beans- black, kidney, black-eyed, white pea beans, barley, lentils, to name a few, that must be hydrated over a few hours, then slow-cooked, for long periods of time, to access their 'digestible' nutrient content. Who will bother with these very cheap protein packs? Who has the time? We have been told to get rid of most or all of the carbs because their starches are harming us. Now what? 

 

Animal protein is expensive and not affordable or desired by many. Ditto for the cost of seafood. But then these delicious morsels of the deep have mercury in them, we are told repeatedly, so we should not be eating them, anyway. Eat healthier, we are strongly reminded, by both doctors. Stay away from starches. Where does the average person buy the grass-fed animal protein, the holy grail of animal protein? Is the grass laden with pesticides, too, and not an option, anyway? Not all stores carry these specialty meat products, at affordable prices. Let's get real. Are we creating a have/have not world of food now? We all have to eat. Now what?

If modern grains are the bad guy, then organic should be a healthier choice? Momsey uses organic, supposedly the way food used to be grown, whenever she can. Organic flour, sugar and oats are her staples. Onions, carrots and romaine lettuce, too. If carbohydrates, in all forms, are in short supply or gone then we are faced with fewer jobs, more unemployment, civil unrest, perhaps, and greater economic instability, globally, too. ... 

 

Health issues, on a grander scale now enters into the debate. Can we all afford to eat what remains? Is there enough food to feed us all? How does the elimination of thousands of 'carb related' positions in the manufacturing, wholesale and retail sectors, and carbs themselves, aid in our total health? Mental health, as well as our physical health, is now at stake. But at least the carbs are gone because they are not readily available, anymore. The market has shrunk or disappeared because we were told to stop eating them. So we did. And then it happened. But this is just science fiction, after all.

It is odd how information travels the globe in this incredible medium called the web. As I 'travelled', looking for more facts on starches, their significance in keeping us alive during times of political upheaval, strife and famine, a link kept popping up, repeatedly. It was about the thyroid gland, the most misunderstood gland in our body, yet the one that holds the greatest power over our total health, after our brain and heart. What could I possible learn now, at this stage, about my hypothyroid condition? I wanted facts on starches. I wasn't looking for anything else! What happened next shook me to my core, altering the course of my thinking on grains and their role, as food, in our diet.

In the 60's, potassium bromide replaced its cousin, potassium iodide, in the role of softening and conditioning commercial dough. Iodine is a critical element in healthy thyroid functioning. The former 'star' attraction in bread dough, potassium iodide, was now gone. But in 1994, bromide was banned in Canada, however. Should we now be grateful? When potassium bromide is present, an iodine assault begins, affecting our thyroid and its simple mechanized system of making other critical thyroid hormones. This continual domino effect tampers with and ultimately sabotages the proper functioning of all our organs. The master thyroid suffers the most, then the weight gain begins.  When does it end? ....(More on this. later)

There's no magic why we have a worldwide diabetes and obesity epidemic. Our bodies simply can't cope with the deluge of suspicious things being placed in our 'healthy' store-bought bread and other processed foods to improve their appeal. ... But let us not fault grains and our decision to include them in our diet without adding a hint of conspiracy theory to the unending chemical soup that is deliberately being added in commercially made breads to 'help out'. We are not scientists, of course. But buying a loaf of bread should not be fraught with danger! Get me out of here.

Soon:  'The 'Simple Loaf of Bread'......