CEREAL MAKES YOU UGLY AND DUMB

One factory food product that I pick on repeatedly in Death by Supermarket is cereal. Cereal is ugly food. There is no factory food today that contributes more to our collective malnutrition than cereal. People don’t generally relate to the word “malnutrition,” yet many Americans suffer from it.

Image: Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Before WWII much of our population suffered from malnutrition due to lack of food, which manifested in emaciation, depression, lowered I.Q., disease and ugly death. Since WWII our food chain has become permeated with science fiction foods, diets and drugs we are now suffering from a new type of malnutrition that manifests in obesity, depression, lowered I.Q., disease and ugly death. Americans’ mass malnutrition has resulted in a lowering of our I.Q. Just look at the inane TV shows that are so popular if you don’t think Americans are getting dumber.

Grains were not part of Paleolithic (hunter/gatherer) diet for millions of years, and were not eaten by humans until 10,000 years ago when agriculture first developed. Prior to that time, humans consumed carbohydrates in relatively indigestible forms in nuts, berries and roots. In other words, grains are a relatively recent addition to our food chain and physiology, and refined grains are brand new. But ten thousand years seems like long enough for human physiology to adjust to whole grains as part of the diet. Given that we understand that whole grains are part of a healthy diet, food companies like to capitalize on this belief. For example, Post, which produces Honey Bunches of Oats, Oreo Os, Pebbles, Post Toasties, Honeycomb—and “healthy” cereals like Shredded Wheat and Raisin Bran—actually bills their cereal company as “whole grain experts for over 100 years.” And so we accept refined grain products as “whole grain.” Taking it a step further, Americans have been told by food manufacturers that products like Eggo Homestyle Waffles, Pillsbury Enriched Wheat Bread, Sunshine Krispy Saltines, and cereals like Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, Post Banana Nut Crunch and Rice Krispies are good for us because they are made from “enriched” grains (i.e., refined flour). In the immortal words of nutritional pioneer Adele Davis, “Such flour is ‘enriched’ just as you would be enriched by someone stealing 25 dollars from you and returning 99 cents.”

Why not make your own cereal that tastes just as good as the store bought garbage and is also good for you and for your brain? My two favorites are Hippie Girl Granola and Bircher-Muesli.

Hippie Girl Granola
1/4 cup each raw, organic pecans, walnuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds,
or nuts and seeds of your choice
1 cup organic rolled oats
1/8 cup coconut oil, melted (or more if the mixture is not moist enough)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1/8 cup unrefined, organic honey
1/8 cup organic currants
(or any dried fruit—figs, raisins, pineapple, apples, bananas)

Pre-heat oven to 350°. In a medium-sized bowl, combine all ingredients except currants, which become teeth-shatteringly hard if you bake them too long. Spread over a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Stir and bake another 20 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in currants or other dried fruit. Bake another 10 minutes. Remove and cool. Keep in airtight container.

BIRCHER-MUESLI

1/4 cup each walnuts and pecans or nuts and seeds of your choice
1 cup whole, plain, organic yogurt
1 cups organic rolled oats
1 cup raw or organic milk
1 chopped apple
1 chopped banana
1 cup chopped strawberries
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup unrefined, organic honey

In a large bowl combine all ingredients. Cover and leave overnight or another eight hours. Add more milk if necessary to thin.

Om Shanti,
Your girlfriend in health,

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