The book Energy of starch read
John McDougall, physician and nutritionist and medical dissident, has opposed the financial interests of the pharmaceutical and medical business and the well-known but misconceptions about the right food for thirty years. In his book The Energy of Starch, he cites facts about the dangers of animal foods and describes the benefits of a starchy diet.
Your body can only handle a certain amount of protein, fat, cholesterol, sulfur-containing amino acids, and dietary acids. When you consume more of them than your body can use, convert, neutralize, or excrete, these surpluses begin to behave like poisons.
In the typical Western diet, these toxic by-products build up in your body on a daily basis. Compared to starches, animal products contain too many harmful food elements.
Not only are these poisonous ingredients harmful in themselves, but also the effect they produce tends to accumulate. Eating too much protein, methionine, and dietary acid weakens our bodies over time. Excess fat and cholesterol consumed clog arteries and increase the risk of cancer.
In fact, each of these five elements is found in animal food in much greater quantities than we can use and remove from the body. Let’s take a close look at each of these potential poisons.
If protein intake exceeds the daily requirement, our body begins to look for a way to get rid of the excess. The main route is through the liver and kidneys. Some people may notice a strong smell of urea coming from their sweat and urine, one indicator of excess protein. (It’s not the only amino acid that can be identified by smell: most of us know the characteristic asparagine smell that adds to the smell of urine after eating asparagus.)
Excess protein does its job, even if we feel strong and healthy. On average, over 70 years of life, kidney function can drop by a quarter just by following a diet high in protein. If there are already disturbances in the functioning of the liver and kidneys, excess proteins accelerate the processes leading to functional organ failure. Excess protein also damages bones. Every time we double our protein intake, we increase the amount of calcium excreted in the urine by 50%, which increases the risk of osteoporosis and kidney stones.
A 2007-2008 report on the obesity epidemic in the United States found that 68% of adults are overweight and their body mass index (BMI) ranges between 25 and 30, while the normal BMI is 18,5. 24,5-33,8. Every third (30,9%) is obese and has a BMI above XNUMX. (To calculate BMI, you need to divide a person’s weight in kilograms by their height in meters squared.)
The body easily processes fat from food and stores it in its own fat cells. We also store excess fat in our liver, heart, and muscles. The accumulation of fat in these organs is a sign of a condition called insulin resistance, which in turn leads to heart disease, strokes, and type XNUMX diabetes. Being overweight puts an increased strain on the joints, leading to osteoarthritis of the hip and knee. Excess fat and body fat consumed alter all cellular metabolism and may contribute to the development of some cancers.
Cholesterol is mainly found only in animal products – it is present in small quantities in plants. Like all animals, we synthesize all the cholesterol we need on our own. Unfortunately, our body is not very good at getting rid of its excess. We can only withdraw a small part of the amount that we produce. If the amount of cholesterol increases even more due to the consumption of animal food, its excess will be deposited in our skin and tendons, as well as in the arteries, which is the main cause of vascular diseases of the heart and brain, which lead to heart attacks and strokes. Also, cholesterol can contribute to the development of cancerous tumors.
Sulfur-containing amino acids, which are abundant in meat, poultry, fish, eggs and cheese, cause a number of problems. The familiar foul sulfur smell we associate with rotten eggs is perhaps the easiest to spot. The increased sulfur content in the body causes bad breath, sweat odor and offensive bowel movements. The sulfur-containing amino acid methionine, obtained with animal food, is converted into another amino acid – homocysteine, which increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes, blood clots in the veins, the development of diseases of the arteries of the lower extremities, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and depression. Sulfur promotes the growth of cancer cells, is toxic to intestinal tissue and causes severe colitis
Ultimately, we convert sulfur-containing amino acids, including methionine, into sulfuric acid, one of the most active in nature. Active food acids dissolve bones and promote the formation of calcium kidney stones.
Animal products are high in dietary acids. After they enter the body along with food, our bones begin to release alkaline compounds from their reserves – carbonate, citrate and sodium, which are necessary to neutralize these acids in order to maintain a certain acid-base balance in the body, which is necessary for normal life. Over time, this process makes bones more fragile and leads to osteoporosis. Acids from animal products also increase levels of the steroid hormone cortisol in the body, which causes bone loss.
Thus, chronic overuse of dietary acids in meat, poultry, fish, and cheese ultimately forces you to literally flush your bones down the toilet.
The road to detoxification is paved with starch
By cutting back on animal foods (or completely eliminating them from your diet), you can instantly help your body get rid of the poisons listed above. It will also significantly reduce the risk of infections caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites, and prion diseases (such as mad cow disease). The best solution is to replace toxic foods with whole grains, legumes, and starchy vegetables – foods that provide us with the nutrients and calories we need to keep us energized and satiated. Even if you already show signs of illness caused by excess consumption of meat, poultry and eggs, there is hope.
Starch is a great chance for your body to heal itself naturally.
The book You will find a detailed explanation of the starchy diet and 100 hand-picked delicious and delicious recipes to keep you and your family satisfied and healthy.