Cholesterol is good for you, gluten is not, processed food is bad and fresh and local fruits and vegetables are good. We are what we eat or what our ancestors ate.  That’s what the National Geographic Magazine says, in a series of articles on the world’s food supply, that started in June.  These articles are science based fact packed dynamos of nutritional information.  My ears are always tuned to getting good nutritional food, especially that tastes good and taste is very important to me.  That’s OK to give into once in a while, but I and you need to remember that food is more than something to put in your stomach when you’re hungry.  What you eat and your life style can prevent most diseases, so you need to pay attention to what you put in your stomach.  It and you can cause many diseases of our civilization (heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer) that people suffer from. There is no evidence of these diseases in our ancient ancestors and those were not known to them. Their diets contained lots of red meat and unprocessed fruits, vegetables, seeds and grains.
    Scientists say (ref. Sep 2014 N.G.M.), that the apes from whom we descended had brains that grew larger giving them the ability to follow and perform habits, methods and practices that led to farming, tool making, and more.  This growth and development required a meat rich diet to accomplish that. That means to me that eating meat nowadays is good for you and your brain, but not eating meat is bad, plus finding an array of food types that contain all seven essential amino acids is very difficult, so veganism is flat dangerous.
    Dr. David Perlmutter, natural medicine neurologist, has a clinic in Naples, Florida, and has been very active in publishing his findings in peer-reviewed medical journals. He's also a fellow of the American College of Nutrition. He says animal fat is good for the brain and gluten is bad. His findings and beliefs are described  in the following site:  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/09/29/dr-perlmutter-gluten.aspx.  He says, animal fat is needed by the brain, but that is also the source of cholesterol. We’ve been told for years that cholesterol is bad for us, but there are two kinds: LDL is bad and the HDL type such as that in eggs is good. Perlmutter does not distinguish between them, though. He also says, gluten is a catalyst for allowing bad stuff to get into the brain, which causes dementia and Alzheimer's and it affects correct functioning of your immune system.  Alzheimer's is currently at epidemic proportions, with 5.4 million Americans, including one in eight people aged 65 and over, and there is no cure! His research suggests the best hope is in prevention focusing on exercise and diet, specifically replacing carbohydrates with higher amounts of healthful fats, and moderate amounts of meat. Also, he says, fermented vegetables cause the digestive system to function correctly because they contain good bacteria to assist this. For years I have been eating a regimen of whole grains, soybeans and sun flower seeds for breakfast to obtain a healthy amount of vitamins, minerals, plus some good fat & carbohydrates, and fiber. This was promoted by Dr. Gabe Merkin, noted University of Medicine professor who also had a radio show on nutrition on WRC, a station in Washington D.C., during the 1970s & ‘80s.  My breakfast is inexpensive and tastes good. I cook the mixture very much like you would oat meal and add fresh fruit or a soft boiled egg for additional flavor. Now Dr. Perlmutter says, gluten is bad and the wheat, barley, rye and oats that are in my breakfast all contain gluten.  Will I stop, probably not, but I have avoided processed foods; especially, anything made with the carbohydrate-laden white flour, white sugar and/or fructose corn syrup. The benefits of the fiber (I don’t need prune juice) in the whole grains outweigh the risk, I think. There are grains that don’t contain gluten such as:  flax, rice, quinoa, amaranth, corn and millet.  I may switch to them, but they are harder to find and more expensive. I like cured meats, bacon, sausage, salami, bologna, and all those other lunch meats that go into a good sub or Italian cold cut, but the nitrosamines contained in them will cause cancer! So I eat them sparingly.
    Aquaculture Farm raised fish takes a pound of feed to produce a pound of meat; where as 7 lbs of feed is needed to produce a pound of beef, 3 lbs. of feed produces and a pound of pork and it takes 2 lbs. of feed to produce a pound of chicken. (ref. June N.G M.). The ­­­­September issue, describing alternative food and protein sources, states that the feed to edible portion of crickets and insects is less than two pounds of feed to one pound of edible protein.  Gee, will we soon be eating insects? Probably powdered or supplements, like textured protein.
    While I’m on a roll, here’s another thought: The term organic is generally meaningless except that it raises the price. The producer has no idea if chemicals such as DDT were used in the fields years ago where the animals graze or produce is grown and if so, the residue is still around,; so buy fresh & local.
    Eat lots of fruits and vegetables of many colors, that assures a variety of vitamins and nutrients. Eat a diverse diet packed with whole foods, leave the processed stuff on the shelf, pass the fast food restaurants and limit your intake of meat. Eat lots of fish and seafood. It’s lower cholesterol than other meat. The NGM mentions the Mediterranean Diet is very close to this and the way to eat.
     Confused? Try this: As the slogan displayed in Key West’s Green Parrot says,  “Access in Moderation and Julia Childs, French Chef Extraordinaire, said moderation is the way to eat. As my accompanying photos show, I enjoy tasty food, but not always what I should be eating, but I do it in moderation.
Bob R  o.c.FotoGuy more photos @
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