Just The Facts
Although it has been several years since the 60-Minutes special on television that attempted to convince Americans that the reasons the French had less heart disease was because they drank red wine and ate cheese, I wonder how many people never got the “rest of the story”. The “rest of the story” being that the French may drink more red wine (also the reason they die of automobile accidents, liver disease, and esophageal cancer at astronomical rates), and they do eat more high fat cheese than Americans, but their total fat intake is less than the American diet. The French diet is based on grains, fruits, and vegetables.
Every block has a bakery and a fresh fruit and vegetable stand. .

The lesson?
Farmers in the American heartland know how to produce the healthiest of all food items: GRAIN. Grains, when left as much as possible in their natural state (minimal processing), fill almost all of the nutrient essentials as we know them today. The grain’s essentials:
* Fat - very low
* Protein - minimal
* Sodium - almost none
* Fiber - high
* Carbohydrate - very high (clean burning energy)
Grains in Meals
1. Breakfast: whole grain hot cooked cereals or whole grain cold boxed cereals
2. Lunch: rice and pasta dishes such as spaghetti, macaroni, and pasta salads
sandwiches made with whole grain breads

3. Dinner: rice and pasta dishes with vegetables or small bits of meat
pizza made with tomato-based sauces and NO fat cheeses
corn and wheat tortilla that are no-salt and baked, rather than fried