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Rice and Wheat
I just have some advice for those that are considering doing the 10 day brown rice fast. During the fast I was having problems with bloating and constipation.. and it's because rice can be thought of as "binding". It makes a fine paste and sits in your intestines and will be difficult to expel, particularly if you aren't accustomed to eating many grains. I underestimated how much of a problem this might be.
Well, I eat more wheat berries nowadays. They have far more fiber than brown rice and are much chewier which will make them easier to chew 50+ times. They pass through more easily too. Just chew well!
But I was considering that a 10-day wheat fast is a better idea than brown rice, in particular for those of us that aren't orientals. After all, rice is not native to the northeast, the US or Europe. It's not that it should be avoided - but that wheat may be better suited for our bodies. Generations and generations of our families have grown on wheat and that's what their bodies know how to deal with. Rice may be too mushy for us.. and perhaps the small differences in its nutrition may actually nourish those living in the US & Europe and Northern climates much better.
The same goes for sea vegetables and other foreign plants and veggies that we can't pronounce. It doesn't make sense that if we didn't grow up in regions that supplied these foods, that we'd be out of luck when it comes to our health. That's why I would really stay away from shipping strange foods in plastic bags from japan rather than finding out what your local climate has to offer you.
I'm sure brown rice & sea vegetables were great for Ohsawa's body - but ours? It's questionable.
That's just my two cents. Any feedback is appreciated.
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