Agricultural production

Brian Smith has set up one of the most impressive homesteads seen to date on Doomsday Preppers. Coming from a background of sharecroppers, he has a level of know how with the land that’s in his blood. He has used this to set up cash crops to increase his economic standing, regardless of the state of the economy.

Defensibility

In the event of a total collapse of the monetary system, reverting to barter would be a best case scenario. In the face of raiders, disenfranchised military units and other strong arm types, Brian would have to be ready. Due to the incredible amount of value he has in his homestead, people would be willing to risk a lot to get a hold on it. It’s simple economics.

With the ability to reload 650 cartridges per hour with the supply for hundreds of thousands, Brian is sitting pretty when it comes to defending over time. However, when it comes staffing his defense, the show does not show manpower on his part. Perhaps he could get some close buddies on his team like Ed Peden or even start a neighborhood defense group like Jay Blevins.

While Brian and his family are relatively safe within the confines of their underground shelter, the resources he has worked so hard to develop can be looted in hours by a mob with the will to do so.

Tons of rice

One of the gripes I have with Brian’s food system is the mention of literally tons of rice and beans. While I like a good burrito as much as the next man, there are  some problems with eating a diet containing heavy amounts of grains and legumes.

While rice is free of bad stuff like gluten, it is still a starch with an incredibly high glycemic index. With a glycemic index as high as 72, white rice will basically turn to sugar as soon as it hits your blood, spiking your insulin. Eating a diet largely composed of high glycemic carbs is the fast track to metabolic derangement, diabetes and heart disease.

And tons of beans

Beans are classified as legumes, another group of foods that is avoided on the paleo diet. The main reason you want to stay away from large amounts of beans is because of lectins, a class of chemicals referred to as an antinutrient.

Lectins like phytic acid exist within legumes to prevent early sprouting. The way that they accomplish this is by preventing the absorption of minerals like calcium, magnesium and  iron. Without being able to take these in, the bean can’t grow until the conditions are right.

Not surprisingly, they will do the same thing in the human body. Eating lectins prevents the absorption of minerals the body needs, many of which are deficient in most Americans’ diets. In addition to this, lectins are highly inflammatory to the lining of the gut. This can eventually lead to leaky gut which we have gone over before.