I’ve been toying, off and on, with the idea of eliminating grains for a while. I love them though – they’re delicious in all their slightly sweet, grainy goodness. Still, there’s little reason to incorporate them into the diet on a regular basis with the exception of one: personal preference. I know, I know. I can hear you now: “But they’re good for you!” “But they reduce heart disease!” “But they have fiber!” Here’s a little food for thought: there’s no vitamin or mineral you can get from grain that you can’t get in better quantities elsewhere. So let’s take a look:
Why You Should Go Grain-free
1. If you can get it from grain, you can get it elsewhere.
The big heroes of most grains’ nutrient profile are dietary fiber and B vitamins. Take heed, every grain is different and different grains offer different nutrient profiles. Yet, one thing remains constant: if you can find the nutrient in grain, you can find the nutrient in better quantities in other foods. For example, 100 grams of whole wheat flour contains 44 mcg of folate; however, a 100-gram portion of lamb liver will give you 400 mcg of folate and a 100-gram portion of yardlong beans will give you a whopping 658 mcg per 100-gram portion. Similarly with the B Vitamins niacin and thiamin, while a 100-gram whole wheat flour contains 30% of the RDA for niacin and 32% of the RDA for thiamin, you can find these nutrients in higher quantities in other foods – namely flaxseeds and sesame seeds. Whole grains are often touted as health foods for their fiber content, but you can find dietary fiber in better quantities in other, more nutrient-dense foods. For example: 100 grams of cooked brown rice offers up 1.8 grams of dietary fiber; by contrast, a 100-gram serving of cooked collard greens offers 2.8 grams; 100 grams of raw fireweed contains a whopping 11 grams of dietary fiber and even green peas contain about 5 grams of fiber per serving.
2. Grains aren’t good for your gut.
Intestinal health is critical to your overall health. If you’re gut isn’t healthy, you can’t absorb nutrients from the foods you eat. If you can’t absorb nutrients from the foods you eat, your body is malnourished and is more prone to disease. Grains are associated with a condition called leaky gut syndrome. Tiny particles of grains, when ingested, can slip through the intestinal walls causing an immune response. With your immune system excessively taxed by constantly attacking these out-of-place particles of grain, it cannot effectively fight against true threats like pathogens.
3. You’re probably gluten-intolerant.
If you’re white, there’s a good chance that you’re gluten-intolerant to some degree. Current research estimates that about 1% of the population suffers from celiac disease, an auto-immune condition related to the ingestion of gluten-containing grains like wheat and barley; however, some researchers on celiac disease and gluten intolerance estimate that 30% to 40% of people of European descent are gluten-intolerant to some degree. That’s a lot of people who are regularly consuming a food that makes them sick. (And, yes, I’m one of them.)
4. Grains cause inflammation.
Due to a high starch content, grains are inflammatory foods. The more refined the grain, the more inflammatory it is. For example, unbleached white flour is more inflammatory than whole grain flour; however, whole grains are still moderately inflammatory foods and certainly more inflammatory than other foods like fresh vegetables and wholesome fats. Chronic inflammation is linked to a myriad of degenerative, modern diseases including arthritis, allergies, asthma, cardiovascular disease, bone loss, emotional imbalance and even cancer. Unbleached white flour earns an inflammation factor of -421 or strongly inflammatory on NutritionData.com while whole wheat flour earns an inflammation factor of -247 or moderately inflammatory. Similarly, whole cooked millet earns an inflammation factor of -150 and cooked brown rice earns an inflammation factor of -143 – also moderately inflammatory.
5. Grains are fairly new on the scene.
While still a traditional food, grains are, nonetheless, the new kids on the block. Prior to the advent of agriculture, humans relied on hunting and gathering for their foods. They foraged for wild greens, berries, fruits and other plants. They hunted wild animals. They fished for wild fish. They didn’t plant a garden, or grow any amber waves of grain or, for that matter, drink dairy from domesticated animals since there simply wasn’t any domesticated animals. Humans survived like this from the development of the appearance of the first homo sapiens sapiens about 47,000 years ago to the advent of agriculture some 10 – 12,000 years ago. So, for the better part of human existence grains did not comprise any notable portion of the human diet. In essence, what has become the bulk of our modern diet was missing from the diet of our prehistoric ancestors.
6. Grains aren’t good for your joints.
Due to their inflammatory nature, grains – even whole grains – are linked to joint pain and arthritis. Grain’s amino acid composition mirrors that of the soft tissue in your joints. Because both synovial tissue and grains are chemically similar, your body has difficulty differentiating between the two. So, when your immune cells get all hot and bothered by inflammation caused by grain and begin to attack it as a foreign invader, they also begin to attack the soft tissue in your joint – leading to pain, autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and, of course, more inflammation.
7. Poorly Prepared Grains prevent mineral absorption.
When improperly prepared as they most often are, grains can inhibit vitamin and mineral absorption. Grains contain substances like phytic acid which binds up minerals and prevents proper absorption. Essentially, though your diet might be rich in iron, calcium and other vital nutrients if you eat improperly prepared grain, you’re not fully absorbing nutrients from the foods you eat. However, please note that souring, sprouting and soaking grains neutralizes phytates and renders the nutrients in grain more absorbable.
8. Grains are bad for your teeth.
Due to those high levels of phytates in grain, grain is linked to dental decay. With high levels of mineral-blocking phytic acid coupled with low mineral absorption rates and plenty of starches for bacteria to feed on, grain contributes to dental decay. Anthropological records of our pre-agricultural ancestors indicates very little to no tooth decay; however, that changed after the dawn of agriculture. Indeed, some anthropologists use the presence of tooth decay is an indicator of an agricultural society.
9. Grains aren’t good for your skin either.
Grains have a very high carbohydrate content, and while the carbohydrates in grain are complex they are still broken down into sugars nonetheless. These sugars instruct your body to produce more insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IFG-1). Elevated insulin levels lead to a cascading hormonal response and these hormones activate the sebum-producing glands in your skin – encouraging them to produce more oil. IFG-1 is also linked with the increased production of keratinocytes which also contribute to acne.
10. Eating grain makes you crave grain.
You know how the smell of bread creates a longing in you – a yearning for a slice, slathered with butter and maybe jam. Or consider a plate of cookies set in front of you – so delicious – and you can’t just have one? Foods rich in carbohydrates give you quick energy, but that energy wears off just as quickly as it came. Since grains break down into sugar, they create a rise in insulin levels when those levels fall you crave more grains and, thus, the vicious cycle continues.
Of course, if you’re not quite ready to give up grains in their entirety, take care to make sure you eat the best quality grains prepared for optimal nourishment. Choose organic grains and make sure you eat them sprouted, soaked or soured. Or go on a grain-free trial with me for the month of May!
maybe eating grain makes you crave grain, but playing video games makes me crave more mario and having sex makes me want to have it again. that doesnt mean its bad for you. i think a healthy helping of whole grains can be good for you, just like sex can also be good for you. white bread is obviously bad, but so is sex with a prostitute, but that doesnt mean i can say ALL of it is bad.
Hi Zoe -
You bring up several points, so I’ll address them one by one.
Im only 14 years old
Zoe, on the internet, no one is checking age cards so you don’t need to couch any statement you make a reference to your age. You could be 63, or 22, or 14 and it all looks the same in a comment on a blog post. Be confident in what you write.
I believe that grain is an important factor in our diets, and that everything is good in moderation
Fair enough, but, as with sweeteners, most people don’t have a concept of what a moderate intake of grain is.
I feel that people obsess too much about dieting and weight loss.
Agreed. This site, however, is not about dieting or weight loss.
What I dont understand is why this page is even here, when humans have been living with grain in out diets for a while now, yet we are living longer than we ever have. The human life expactancy is about 80 years now, which has doubled since the middle ages. Sure, they also had grain in the middle ages, but if grain is so bad, why hasn’t the human population decreased significantly??? Instead we have done the opposite.
Life expectancy statistics are a curious thing. Life expectancy charts don’t account for other issues, beyond diet, that can influence life expectancy: infant mortality, death from childbirth, death from accidents, death from war etc. We also eat a lot more sugar, hydrogenated fats and refined flours than persons living in the middle ages, will you attribute sugar and hydrogenated fats to an increased life expectancy? What you need to examine is age-adjusted death rates (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/preliminarydeaths05_tables.pdf#B) which help us to have a better understanding of life expectancy one factors like high infant mortality and childhood diseases and injuries have been rooted out of the data. What you’ll find is that people are now dying of heart disease and cancer at rates that have never before been seen in human history.
As for the comments on here that are about weight loss, these people have dropped one of the major food groups. They are probably eating less than they did when the were eating grain. This isnt always a good thing, and can stimulate anorexia and bulimia. Also, why is grain one of the major food groups if it isnt good for us. Years and years of research have been devoted to this topic. Why were we not alerted long ago?
You’ve ignored the role of insulin here and the manner in which hyperinsulinemia relates to weight gain, it’s understandable that once folks have their insulin levels under control, they’ll lose weight. As for haven’t we been alerted as to grain’s potentially deletorious effects, we have: considerable research continues to address this subject, anthropological evidence addresses this subject and, for lay people, books like Taubes’ Good Calories, Bad Calories also address this subject. What you ignore is an entire industry focused on selling prepackaged, grain-filled foods. They have a concrete interest in lobbying government agencies to continue pushing low-fat, high-grain dietary recommendations for the American public.
People, carbohydrates are good for you! They release energy slowly through-out the day, as we need it. If you are doing the recomended 30 minutes of physical activity each day you will burn it off, and it will help you to exercise for longer. You should want to be eating ‘carbs’.
Agreed, but keep in mind that native Arctic peoples lived almost exclusively on animal foods with minimal use of plantfoods and carbohydrates, and they did so in perfect health: without heart disease, cancer, diabetes, dental cavities etc. That said, you’re equating carbs to grains, and grains aren’t the only source of carbohydrate. Rather, starchy tubers, fruit, vegetables and other foods represent excellent sources of carbohydrate without the effects of grain.
And, if sugar is the thing creating insulin, shouldn’t you be warning everyone of the ‘dangers’ of sugar, not grain.
And if you had actually read my site, or others like, you’d find that I have devoted extensive time to the detriments of sugar.
If people brushed their teeth regularly and properly, their teeth should stay healthy until they are at least in their 80′s.
If this is the case, perhaps you can explain why native peoples who subsisted on traditional, whole and natural foods documented and studied by Weston Price were largely free from abnormalities of the palate and dental cavities even though they did not have access to dental health care?
“Poorly prepared grain prevents mineral absorbtion”. The paragraph following this heading is saying how bad grain is, when really its the people preparing it poorly who should be getting the blame.
Yes, if you eat grain, you should eat whole grain that has been properly prepared to mitigate the effects of antinutrients like phytic acid which bind up minerals preventing their full absorption. Like I mentioned before, you should really read the site thoroughly before assuming this issue hasn’t been addressed and covered elsewhere.
Cheers!
- Jenny
Hey. Excellent site. And an interesting debate. I’ve been off grains almost completely now for close to two months. Feel great, around 10 pounds lighter, no cravings anymore etc. I’ve started advocating primal/paleo/real food style eating and (surprise, surprise)I am being met with great scepticism from the proponents of conventional wisdom. I think your post above gives excellent 10 reasons to give up grains and I would very much like to use these reasons when arguing with traditionally trained dieticians. However, I know that will be difficult without citing research.
Do you know of any good sources of research to back these claims up? I’ve already read Mark Sisson’s primal blueprint and I have the same issue with the claims made there. It would be very helpful to be able to cite some solid research, so I would be exremely grateful if you could point me in the right direction. Thanks!
Siggi -
I conduct most of my research via medical journals. A solid, good search on pubmed.gov will lend you many results. This article about giving up grains is a bit old, and you’ll find that, in newer posts, sources are generally very well documented. If you’re embarking on your own research, pubmed.gov is a great place to start.
Take Care -
Jenny
Thanks Jenny! I’ll check it out. Keep up the good work with your site. The more quality sites like this there are, the likelier the message is to reach the mainstream! (which will hopefully result in fewer people eating crappy food)
I’ll direct some traffic your way from Iceland
regards:
Siggi
Very well written, educational and encouraging post! Our family has taken the plunge into the gluten free world of living. Three out of four of us tested positive to gluten intolerance. Going off grains is a very gradual slow process. Our meals are based around meat and veggies. Our starches are basically derived from the natural starches in the veggies and fruits. From experience it seems our bodies crave these grains and to switch off that track takes time. Never the less, it is possible and the end result is definitely worth it!
I looking for resources for sprouted gluten free grain recipes. Do you have suggestions?
Thank you for all you do!
Nice post.
Six years ago I gave up gluten and turned my health around. No more painful joints, GERD, bloating, shortness of breath, painful neuropathy, bleeding gums – and that is only a few of my health improvements. I soon realized I felt even better when I avoid all grains. I became very serious about giving up all grains when I got a glucometer and found they all spiked my blood glucose to unacceptable levels – yup, even the so called low glycemic whole grains. I have been grain free for almost a year now and health continues to improve.
The increased cost of eating fresh, whole foods is offset by my much lower medical bills.
Been grain-free, sugar-free for over a year. Why didn’t I do that earlier? Grain serves absolutely no positive nutriotional purpose in our diets. Just a cheap filler that USDA figured they whould make us think is actually good for us so they can promote agriculture.
Oh, by the way, to all the vegetarians, actually vegans, out there who tried going grain-free, no disrespect, but unless you try eatin trully what humans are meant to eat, eliminating grains will not make you feel better because you’re very likely depending on other food sources that intervene with you feeling 100%.
Really good post, and I believe that people would be much better off without grains in their diet.
I’ve gone two months w/o grains before and I really felt little difference, with the exception of fewer cravings for sweets (and breads, oatmeal, etc.). That’s a plus for me, but if you’re someone who believes oatmeal and bread are healthy things to crave, then you won’t see the benefit.
I’d like to point out that people may not see an immediate change or change AT ALL after eliminating grains, but you don’t necessarily feel anything with a vitamin pill, either. Long term, I have confidence that taking a vitamin pill, fish oil, avoiding sugar and trans-fats, reducing my omega-6 intake, and getting regular exercise does me good, despite not always “feeling better” right now. Likewise, I think avoiding (or reducing consumption of) grains is also a good move.
Did I say “good post?” I hope so.
Roland
To Readers,
The point I am trying to make is be careful in taking any advice which is not supported by academic sources.
This is nothing against the author, the recipes and images look yummy, however be aware of anything you read on any website that is not supported by sources, and does not provide a bibliography of those sources. Any college English 101 course will teach you not to gather information on the internet and take it as true, unless it is a reliable source.
Maybe I didn’t dig hard enough (have to study soon so writing this quick) but I did not see the authors qualifications on the subject. So I can’t say how reliable her information is. Once again, I don’t know how hard I have to stress this, be wary of taking any information that does not provide source information. For all we know, the author could have got her information from other websites or unsupported magazine articles.
Take the authors note as a, “hmmmmm that’s interesting” but dont take it as fact.
Also, Jenny it would be awesome if you provided sources and did so with footnotes as most University level material is written in. I am sure most of your readers are college educated so we would all appreciate it.
-Robert Garcia
Jenny,
Thank you for spreading the word on a topic that is so faux pas today. We, as a collective group, need to educate the masses so that they don’t listen to fluffy cartoon mascots about what they should be eating for breakfast.
Robert,
I agree that the lack of scientific studies may harm credibility in many cases. But rather than list the hundreds, and yes I repeat hundreds, of purely scientific and independent studies available to the masses that prove the serious dangers in consuming grains (dairy, soy, and other legumes too), allow me to address your concern in a different manner. Had the article included even 20 sources, an equal number of “scientific” studies opposing this view could be conjured with a quick Google search. That is because too many studies lack solid scientific approach, and even more important, independent financial backing. Anything and everything can be provable, given the right dollar amount. So, to try to point at a lack of sources as justification for throwing aside potentially valuable information seems too drastic to me. Most of the world is BOMBARDED with media hype and advertising every moment of their life through the television, yet I don’t recall anyone screaming at the TV for additional substantiation when Tony the Tiger shouts about the greatness of his product. Everyone, including myself, was spoon fed information from infancy regarding diet and health from organizations that have direct financial interests in what is consumed. So, how do you escape propaganda and find the truth? With great difficulty. I choose (because ultimately it’s just a choice) to follow the opinions and statements made by the individuals who are independent of the corrupt system that has brought about insanely high rates of diabetes, CHD, and obesity. These are the same corrupt groups that spoon feed information to lazy doctors, dieticians, nutritionists, and school systems into believing their corrupt money making scheme is advantageous to health. Instead, I listen to biochemists, physicists, and scientists who have devoted their lives to understanding the human body and its chemical, hormonal, physiological, and mental reactions to food products. Individuals like Weston Price, George Watson, Richard Frynman, William Kelley, and recently Stephen Guyenet, Peter Rouse, and Chris Masterjohn are independent of the system. You can look up some of their stuff and hopefully it can provide the solid backing you are looking for.
As a side note to all the readers, if you do stop grain consumption as a result of your own research and your own decision making processes, make sure to have your digestive system assessed. Grain consumption has been linked to inadequate levels of zinc, magnesium, and hydrochloric acid. Fixing these deficiencies and restoring your GI tract to health should be a number one priority.
Cheers to you all and happy researching!
Luke -
I just want to send you a quick thank you for your warm, informed and heart-felt comment on my site. I appreciate the time you took to write it.
Blessings -
Jenny
Robert –
Thank you for your comment. I fully agree that readers need to keep themselves informed and to read primary sources to fully form their opinions. That said, this post was meticulously researched using mostly the findings of medical studies published in peer-reviewed journals. It was written just about a year ago, and you’ll find that the sources of newer posts here are all cited so that readers can more easily read up on their own time. This post continues to draw a lot of pageviews, despite its age, and I’ll likely review it – adding the sources when I have the opportunity.
Blessings –
Jenny
I don’t have the knowledge to disagree or agree with your information but in this day and age it is very, very difficult to live life without incorporating grains in our diet. It’s almost like telling people to stop owning cellphones when everyone has one and expects everyone else to have one except not eating grains is way more difficult. I can only see myself succeeding in a grainless diet if the people around me made the same decision but there’s a better chance of me winning the lottery twice. The whole Asian race would die before they stop eating white rice and noodles. The convenience and low cost of grain associated foods is way too strong. Life is hard enough already. The best I can do is cut down.
This is just what I needed to hear. After years eating gluten-free, I have been baking sourdough bread, soured for at least 48 hours, with apparent success for my gluten-intolerant son. All was good, then things started sliding downhill. Fast. It seems moving in the grain-free direction is desirable, both for short term improvement in his health, but also for the long-term well-being of his gut. I am certain my son must suffer from leaky gut, with newly acquired food sensitivities popping up in the last several months.
I am curious about buckwheat, quinoa, and amaranth–not true grains, but seeds of broad leaf plants. Biologically, aren’t these “grains” more similar to sunflower seeds and flax seeds than they are to grasses like wheat and rice?
From a cost savings approach with five mouths to feed, I am inclined to include these “grains” in our diet, while still making efforts to improve our health through a grain-free diet.
Are you aware of any research regarding the effects of these three seeds on the 10 issues you address in this post?
Thank you for your thorough research, your eloquent words, and your commitment to sharing. You are doing important work. Your influence is great.
Brynn
Why go grain free? It just might reduce or eliminate your joint and/or muscle pain. I went grain free last fall; all my fibromyalgia symptoms completely disappeared. No pain, no vertigo, no brain fog, no overwhelming fatigue, no digestive disturbances; nothing but blessed, blessed health and a clear head.
After 15 years of near constant pain, debilitating vertigo, crippling fatigue, memory and cognitive problems, it still feels like a miracle to be symptom free. Mind you, I didn’t have a bad diet before going grain free – organic whole grains, organic vegetables and fruit from the garden, lean meats, plenty of fish and no junk food. Despite this excellent diet, I was crippled by pain and an inability to think.
Do I miss grains? You bet. Enough to go back to “fibromyalgia”? No stinking way. Pass the elk burgers please, but hold the bun.
Along with Brynn, I’d love to hear your take on pseudo-grains like quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat. I’m seriously considering going grain free because of some health issues (I’m already gluten free) but, with a husband in college and two children to feed, it would be enormously difficult to budget enough food money without relying on some “filler” for meals.
Honestly, this article pretty weakly written. I don’t see a single citation or source for any of these assertions. Sorry, personal anecdotes aren’t valid sources.