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!
Relevant, insightful and full of FANTASTIC information, as always.
I have been thinking about going grain free too. I am not sure how I can do this, as my Hubby loves bread, and hates veggies. Oh well I can starve him of bread and maybe he will eat something green, that isn’t iceburg lettuce. I really liked this post. I might put it on the fridge to make me think about it while I eat my toast ; )
Why do you have to change your husband’s eating preferences just because you want to change yours? Stop being a control freak. Let him live his own life.
It’s not easy to give something up like bread when you have to watch the one you love eating it all the time.
Rosy did not say she wanted her husband to stop eating bread, she was wondering if she herself could do it.
I agree with Rachel. Although you don’t have to stop your hubby from eating bread, having things around that you’ve always eaten or still crave, makes it incredibly hard. The smell alone with strike up cravings. My hub keeps brownies baking, has a cabinet and a freezer full of junk food. It’s really hard for me to not eat those things. I maintain a little control in the understanding of WHY I shouldnt eat them. When you understand the WHY it makes the HOW a lot easier. Bread makes me bloat and I feel as though it just sits in my intestine instead of properly breaking down. It also is packed with empty calories I dont need. When I think of those things it makes it easier to avoid it. I also ask the waitress to not bring out chips and salsa at mexican restaurants or to not bring out a bread basket at other restaurants and that helps.
i dont know about you but i would like my significant other to be healthy and live as long as i do. You call it being a control freak. I call it wanting my loved ones to be healthy too. grow up
my husband noticed a lot of healthy benefits when he cut back on grains.
She likely shops and cooks for him and doesn’t want to do two menus.
Humor, anyone?
omg, why are you so horrible! snap snap snap! chill out! she wants her family to be healthy. you’re crazy and rude!
Newsflash, Steve: You are ignorant.
It’s so low class to insult someone because they have a different opinion than you’re own.
Steve, if you don’t want a woman to have something to do with your health and future decisions, I suggest you avoid marrying one.
There is a limit to what a spouse should be able to decide in regards to what the other does, and this is one of those limits. Marriage is not supposed to be a prison, because only in prison does someone else decide for an adult what he/she is going to eat.
If that’s your idea of marriage, then you have a bad marriage. And if you’re not married, thank God for the guy you’ve spared.
“It’s so low class to insult someone because they have a different opinion than you’re own.”
“And if you’re not married, thank God for the guy you’ve spared.”
???
oh snap!
Why do you care what she feeds her husband? Mind your own business.
I feel your pain. I went grain free about 6mo ago and have lost 30lbs so far. I am trying to draw my wife into it, but she has to do it when she is ready. The best advice is doing it yourself and show others how much healthier you are as a result (it doesn’t hurt to rub it in their faces once in a while
I created a website that I am trying to fill with resources: No-Grain Convert (www.nograinconvert.com)
Good luck and stay strong!
i wanna try it but it seems like almost everything has wheat in it
tried to see your website but it doesn’t exist
My whole family has learned to really like rice pastas and other non wheat products. They choose my crickers over the regular. It’s more expensive but very doable today.
Wow, thanks for doing this. I’m considering doing the same for myself, and hopefully seriously decreasing what my husband and kids eat at the same time (they would freak if I took it away altogether, but being more sneaky about it might work). I’m so excited to have a place to send people when they ask me about grains and the issues they cause. Now I don’t have to do the research!
Also, I’ve heard of people going ‘grain free’ but still eating rice and quinoia, millet and buckwheat. Have you heard of that? Just curious.
Check out Sarah’s last post: Meal Plan Monday.
Quinoa and buckwheat are not grains.
Quinoa and buckwheat are not grains.
Is that true? I would love it if I could keep quinoa and buckwheat! How do you know? I’m not questioning you, I just want to know.
Yes, its true. Quinoa and Buckwheat are not grains. They are called ‘pseudograins’ or ‘pseudocereals’ because culinarily, we treat them like they are grains. But whereas all grains are grasses and monocots, buckwheat and quinoa are herbs (dicots), so you can enjoy them on a grain-free diet. Amaranth is another great grain substitute that is not a real grain.
If, however, you are a celiac, there is the possibility of cross-reactivity with quinoa. That is where your body is still healing from the effects of gluten, and it believes that quinoa is gluten, since they are similar in physical structure to one another. Celiacs can have cross-reactivity with a number of different foods, including chocolate and coffee, but what one person may react to is not the same as what another may react to. The cross-reactivity theory is not yet acknowledged by everyone, but if you have cut out gluten and grains and are still not feeling better, that could be the issue. Anyway… hope that helps.
Thanks for clarifying that
I read somewhere that quinoa is a “perfect” food. I have yet to try it because it is very expensive, but I have recently been made aware of the importance of a gluten-free diet. I am pregnant and diabetic, so I don’t want to make any changes that are not approved by my doctor, but after the baby is born, my husband and I are going to try a gluten-free diet, and quite possibly a grain-free diet. I just need some resources & recipes so I know what to feed us 
I think paleo sites would have some good recipes, but might be a bit more restrictive than we want to go. But a good start, I hope.
A while ago I gave up grains. I did an elimination diet for a month. I am a vegetarian and consume great quantities of vegetables. It made absolutely no difference to my health. I didn’t feel better, I didn’t feel worse, I did miss them though.
There is no cookie cutter approach. Giving up grains may be beneficial for some people, just as for others dairy may cause issue(me).
If you are eating excessive quantities of anything I think it’s time to step back and take a look at things and adjust accordingly. Variety and balance is very important as well as being in touch with your own instincts as to what is best for your body.
So yeah, if grains cause you problems, cut them out! They are not necessary for health so they can be removed without ill effects if you make up the nutrients somewhere else.
Breeze
Check out Breeze’s last post: An Invitation!.
Agreed! Perhaps some may feel better, but whole grains sustain me throughout the day and I could not live without my energy boosting oatmeal with nut butter
I agree too – and after examining all the evidence I am also convinced that man has only been on earth a little over 6000 years and has always eaten grain! I do think some overdo and some benefit but not everyone. I think with all the processed carbs and grain that has been changed over the years to be higher in gluten a lot of problems have been caused because people are out of balance. But the idea that everyone should give up grain just doesn’t hold water! Plenty of healthy people eat grain – just not processed, dead, white and sugary.
@Alexis please cite the evidence that convinced you man has only been on the Earth for 6000 years. I am very interested in your forthcoming answer.
You can’t be serious. It is a set in stone fact the earth is far more than 6,000 years old.
It is also set in stone that grains were not always consumed.
These facts cannot be denied, period.
Oh very serious. It is NOT set in stone that the earth is more than about 6-7000 years old. It is also not set in stone that grains were ;not always consumed. These are not facts. There is actually NO proof to make evolution fact. Evolution is based on assumptions. I have found the fossil record to align better with the Bible then the Evolution Theory. (get that …. the word theory…not set in stone…but theory.) Evolution is based on too many assumptions.
Scientists Admit: Evolution Not Supported By Facts!
“Evolutionism is a fairy tale for grown-ups. This theory has helped nothing in the progress of science. It is useless,” says Professor Louis Bouroune, former President of the Biological Society of Strasbourg and Director of the Strasbourg Zoological Museum, later Director of Research at the French National Centre of Scientific Research, as quoted in The Advocate, March 8, 1984.
On many campuses, any professor who admits having doubts about the “factual” nature of evolution would be laughed off the campus (and out of his job). But today, more and more courageous scientists are publicly admitting what they have known privately for years: believing in evolution requires an act of blind faith.
Does evolution square with the facts? Here are the statements of several scientific leaders as found in The Quote Book, published by Creation Science Foundation Ltd.
Evolutionists Great Con Men
“Scientists who go about teaching that evolution is a fact of life are great con-men, and the story they are telling may be the greatest hoax ever. In explaining evolution we do not have one iota of fact.” (Dr. T.N. Tahmisian. Atomic Energy Commission, The Fresno Bee, August 20, 1959.
“…most people assume that fossils provide a very important part of the general argument made in favor of Darwinian interpretation of the history of life. Unfortunately, this is not strictly true.” (Dr. David Raup, Curator, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago. Quoted from “Conflicts between Darwin and paleontology,” Field Museum of Natural History Bulletin, Vol. 50 (1), 1979.)
Do Fossils Prove It?
“…I fully agree with your comments on the lack of direct illustration of evolutionary transition in my book. If I knew of any, fossil or living, I would certainly have included them…Yet Gould and the American Museum people are hard to contradict when they say there are no transitional fossils…I will lay it on the line–there is not one such fossil for which one could make a watertight argument.” (Personal letter from Dr. Colin Patterson, Senior Paleontologist at the British Museum of Natural History in London, to L. Sunderland.)
“Despite the bright promise that paleontology provides a means of ‘seeing’ evolution, it has presented some nasty difficulties for evolutionists, the most notorious of which is the presence of ‘gaps’ in the fossil record. Evolution requires intermediate forms between species and paleontology does not provide them…” (David B. Kitts, Ph.D. — Zoology, Head Curator, Department of Geology, Stoval Museum, and well-known evolutionary paleontologist. Evolution, Vol. 28, Sept. 1974.
But What About Those Bones?
“…not being a paleontologist, I don’t want to pour too much scorn on paleontologists, but if you were to spend your life picking up bones and finding little fragments of head and little fragments of jaw, there’s a very strong desire to exaggerate the importance of those fragments…” (Dr. Greg Kirby in an address given at a meeting of the Biology Teachers Association of South Australia in 1976. Dr. Kirby was the Senior Lecturer in Population Biology at Flinders University and was giving the case for evolution.)
“A five million year old piece of bone that was thought to be the collarbone of a humanlike creature is actually part of a dolphin rib…The problem with a lot of anthropologists is that they want so much to find a hominid that any scrap of bone becomes a hominid bone.” (Dr. Tim White, anthropologist, University of California, Berkeley, quoted in New Scientist, April 28, 1983.
But the World Is So Old…Isn’t It?
“All the above (radiometric) methods for dating the age of the earth, its various strata, and its fossils are questionable, because the rates are likely to have fluctuated widely over earth history…It is obvious that radiometric techniques may not be the absolute dating methods that they are claimed to be. Age estimates on a given geological stratum by different radiometric methods are often quite different (sometimes by hundreds of millions of years). There is no absolutely reliable long-term radiological ‘clock.’ The uncertainties inherent in radiometric dating are disturbing to geologist and evolutionists…” (W.D. Stansfield, Ph.D., Instructor of Biology, California Polytech State University, The Science of Evolution, Macmillan, 1987.
Carbon-14 Will Tell Us…Won’t It?
“When the blood of a seal, freshly killed at McMurdo Sound in the Antarctic was tested by carbon-14, it showed the seal had died 1,300 years ago.” (From W. Dort Jr., Ph.D. — Geology, Professor, University of Kansas, quoted in Antarctic Journal of the United States, 1971.
“The hair on the Chekurovka mammoth was found to have a carbon-14 age of 26,000 years but the peaty soil in which is was preserved was found to have a carbon-14 dating of only 5,600 years.” (Radiocarbon Journal, Vol. 8, 1966.)
When Did Dinosaurs Really Live?
The existence of dinosaurs long before man came along has been almost a basic tenet of faith for the evolutionist. But what if the footprints of both man and dinosaur were found together?
In the Journal of Geological Education, Vol. 31, 1983, David H Milne and Steven D Schafersman tell us “Such an occurrence, if verified, would seriously disrupt conventional interpretations of biological and geological history and would support the doctrine of creationism and catastrophism.”
Well gentlemen, not only have both man and dinosaur prints been found together in Mexico, New Mexico, Arizona, Missouri, Kentucky and Illinois, but other U.S. locations as well.
Why Do They Do It?
“One is forced to conclude that many scientists and technologists pay lip-service to Darwinian theory only because it supposedly excludes a Creator.” (Dr. Michael Walker, Senior Lecturer in Anthropology, Sydney University, quoted in Quadrant, October, 1982.)
Since the facts do not prove evolution, since the fossil record does not show any transition from one species to another, since “scientific” dating methods have been proven unreliable, let us remember that for those who desperately desire to reject God, evolution is a religion of last resort. If there is no Creator, there can be no sin, and no need of a Saviour.
A. Lunn summed up the curious faith of the evolutionist as follows: “Faith is the substance of fossils hoped for, the evidence of links unseen.” (The Collapse of Evolution, by Dr. Scott Huse.) Those supposedly omniscient scientists who still teach evolution as though it were fact are finally seen for what they are…frail men willing to believe a lie because it helps them avoid the truth.
I feel very, very, sorry for you.
SueZ
I am in total agreement with you, but you will never convince those who’s minds are set against God. Evolution is nothing more than rebellious man wanting no rules put on their fun..pure and simple.
It does not matter what you quote, or from what source you quote it. A non-believer will find some way to discredit your source, and try and make you look ridiculous…been there had that done to me.
But I support you, and I know what you are saying is the truth….stand strong..God is watching!!!!
Unbelievable! It’s amazing how people can be so delusional. I almost fell off my chair laughing when you claimed that evolution is a fairy tale for grown-ups. In fact, religion is a fairy tale for grown ups. Also, the so-called scientists that you cite are known nut-cases. There is abslolutely no doubt whatsoever that evolution is a fact. It’s right there in the fossil record staring you in the face. It is backed up by all science. Are you denying carbon dating? In fact, evolution is constantly happening all around us. For example, when pesticides are over-used in farming, mutant variieties of the targeted insects almost always survive and the multiply. You can witness evolution in a matter of days or weeks in studies done with fruit flies because of their fast life cycle.
How in the world can anyone be so blind and closed-minded as to deny evolution? It is absolutely hilarious to read or hear the twisted logic used to attack evolution.
The sad thing is that you are probably teaching your children your nonsense.
I don’t think you even fully understand the theory of evolution, as it’s not just one theory but there are several evolutionary theories scientists look at. I always find it silly that the first theory that a bible thumper tries to throw out there is usually Darwin’s theory on evolution, as if it’s the only theory in the world that exists. I am a science researcher in the fields of linguistics and anthropology, and unfortunately the scientists you quoted are quacks who aren’t taken seriously among the scientific community anyways. Some of them have even been discredited for false or misleading works. Who or how the universe got created is one thing. But there is much evidence that humans have at least been here for about 10,000 years, and some archeologists claim humans have been on this planet for about 200,000 years, which can be shown through the great works our ancestors have done such as art, language, and technology.
Many scientists with high degrees embrace the creation rather than the theory of evolution. No one was around to witness either one. No one has ever seen partially evolved creatures running around. There is strong evidence that the earth in no older than about 10,000 years old. The oldest son of Adam was a tiller of fields, probably raising grains. God asked for grain offerings and made them acceptable by His own words. That makes grains good enough for me. If I were allergic to them, I wouldn’t eat them, but not everyone is. This is not a place for arguing about religion or Darwinism. Man used to do lots of things he not longer does because he is civilized. Some of those things are not so good and some are a blessing. Take away rice from the Oriental culture and you will have mass starvation. Take away wheat from ours and you do, too. Starvation is not exactly healthy either. Moderation in all things, I say, including rules about food.
Dig hole, insert head; stay happy… whatever floats your boat; ridiculous as your boat is, I reckon it floats for you., your facts came from where? The burning bush? Oh. ok. Not even worth the argument to tell you how wrong you are. Blinders ready…hut hut! Go long! Oh wait, dont forget your earplugs too!
The quote book and the revised quote were produced by an Australian-based organization called the Creation Science Foundation of Brisbane. Their modus operandi is to quote-mine scientific literature in search of statements that appear to support their theory and then quote them wildly out of context. This website took me five minutes to find on google, and has actual citations and excerpts from the respective works. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/ce/3/part5.html
It shouldn’t matter what your background or beliefs; please, PLEASE investigate your literature to ensure that it is peer reviewed and does not belong to the same variety of dishonest publication as “The Quote Book”.
Evolution, act of blind faith?? What’s religion then??
Amen, Sue Z!
SueZ, you are dead wrong. The world has moved on from creationism. There is so much evidence that the world is really old, not just in the scientific field, but in astronomy, too. You know the cave paintings that have been found around the world, especially in Europe and Africa? Why aren’t there paintings of dinosaurs there? Because the dinosaurs existed way before humanity. Because humans slowly EVOLVED after the dinosaurs went extinct. Say all you want to argue against this, but there is nothing that you can say to counter that fact.
“No one has ever seen partially evolved creatures running around.”
Sorry Connie, but I stopped right there. Your ignorance of evolution is transparent.
Everything is “partially” evolved. Just look around you. Me, my dog, and yourself. It never stops.
600 yrs lol shouldnt you be out on a ledge somewhere
@Alexis – Bravo! It’s amazing how a seemingly simple comment on a food site can stir up such strong emotions in some, but that will always be the case when you speak the truth about such a dearly-held delusion that has eternal implications.
“Balance” and “variety” are part of the same idea, and one of those things that sounds good on the surface, yet has no scientific basis from which it stands. I have to be doubtful of this claim, as much as it “sounds” good, because, when you get right to it, it’s simply not true. Look at the diets of primitive peoples, say, the Inuit. They eat a VERY small variety of foods, yet they are healthy.
“A while ago I gave up grains. I did an elimination diet for a month. I am a vegetarian and consume great quantities of vegetables. It made absolutely no difference to my health. I didn’t feel better, I didn’t feel worse, I did miss them though.”
Wow, a whole month! There is certainly no room for criticism in that! Except, NOT LONG ENOUGH.
As for, “if it’s causing you problems”, what, is there a flashing red sign? Newspaper headlines? Wheat has bad things in it, there is no message in red telling you that it is bad for you. I also stay away from cyanide, though I have never had a problem with it, myself.
In addition, the above article does not mention lectins, which may be VERY bad for people, yet they will never know it. If you wait for death as a sign, that’s too late.
I the reference to vegetarians here, so I want to make a few points…
I’m not criticizing you for your personal choices, rather just pointing out the common thing most vegetarians (esp vegans) seem to suffer from. For those vegetarians saying cutting grains “didn’t make a difference,” I’m going to GUESS that it’s a lack in some essential vitamins and nutrients.. Get a blood test done to see what you’re deficient in… maybe grains weren’t THE problem. Anyone else I’d tell them to eat a piece of liver, but I understand you would not do so and I respect that. I suspect your body will begin doing better when it is exposed to healthy fats and a wider variety of protein.
Also, since you’re vegetarian, I’m assuming you consume soy. Soy is… less than optimal, and contains way too many toxins to be eaten in it’s raw form… my advice is to stay away from processed foods too. Unfortunately that means soy. One word: isoflavones. Some say they’re good. Others, looking at the history of humanity, have noticed all sorts of crazy effects in the “sex” world. Google “Whole Soy Story.”
My opinion: soy is very new to the human diet, and the human diet has seen a dramatic decline over the last few thousand years. No, correlation doesn’t equal causation, but I do think we’ve added a LOT of foods recently that our genome wasn’t ready for. I digress.
Vegetarians generally eat a lot of legumes for protein… so keep in mind most legumes contain the same toxins and anit-nutrients as grain. I noticed the most dramatic improvement in health when I cut both grains AND legumes (well, and dairy, artificial flavors and sweeteners).
Part of the reason cutting grains results in improved energy and insulin control is because of the lack of carbohydrates. There are currently promising studies being done on running the body on ketones instead of glycogen. I personally feel much better running on ketones, and I’ve noticed no ill effects. People who overcompensate by eating tons to potatoes and fruits don’t see the benefit because they’re trading one blood sugar spiking item for another.
It’s about the science of it, the moderation and limitation of insulin, reducing inflammation (even in the brain) to allow for leptin sinsitivity, the lack of phylates binding to the nutrients in your body, the lack of your body needing to leech calcium from your bones to combat the PH havoc wreaked on your body..
Yes, “cutting grains” isn’t the answer… there are a lot of things that need to be readjusted to create a balance that allows you to live without pain, without meds, and without having to count stupid calories (don’t get me STARTED on the flaws of using the first law of thermodynamics on the body which ISN’T AN ISOLATED SYSTEM), and having to supplement with weird stuff.
In my opinion, if you NEED to supplement, you probably need to re-evaluate your diet..
While I completely respect the choice to be vegetarian, and understand that it’s your choice, I reccommend reading this story. It’s about a hardcore vegan, and while I know vegans and vegetarians are not the same, the article is about the belief system itself, and what it may cost your body. It’s long, but worth the read.
http://voraciouseats.com/2010/11/19/a-vegan-no-more/
I have done quite a bit of “research” (if you can call surfing the internet research) trying to decide if vegetarian/vegan was the right diet for me. I have read about people who thrive without meats and I have heard about people who ruined their health by not eating meat. I recently read an article by Dr Mercola (controversial, I know) that simply stated that people are not all the same and thrive on different diets. And it is just a matter of finding what is right and works for you personally. I have come to the conclusion (after trying to live without meat for a while) that vegetarian/vegan is not for me. Though I felt well on the diets, it is just too difficult for me to eat that way. I do not feel ill when I eat meat either, so personally I can go either way.
I agree. I have not gone vegetarian, but I have cut WWAAYY down on the meat, and I feel much better for it. AND, my blood work says I’m healthy as an ox (are all oxen healthy?) One side benefit to less meat; I can afford better meat. None of the meat I eat now is factory farmed meat. I buy local, organic from farmers whom I know and can visit their farms to see how they treat their animals. Eating the way I do now, I am convinced, by my own feelings, and empirical evidence, that I am getting all the micro and macro-nutrients my body needs.
But, folks, can we please stop attacking each other? Surely we can disagree without name calling and vitriol. In the end, does one person’s belief the world is 6,000 years old, and another’s belief it is millions of years old really matter in our day-to-day lives?
Peace. Love. Tolerance.
I’m going grain free because I have major sensitivities. I’d challenge you, though, to find any food that does not contain any lectins. Many of the negative comments about grains here are taken out of context in there original sources. All foods have problems. I can agree, however, with the perspective that pre agricultural humans could not have ingested nearly as large a fraction of their diets in grain as we do today.
I have been grain free for a few months now and wrote a very similar post about a month ago. I feel so much better.
Check out Shannon’s last post: Food Roots – April 30th.
Thanks for a great post with so much good information! I’ve been completely grain-free for around a month now and I’m surprised at how much better I feel. For me, the biggest bonus has been #10; my cravings are GONE!! I hadn’t originally planned on continuing to eat this way, but why would I go back to eating something that gives me cravings, makes my joints hurt, and messes with my gut?
Check out Denise’s last post: Sticky Post: Leaving Comments.
I was skeptical when I first began reading… but this is GREAT
I especially agree with the health issues surrounding digestion. As someone who has a digestive disease (not “leaky gut”) grains can be very dangerous (think whole pieces of grains ripping your intestines open…). So knowing that you can get more fiber from non-grain foods is a fantastic tool
Thank you!
Check out EcoYogini’s last post: Non-Attachment and Outdoor Yoga Obsession.
If whole pieces of grain are piercing one’s intestines, that person needs to slow own a CHEW their food properly.
Great post! We’ve been considering going grain-free recently too (sort of a primal/paleo inspired diet)! I love your research and might need to print this out and post it on my fridge to remind me the nutritional reasons for not making those “easy” extras/fillers like rice!
Thanks for the inspiration!
Best,
Sarah
PS – Any opinions on legumes or potatoes? I’m still making up my mind about those . . .
Check out Sarah’s last post: Daybook – First Week Post-Natal as a Mama of Two!.
I went grain-free for all of Lent this year, hoping to experience some sort of health benefit. I didn’t. I didn’t feel any worse, though, either. We only eat properly prepared grains, and even then we eat WAY LESS than the average American.
But besides our preference for them, the other reason we reintroduced them was cost. They are sooo dang cheap, and they CAN be properly prepared (particularly via sprouting). Now we eat grains in about two or three meals a week, and I like it this way.
That said, this is a great post.
Thanks for sharing it in today’s Fight Back Fridays carnival.
Cheers,
KristenM
(AKA FoodRenegade)
Check out FoodRenegade’s last post: Fight Back Fridays May 1st.
The reason you’re not feeling a difference is that you’re still eating other foods that you should be avoiding to get the full health effect. Read about the paleo diet. It will lead you in the right direction. Eliminating grains is only the first step.
Also, grains are everywhere, if you happen to be one that is more affected, to truly go grain free you need a book with a list of products that are verified to be grain free, as mega corps use grains as ingredients in things you wouldn’t even think would have them, also they can contaminate other foods processed in the same plant.
Some people take longer than others too, depending on how much inflammatory damage you have. It took me about 6 months to fully recover to what I know now is normal health.
The biochemistry behind some of the damage affects most likely 100% of the population, not just the 1% of what medicine calls celiac. It’s all very complicated and fascinating. Robbwolf.com is a great place to learn more of the science, if you want to get science-geeky about it.
I read somewhere that people who are severely grain/gluten intolerant can’t even eat grain-fed meats. So I completely see where you are coming from.
Oh my gosh, this is a great post! I found you through Fight Back Fridays/Food Renegade. A year ago, we realized that my littlest eater can’t tolerate wheat, and consequently changed our eating habits dramatically. Since wheat is put into so many prepared foods (from soup, to snacks, etc.), we’ve found ourselves eating fresher, more wholesome meals (the way we should have been eating!). In addition to my daughter feeling loads better, the rest of us are reaping some unexpected benefits. For me and my oldest daughter, that has come in the form of clearer, brighter skin. For those who may be considering this type of lifestyle, here are a couple thoughts. Be prepared to read lots of labels (wheat is in so many things), focus on fresh foods like fruits, veggies, and meat, and remember that it takes about 2-4 months before you really start to see improvement. Happy eating!
Check out Paula’s last post: Pimento Cheese If You Please!.
Thanks for the feedback. At any rate, given grain’s effect on insulin and insulin’s role in PCOS, I’m planning to cut it out for a month to see how I fare. I was mostly grain-free when I became pregnant with my son – I was also on the pill and had been told by my doctors I’d never conceive so … so much for doctors, eh?
Sarah – those are gluten-free grains and I’ve heard that buckwheat and millet aren’t “true” grains, but haven’t seen anything significant to backup that opinion. Of course, I haven’t gone looking for it either!
Sarah from Sarah’s Musings – I’m still not sure about them either! I need to look into it further. When we eat beans we put them through a long, long soak and long, slow cooking to render them more digestible. Potatoes, I love, but I know they’re not fantastic when it comes to nutrient density. I’m curious about they’re being a nightshade vegetable, but need to research further. This month, I’m skipping them both. We’ll see how I do!
Check out Jenny’s last post: Against the Grain: 10 Reasons to Give Up Grains.
Great post! So glad I found your blog. I am grain free and have been for 10 years. I feel so much better not eating grains. It’s not something I talk about a lot because people think it’s impossible to eat this way. It’s not. Thanks for the great outline above.
Check out Elana’s last post: Superfoods: the Almighty Almond.
I am not aware of this before.
Thanks for sharing!
Check out Palabuzz’s last post: Charice Pempengco releases new album.
Good info! I need to read stuff like this for encouragement. We are trying to transition to a GAPS-type diet but I’m having to take it slowly for my sanity. As it is, my son is off gluten which has been an adjustment for us (we didn’t eat all that much before but now we have to be much more thoughtful). I’m hoping once my baby arrives that we can go grain free.
Check out Julie’s last post: Choosing a Yogurt Starter (Part 3).
Great post
I am grainfree/sugarfree/potatofree about 8 out of 10 days.
Other days I might enjoy a little spelt, quinoa, rice or millet.
I started original cause I had an opset tummy – was tested for celiac disease- came back negative- but I know I can only hande 1-2 servings of grain even when they are proper prepared.
have noticed that I loose weight easier as well.
Jenny
a fertility doctor here i Denmark – has had an succes rate for preganancy in PCO and PCOS women at 68 % with just dietchange.
Basically it is a low carb/no grain/high fat diet – he says about 1 out of 7 women herein DK has so high insulin levels that it is more or less impossible for them to get pregnant.
So that is another reason for me to stay as grainfree as possible.
I also watch my fruit cause I realised was overdoing them as well.
Check out Henriette’s last post: Husker du …...
Great post Jenny! I know we eat far too many grain items in the form of pancakes, pizza and bread. I do grind it myself and soak everthing at least 12 hours or longer so the gluten is completely dissolved first. Grains make the easiest convenience foods that I can throw in a container and take in the car for my toddler who seems to eat best when strapped in his carseat.
Of course my kids love pizza, pancakes and french toast (along with the occasional muffin or dehydrator oatmeal cookie) so it’s hard to change that.
Just curious if you are grain free what snacky foods do you serve other then fruits & veggies? We are Seattle locavores so it’s hard to find fruits that aren’t too juicy for the car (no citrus or bananas here) and my toddler is not so much into the veggies yet.
Great post!
Check out Sustainable Eats’s last post: Chicken Love.
None of my household seems to be intolerant of grains, but we had cut way back on them for the many reasons you mentioned. It is always good to see someone willing to lay out information in a linear format so you don’t have to sift through all kinds of articles to find what you need. Thank you. Now, with a $269.00 monthly food budget I am adding in more grains for cost purposes. It’s just so much cheaper than other things. I’m hoping not to see a drop in our health. I’m debating now on what flours are best for us… whole wheat, spelt, or rye.
Check out Kelli’s last post: Getting It Down – Daily Rhythm.
Well, I’m in for the Grain-Free May. I don’t think my family is quite ready to follow me totally free, so I’m sure there will be a breaded chicken breast or two that will slip through:) I’ve been thinking about going grain free for quite a while now, something like 2 1/2 years but have been too lazy (or scared) to totally commit. But this month is a month of change for me; as the old saying goes, I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired! I just found your site a week or so ago and I’m so happy I have. You can be sure I’ll be looking through your archives!
Check out Jenn’s last post: Mother’s Day Hungarian style.
Jenn – I’m glad you’re going grain-free with me! I’ve got some good grain-free recipes in the archives, but this’ll be my first shot at a grain-free existence so we can muddle through it together.
What is the source of the information for point 6 specifically ‘synovial tissue and grains are chemically similar’? I would appreciate input. I studied immunology at uni a few years ago. Loads has changed since I am sure. Surely then you would expect the incidence of arthritis etc to be significantly reduced in those culture that follow a non-western diet devoid of grains.
Hi Paul -
Multiple studies are showing a connection between gluten from grains, arthritis and synovial tissue. Most notably, a study that was published in March of last year noted an improvement among those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis on a gluten-free diet. A review published in Alternative Medicine Review in 2005 also made a similar connection between inflammation of the synovial tissue caused by reaction to the consumption of gluten in grain. Data on this issue was also reviewed in 2006 and it was found that many otherwise asymptomatic people suffered from inflammation of the synovium attributable to gluten in the diet.
Regarding your second point: you’re absolutely right. Arthritis should be absent or significantly reduced among peoples who do not regularly consume grain. And it is! Evidence indicates incidence of arthritis is significantly reduced among hunter gatherer societies subsisting on a native diet; however, when that native diet is altered to include the grains and milk of a modern diet arthritis like other diseases of civilization (namely diabetes and cardiovascular disease) skyrockets.
Of course, it’d be foolish to say that grain or gluten consumption alone contributes to the development of arthritis; however, it’d be similarly foolish to neglect its role.
The main issue with your article, and I’m surprised I’m this deep into the comments and nobody else has brought it up — WHERE ARE YOUR CITATIONS? You make 10 points matter-of-factly. This is a persuasive article, yet you have only posted one link, and it’s a generic link to a website. This response even includes supposed “There are studies” but again, no links.
This is why nobody except fringe folks take this sort of information seriously. You claim there’s evidence, yet you don’t cite any of it. Essentially, you could be making up every single word of this article. How am I to know otherwise?
Even the link back to your bio doesn’t provide anything that tells me you’ve any sort of qualifications to make any of these claims. No mention of what schools you attended, your masters/PHD/MD post-grad degrees in science/nutrition.
So we’ve got a self-styled “food advocate” with no qualifications making unsubstantiated and unsupported claims……why on earth is anyone thanking you?
You want to be taken seriously, I assume, right, Jenny?
Then remember school, “show your work”
Cite your sources, and post your credentials. I came here for information because this “grains are bad” thing is both new to me and doesn’t pass the smell test. Nothing you’ve provided here changes that. I see you have these opinions, but literally NOTHING to back you up.
Jaon, I am with you for part of your rant. That is, citations would certainly strengthen this piece and assist readers in further research.
However, your insistence on posted “credentials” holds no water; the citations should be enough. The fact that citations would not be enough for you, along with the somewhat overbearing nature of your post in general, leads me to believe that you don’t actually care about either.
Additionally, I don’t believe the concepts being discussed here are “new to you.” Why? Because they don’t “pass the smell test.” Obviously, you have discovered contradictory information elsewhere. You are looking for answers to fit your hypothesis, and Jenny did not provide them for you. And that, it appears, as made you rather angry.
I agree with Jaon. The science of nutrition is very complicated. We are complicated creatures! This author having ‘credentials’ would make her article more trustworthy. However, the lack of citations turns this potentially good article into a list of the author’s opinions, many of which are on the fringe of science, and some of which are on the fringe of common sense.
And Silphium, you accuse Jaon of trying to find answers that fit his hypothesis, and say he has discovered contradictory information as if that’s a bad thing. I heard of this grain free concept for the first time about 3 days ago and it immediately sent up red flags right and left, exactly because I have contradictory information about the importance of whole grains in a person’s diet. I’m trying to find *any* scientific evidence that a grain free diet enhances the health of an already healthy person, and I can’t find it ANYWHERE online. If there is actual scientific evidence, I am anxious to hear it so that I can give the grain-free diet a thoughtful chance. But I’m overloaded with study after study proving the importance of whole grains in your diet, and also overloaded with blog after blog full of anecdotal evidence that grain free living will be my miracle cure to problems I didn’t even know I had.
Jaon’s tone wasn’t “overbearing” to my ears. It was critical, and rightly so.
Let me start with what I like about this article. Your statement on gluten sensitivity was pretty good (you could have cited a Fasano paper here pretty easily to lend some credibility).
Then things start to get bad with this article, and I eat a “Paleo” diet devoid of grains. Actually, I take that back; I eat a little white rice from time to time.
First off, it’s IGF-1, not IFG-1 (just put the letters in order).
The fact you cite nutritiondata.com to quantify how inflammatory foods are is ridiculous. According to that website, coconut oil is a -1798 on their magical inflammatory scale! Based on what? How are they ranking this? The way you used this source is very dubious. Also, if you knew much about inflammation, you would appreciate the individual variance here is HUGE. Someone with celiac is going to have a giant inflammatory response to wheat, as opposed to another individual who can fully tolerate wheat with no measurable inflammatory response (yes, they do exist). In addition, is the inflammation localized (i.e. small intestine) or systemic? Are we talking antigens or irritants? So individual response to potential pro-inflammatory items is huge. When talking about inflammation, you also need to understand the inflammatory pathways and what things feed substrate into them, such as omega-6 fatty acids. Making the argument grains cause inflammation just because they contain a lot of carbohydrate is silly. That means any carbohydrate dense food, like a fruit or a sweet potato, is very inflammatory which can be easily shown to be untrue. You go back to this carbohydrate thing a lot in your article. Big Taubes fan or what?
“Grains aren’t good for your joints.” You forgot to mention this only applies to people with inflammatory joint diseases, like RA, and those subset that suffer from RA because of intestinal permeability brought on by gluten (specifically gliadin). There’s a couple papers on this. There has to be intestinal permeability for this to occur. It’s plausible that other prolamines can cause something similar but this has not been shown yet. Yes, I actually read the studies. You even mention in your comments here that it’s been proven because there are groups of people who don’t eat wheat and have virtually no RA. This is called an observation. There are way way way too many confounding factors in an observation like that (or any observation) to make a claim like that. This is not proof of anything and, yes, you can deny it. Which brings me to…
“Grains are fairly new to the scene.” Just because a caveman did it, means I should do it too, right? And that it’s healthy? And that there’s no way a human could find a new food source and thrive on it? The answer to those three questions is, “NO!” This is one thing where the Paleo Diet community fails at. These are observations. That’s it. This is where the diet becomes more of a religion than a deeply science-rooted dietary approach because this is not science. Humans migrated out of Africa and found new food sources all over the planet. Some were poisonous and killed them (and were “Paleo”), some were not. Can you come close to proving extra virgin olive oil is bad to your audience because it’s a new kid on the block and not “Paleo”? Honey is Paleo… can you justify eating honey without abandon even though it’s basically sugar and, I get the feeling, you are very anti-carbohydrate here since half of your points against grains are based on their carbohydrate containing attributes.
“Poorly prepared grains prevent mineral absorption.” This is basically true but did you know virtually every plant food contains some amount of phytic acid or phytates? To avoid them, you’d have to avoid plant food or labor over removing it every time.
“Grains aren’t good for your gut.” You only focus on intestinal permeability here (and probably only gluten I’m guessing even though you don’t say it outright) but you could have spoken about other lectins, like the various agglutinins, and other prolamines and maybe even mentioned trypsin-inhibitors…
“Grains aren’t good for your skin.” Because they contain carbohydrate? Think of all the things that can stimulate IGF-1. Dairy protein is a much more powerful IGF-1 stimulating dietary component and the lack of protein is a powerful attenuating factor. The hormonal milieu here is much more complex than you lend it to be..
“Eating grain makes you crave grain.” Because they contain carbohydrate? Here we go again. You should have mentioned some of the suspect hydrosylates and other molecules that actually illicit a nuerological response instead of just falling back onto the carbohydrates are evil argument because of insulin. So every carbohydrate containing food will have the same response…
It’s pretty clear you based this entire article on a couple readings you did and a Gary Taubes book. You claim to read peer-reviewed journal articles here in your comments. It’s obvious you don’t read them. It’s unfortunate because I think exposing grains as nutritionally poor foods with potent anti-nutrient attributes is quite useful to the public.
Yes as I read this I myself was wondering where all the references for all the stats and info given is as non are shown. Anyone can start a blog, website etc and put what they want on it and people seem to automatically think of them as experts for some odd reason. I’m not saying I agree or disagee with what it written but there’s no referencing for me to know the source of the info therefore I have no choice but to discount it all.
Some “modern” diseases are absent or in low numbers in 3rd world countries and in hunter-gatherer societies because they don’t live long enough to get much of those diseases. In other words, something else kills them first. Arthritis might not be any different, since it tends to occur later in life. I’m going grain free myself, but I’m playing devil’s advocate here, since correlations don’t necessarily imply the cause you anticipate.
I would love to see citations, too. There is so much misinformation published about nutrition these days, you can’t just take someone’s word for it, not even people with acronyms after their names. I need to be able to refer to original sources (i.e. studies published in peer-reviewed journals) myself in order to feel any confidence in information these days.
Interesting. Usually I am a very active, high energy person that runs 25+ miles a week. I feel tired and draggy when I eliminate grains from my diet. My parents are in their 70s and have eaten white rice every day of their lives – no arthritis. I personally think different foods affect different bodies differently – no perfect universal diet.
Check out Jean’s last post: Eggplant, Tomatoes and Israeli Couscous.
IS IT A GOOD IDEA TO USE COOKED OR SPROUTED BEANS AS A SUB FOR GRAINS. AFTER ALL BEANS WERE HERE LONG BEFORE GRAINS.
That’s right about buckwheat not being a real grain. I believe it’s a member of the rhubarb family. Quinoa and amaranth also are not real grains; they are broadleaf plants, and grains are always grasses.
To add to the point about grains causing arthritis, it’s important to note that there is a difference between inflammatory arthritis and osteoarthritis. Primitive peoples do indeed suffer from the latter; it seems to be something that human beings of every lifestyle and background suffer in old age. (Another trait in common is that we all eventually develop hardening of the arteries no matter what the composition of our diet–and it is possible to get it without developing heart disease.) Inflammatory arthritis is another animal entirely, and is the type that grain-eating encourages. It does not always have consistent symptoms; it’ll come and go depending on your dietary composition and probably some other factors as well. I’ve noticed I have this problem to some degree and it always disappears if I low-carb.
As for fiber, I wouldn’t even address that as a worthwhile argument because, surprise surprise, there is no good evidence we need fiber in our diets. Simply the action of fiber scouring the insides of our intestines is not good for us. I was amused when I began trying the Atkins diet and read all Dr. Atkins’s warnings about getting enough fiber to avoid constipation, but I found that if I followed a high-fat version of the diet, which is what it’s supposed to be, I had no problems going at all. The lining of the gut produces mucus in response to insults by dietary fiber. Seems to me it’d just be easier to eat fat instead and lubricate things that way. No injury involved.
I know some people think eating fiber’s good for satiety even if it doesn’t prevent cancer, but I find the best way to induce satiety is to keep my insulin level to a dull roar. If your insulin is chronically high, it locks up the nutrients in your fat cells and they cannot become available to the rest of the body. If you follow a diet, on the other hand, that reduces insulin surges then occasionally your fat cells release energy that the rest of your body can use and you wind up not being hungry all the time.
I was startled to learn that a few researchers made some discoveries back in the early 20th, indicating that after we eat a food, most of it gets turned into fatty acids and immediately stored in fat tissue. THEN the fat tissue is supposed to release the fatty acids to fuel our lean tissues. If you have high insulin levels, though, that doesn’t happen as often, which is why fat people are always hungry, especially if they’re dieting the “approved” way, with not enough fat or calories to meet their nutritional needs.
Whole or refined, if you have hyperinsulinism, grain’s bad news for you and the nutritional content isn’t even worth the grief. I may eat traditional-style grain dishes once in a while when I’ve lost this weight, IF I can tolerate them, but they will never be the central dishes at my table again.
Outstanding. Naturopath swears I have leaky gut. And I’ve secrety known about #1 for a while, but was afraid to say it outloud. HA! It’s like admitting that I let all three babies sleep on their tummies.
*duck*
Deanna -
I still struggle with giving up grains entirely – and instead we periodically make foods from sprouted grain flour. For the most part we’re grain-free and I can tell you that I feel better in general going grain-free.
I let my little guy sleep on his tummy too! It’s all good, you know?
- Jenny
If you’re trying to lose weight then you definitely need to drop all grain products. I did and lost 20% of my starting weight. Of course I made other changes like eating more meats and fish and also eliminating legumes and potatoes. If you are not trying to lose weight, drop the grains anyway and see what happens. There is no evolutionary precedent to eating grains or legumes or potatoes and we are thus poorly adapted to eating them. And if you experience a loss in energy levels then you are overly dependent on glucose for energy and suffering the inevitable spikes in insulin caused by high glycemic foods. Shift to more meats, fish and leafy greens and with time you’ll metabolize more energy from stored fats.
I find it hilarious that there’s a post like this – which is great – but then in your recipe section, at least for breakfast, it’s hard to find anything that doesn’t include grains, not to mention milk, cheese, etc.
Could you define grains?
This article is completely false and misleading. You should really have a health professional of RD read over nutritional information before making up information. First of all, grains are not the new kids on the block. If anything, processed “junk” foods with all of their nitrates and additives are the new kids. If you are so serious about your health and what you should be consuming, then try eliminating processed foods instead. Farmers have been growing grains for centuries…
One should also educate themselves about glycemic indexes before dismissing grains entirely. Whole grains, like brown rice, barely, ones that still have the fibrous endosperm on them, have a low glycemic index, meaning low effect on sugar and LESS insulin production. Refined grains on the other hand have a high glycemic index. These, like white rice, white flour (flour comes from a grain in case you were unaware) should be avoided or used in moderation. People with type two diabetes NEED forms of complex carbohydrates in order to keep their blood sugar levels in the right range. When you are diabetic your body no longer responds to insulin which is what controls the levels of glucose (sugar) in your blood. Diabetics can range dangerously high in the presence of too much sugar and dip dangerously low in the presence of none, thus diabetics need whole grains to keep them in a healthy range.
There are also lots of other types of foods, lots of fruits and vegetables, healthy oils that have high inflammatory indexes, so if you are concerned with inflammation you need to look at all the foods that have this effect, not just one grouping.
Lamb liver, liver in general should be eaten in serious moderation. Liver contains enormous amount of vitamin A, much more then the RDI for vitamin A per day. Too much vitamin A can lead to toxicity and death. Several death from eating too much vitamin A, usually from liver consumption have been reported. Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin which means it stays in your body longer and you can develop stores of it to be used when needed. B-vitamins, (folate is a b-vitamin) are water soluble, and since we are made mostly of water they are easily absorbed through the body. These types of vitamins we need daily. It would be dangerous to consume that much vitamin A a day in order to get your B-vitamins. Eating some barley or millet would be much easier.
Yes, intestinal health is critical to your overall health. Grains do not cause leaky gut syndrome, and I’d like to see the research findings you got that from. In fact leaky gut syndrome is associated with lack of enough fiber. If someone really has all of those diseases you listed then there is probably a much deeper causation for such poor health other than just grain consumption.
Do you know what gluten is? Gluten is a protein and is not in all grains and only is a problem for those with celiac and who do have gluten intolerance’s.
Furthermore, the ADA and the food guide pyramid base diets on whole grains. It is recommended that we get 6-11 servings a day. This is based on long standing scientific findings and health analysis.
You’re brain NEEDS glucose, as do red blood cells. You’re brain runs on glucose and without it you go through a metabolic pathway called gluconeogenesis where your body has to convert other macronutrients like glucogenic amino acids, lactate or glycerol (a lipid) into glucose just so you’re brain has something to run off of. This is not a process the body likes to go through and it fact is used only as a homeostatic preservation mechanism. Its very taxing for the body and, uses a lot of ATP’s and as you can image drains a lot of energy.
It would be extraordinarily hard to get all the fiber one needs in a day (25 to 30 grams) from fruits and vegetables alone, and without enough fiber a long list of health problems ensure. Fiber cleans out our digestive track, removes toxins and bulks up fecal mater. People who don’t eat enough grains usually end up with constipation and lower bowel problems due to the fact that their stool is not well formed or able to collect all of the toxic mater.
If you think that the sugar content in fruit is much different than the sugar content in grains then you are mistake, because carbohydrates convert to the same thing. That is how metabolic pathways work. And you do realize that cutting out grains means cutting out all foods made with grains? Like pasta, bread, and pastries? Just making sure that is understood.
If you are going to write an article about health and eating well, research what’s really affecting our countries health problems, research what’s causing obesity. Furthermore, it is entirely impossible to cut grains out of a diet. Unless you are eating purely produce, water and meat then it’s impossible. Even meat has certain drawbacks, especially the way Americans produce meat.
Finally, whole grains taste great and when eaten as part of a healthy and nutritious diet they can be pleasurable. I couldn’t imagine cutting out such a staple food group and honestly I feel sorry for those who do since you’re missing out on so many delicious foods.
I hope the people reading this realize how false and misleading the majority of this information is. No health professional, registered dietitian, or doctor would support this information.
Dietetic Intern Student
Dietetic Intern Student… Where on this blog is there any evidence whatsoever that this person eats any processed food?
Dietitians know nothing. The FDA is a crooked, corrupt institution in the pocket of large corporations. The food pyramid is an utter joke.
Wooooooooosh!!!!!!!! That’s the sound of this post going right over your head.
Agreed!!! When someone tells me they are a traditionally educated nutritionist or, I guess, Diabetic Intern Student, I immediately know that they are very, very uneducated about the proper way to eat. Notice how she quotes the ADA and FDA – what a laugh! Celine, please go and visit your ADA and FDA-approved blogs, people who follow the Nourished Kitchen have no faith in either or in your “nutritional education”. Celine, read a book entitled “Going Against The Grain”. Written by a traditionally educated nutritionist that found out everything she was taught in school was, basically, crap.
Ah, yes. I was reading this whole blog with interest. Everything the author says is OH SO CORRECT, even without any studies referenced. Oh wait, one reference to a non-peer reviewed “research” organization that sells health products. Totally unbiased. I am not saying that what the author writes about might not have some merit, however. Then here comes your reply. You make an ignorant, ill-informed statement about someone you don’t even know. Dietitians know nothing? Wow, you must be some kind of genius. Whats your proof that “Dietitians know nothing”? What? They know nothing because they may not agree with your philosophy? Then you go on to to claim a giant conspiracy about the FDA. All I can do is roll my eyes. My evidence that you are ignorant comes from the fact that you are a conspiracy theorist. Whooooooosh! Thats the sound of reality going right over your head, asshole.
Thank you, Eric.
“It would be extraordinarily hard to get all the fiber one needs in a day from fruits and vegetables alone.” Do you understand anything, anything at all, about human evolution and what humans ate during most of that time?
Hi Elin,
I do not eat grains, I do not eat corn, oats, flax, millet, quinoa, I do not eat white or brown rice, or even potatoes and I do not eat “fiber” from sweet fruits: I eat lots of vegetables, a small to moderate amount of protein, and healty sources of FAT. I have done this for 6+ months. You cannot believe how much poop you can generate by eating nutirent dense food like vegetables and meat. If you choose to read a few highly informed authors (authors Gary Taubes, Dr. William Davis, Nora Gedgaudas, Jimmy Moore’s website has a load of it too
instead of listening to the constant commercial, pharmaceutical and FDA sponsored brainwashing that we have been exposed to for the last 30+ years concerning FIBER, you will learn that FIBER is not it’s cracked up to be.
Vegetable fiber and meat is what our digestive system evolved eating, not grains. .. NO matter how much you choose NOT to believe this fact, I have a BM every morning, solid and heavy; you need to look at yours so you know that you’re eating the correct nutrient dense food. Wheat causes inflammation, flatulence and is a known anti-nutrient food due to high levels of phytates. Any benefit that you can see from eating cracked up hard shells that surround this supposed health food is negated by the intestinal damage both physical and chemical that it does once it eaten.
I challenge you to look at all the real scientific and overwhelmingly clear evidence, people who eliminate grains, especially our new scientifically manipulated 44 chromosome wheat variety I am certain you are eating, you will find out that we all are being lied to by the industrial giants of our world. I am healthier and happier for it myself–Going Grain FREE.
Pa-Leo
Haha… Fiber. There is more than one kind of fiber, and the one doctor’s hand out is usually some crazy, non-naturally occuring form. Like tree bark or some crap.
Doctor’s say we need tons of fiber because we’re all clogged up. We’ll we’re all clogged up because we’re eating total crap. So when you’re not eating crap, you’re not clogged up, and you don’t need all that unnatural fiber.
Easy Peasy. Just try it. If it doesn’t work after 30+ days of trying, then sorry for wasting 30 days of your life.
They give me GNARLY gas. Like bringing tears to your eyes. That can’t be good.
Great post!
Stopped eating grains a while back and haven’t felt better. Suffering from IBS and it has completely vanished.
I went the complete opposite direction from what my doctor told me since his way didn’t work. After a lot of research and try’n'fails I cut grains out and it was a direct hit.
To Celine: There’s a lot of research out there, both on the internet and books about this topic from scientists and researchers, health professionals, registered dietitians and doctors that support this. I understand it’s difficult to comprehend since it’s such a standardized part of our diet but that doesn’t make it good, does it?
Need help cutting out grains? Check out http://www.marksdailyapple.com
Celine –
Thank you for your recent, albeit lengthy response to my post. As a dietetic student, surely you’ve learned that perceptions of health and ideal diets vary from one person to the next and from one culture to the next. With that knowledge, you’ll understand that, while I appreciate your comment, I fully and completely disagree with much of what you’ve written.
First, the information I’ve included in this post is not “made up” as you’ve so ineloquently put it; rather, it took a great deal of time and effort to research. You are incorrect in your statement that farmers have been growing grains for centuries; rather, they’ve been growing grain for thousands of years yet a few thousand years is a blink of an eye in evolutionary terms.
I agree with you that the very first step should be to eliminate processed foods. If you had actually read this site, or others like it, you would know that the elimination of processed foods is the very first step I recommend in developing a healthful, nourishing diet. Moreover, you’d also know that we’ve addressed inflammatory foods and the glycemic index elsewhere. Many books fill hundreds of pages discussing nutrition and still fail to cover every aspect, to imagine that one single post can cover every aspect of a nourishing diet would be foolhardy. In addition, had you actually studied nutrition or cooking thoroughly, you’d know that whole grains are not the only source of complex carbohydrates.
Regarding liver and vitamin A toxicity, liver is one of the most nutrient-dense foods and I have yet to read of any case study indicating that a person died of eating too much liver. First, I don’t recommend eating liver daily. Second, in our home we eat it about once a week or once every other week – and no one has died yet. Yes, vitamin A toxicity exists but reaching fatal levels is usually due to excess consumption of supplementary vitamin A – not from eating liver. Moreover, vitamins A and D work synergistically together and eating foods rich in vitamin A and vitamin D together works to reduce the very small potential for toxicity (http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnutrition/clarifications.html). Of course, as a dietetic student, you should already know this … right?
Regarding B-vitamins – while liver represents one of the best sources of food folate – that doesn’t mean it’s the only source; moreover, even when excluding liver, there are several more foods that are still richer in food folate than whole grain. Indeed, seaweed, spinach, turnip greens, okra, endive, mustard greens, frisee are all considerably richer in food folate than the paltry amounts provided by the grains you mention.
Regarding glucose – yes, our brains need glucose to function, but grain isn’t the only source of carbohydrate. On fiber, you’re absolutely wrong in thinking that you can only receive 25 – 30 grams of fiber from a diet that includes grains. While I do eat whole grain periodically more out of culinary preference than nutritional preference, yesterday was grain-free for us and I still consumed approximately 39 grams of fiber from fruit, vegetables and nuts alone. And while fruit offers sugar in much the same way as grain – the difference is that fruits and vegetables offer less carbohydrate than a similar amount of grain and they also, in general, offer more concentrated sources of many micronutrients.
And of course, I do realize – and, undoubtedly everyone else on this post realizes – that cutting out grains also means cutting out flour, pasta, breads and pastries. I’m pretty confident that no one had to attend dietetic school to make that connection.
While you’ve written that it is “entirely impossible” to cut out grains, that is absolutely and patently false. There are many adherents to a grain-free diet who have not only found their health vastly improved by such a diet, but also have found such a diet extremely satisfying.
As a student of dietetics, it is your duty to fully educate yourself about nutrition and to examine data with a critical eye rather than blindly accepting the pap that the ADA spoon-feeds you.
Yours in health –
Jenny
Hi Gambit -
Thanks for your recent comment. I wish to clarify something: The Nourished Kitchen is NOT a paleo/primal blog; rather, it is based on the dietetic recommendations of the Weston A Price Foundation and the Price Pottenger Nutritional Foundation – which include meat, raw dairy and properly prepared grain.
While Nourished Kitchen appeals to many readers who follow a paleolithic-based diet, we do include and will continue to include recipes based on properly prepared grains and raw dairy. Those who choose not to consume these foods have my full support as neither grain nor dairy offer much to the diet that can’t be gotten elsewhere in greater quantities.
- Jenny
Hi Mike -
Thank you so much for your recent comment. I fully agree that the key in weightloss is not giving up nutrient-dense fats, mineral-rich meats or other nourishing foods; but, rather, giving up grain, legumes, potatoes and the like. These foods do not offer any micronutrients that can’t be found elsewhere in greater quantities; moreover, most bodies do not handle these foods well.
Take Care
- Jenny
Fantastic post, Jenny!
I agree with the comments about how easy it is to lose weight when you eliminate grains. I lost over 20lbs in the spring by cutting out grains and sticking to meat, vegetables and nuts. Lately I’ve been eating more because I live in frigid Canada, but I’ve been moderate about it and will drop them again in the new year.
Celine’s comments lost all credibility the moment she claimed that the food pyramid are based on science. I guess she hasn’t seen the movie “Fat Head”. She only confirmed my belief that dietetic students are taught out of 50 year old text books and their curriculum has not caught up to the most recent science and research in the field. Your rebuttal to her was epic, Jenny. Great stuff.
Jenny, great response to Celine. Mark Sisson has written a book called “The Primal Blueprint” which would open Celine’s eyes. He has opened my eyes up to the fact that there is no good reason for us to consume grains. Anything that is considered nutritional in grains can be received through many other foods which will NOT subject you to the gluten, phytates and lectin found in grains.
I have been grain free since August. I have lost 20 pounds and never in my life have I felt better and had more energy. My skin is better and inflamation that I have had in my shoulder for years has dissapated about 80%. Coincidence? I think not. I have found “almond flour” and “coconut flour” and love to make cookies, breads, and all kinds of baked goods with them. GRAIN FREE.
Colleen
Hey Jenny– I really enjoyed your post on 10 reasons to give up grains. I came across your blog through The Label Say Paleo, a Paleo blog in Austin, Texas. I come from a Nutrition background (BS, working on MS) and thought your post was accurate and well written.
Celine above, a dietetic student, is obviously still taught the old school nutrition ways— food pyramid and probably knows nothing about alternative medicine, advanced nutrition practices for food allergies and Celiac Disease, and the obvious grain-free diet. I love your quote: “As a student of dietetics, it is your duty to fully educate yourself about nutrition and to examine data with a critical eye rather than blindly accepting the pap that the ADA spoon-feeds you.” —- I am standing up applauding you right now!
I will be visiting again soon. Glad I came across your site! Jessica M
Wow, what great information and comments are posted here. I’m so glad I found this site! And it’s great to see all of the Crossfit affiliates here too…it goes to show you that the elite athletes know what works.
I began eating a paleo diet this year and I have to say, after the first two weeks of withdrawal, I have been feeing better and better. I have more energy and I am losing weight without reducing calories. I don’t even pay attention to calories…in fact, I have trouble eating the amount of food the books say I should have in a day. I am never hungry and always eat till I’m full and I feel fantastic all the time.
I did not come to this lightly nor from a “standard American diet”…aka SAD. I was all about whole grains (yes, Celine, I mean whole, with the germ intact) that I bought in bulk from health food stores. I was all about my soaked, whole grain barley, oats and spelt. And they were very tasty. Only on a rare occassion did I eat highly processed, fast, junk or sugary foods. But I was still gaining weight and feeling lousy. Paleo has turned that around.
I have to say I laughed when I read this part of Celine’s post, “…it is entirely impossible to cut grains out of a diet. Unless you are eating purely produce, water and meat…”…lol…welcome to the Paleolithic diet, Celine! That’s exactly what I eat…lean meats, lots of fresh non-starch vegetables, a little fruit and nuts and of course planty of water. All day long. And I lose weight. Go figure.
I think a lot of people do not know that the food pyramid was created by the Department of Agriculture…can you say Special Interest Group? They stood to gain when the American public bought in to their eating guidlines (they gained money, and then we gained weight). One of the first rules of critical thinking is to find out what the person making the argument has to gain by making it…connect those dots and you will find the real truth.
Connect these dots, Celine: The lower half of the food pyramid closely resembles the diet fed to animals that are being fattened for slaughter. Lots of grains = lots of rapid weight gain. Still think grains are magical? Don’t take my (or anyone else’s) word for it. Try it for yourself. Try a strict paleo diet for 6-8 weeks, chart you progress and see how it works for you.
Happy New Year to all who visit this site. Thanks, Jenny, for your insight and information. Keep up the great work. Here’s to REAL and vibrant health.
Darienne -
I’m a little late in replying, but I wanted to thank you for your comment. I think that in many ways the message of real food and vibrant nutrition faces an uphill battle: we’re facing a huge industry focused on chemically altered foods. It’s disturbing. My site is heavily focused on the Weston A Price Foundation’s guidelines, but I relish the primal and paleo lifestyle. I think that it, in many ways, is truly the most optimal method of eating and celebrating a truly vibrant road to health.
Take Care -
Jenny
I realize there may be a good number of people with some intolerance to gluten but telling everyone to give up wheat is extreme. Having studied nutrition for the paast 25 years, I would tell people to go slow before giving up a food. People that suspect they have a food intolerance of any kind should see a specialist in that area. There are some registered dietitians that do specialize in both food alleriges and intolerances. Never self diagnose,; get a professional opinion.
Nifty article. I have a food budget of about $250 a month for four, so not sure how we could do grain free. I do try to sprout most of what I eat though. Even sweet potatoes are more expensive than slices of bread. And what do take on a pick-nick if not sandwiches?
One tidbit though. I don’t think there are reported illnesses from Vit A toxicity from natural sources, except a rumor about some scientists eating polar bear liver. If you know of documents Vit A overdose from liver consumption, please let me know. I can’t remember if I read this on Vitamin A Vagaries from westonaprice.org, or Nutrition and Physical Degeneration or Nourishing Traditions from Sally Fallon. They’re all inter-related anyway.
Thanks for a good article.
p.s. I have no ties to any of the aforementioned folks. Just like their research about healthy living.
Hi Jenny.
Im only 14 years old, and I comletely agree with Celine. I believe that grain is an important factor in our diets, and that everything is good in moderation. I feel that people obsess too much about dieting and weight loss. For you to do so much research, you must feel very strongly about this.
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.
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?
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’.
And, if sugar is the thing creating insulin, shouldn’t you be warning everyone of the ‘dangers’ of sugar, not grain. If people brushed their teeth regularly and properly, their teeth should stay healthy until they are at least in their 80′s.
“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.
So thank you for reading my argument, and I hope what Ive said will be taken seriously.
Hello Zoe,
The reason why people today live longer than those from the middle ages isn’t because of their diet, they actually had a much healthier diet than we do today, without all the processed crap, pesticides, etc. It was mainly because of disease and other factors that caused their life expediency to be so low. It’s not like people from the distant past couldn’t live as long as we do today, they can and did provided they never got sick or lived an excessively hard life.
It is our advances in medical care and sanitation that has brought our life expectancy up to what it is today. But sadly, while we made great advances in these areas, we’ve actually went backwards in the last 100 years as far as diet is concerned.
As far as anorexia and bulimia goes, those are actually psychotic disorders (mainly affecting women), and not usually brought on by some type of diet alone.
As far as the “Years and years of research” and the food pyramid and major food groups go, they aren’t always trustworthy, and don’t work for everyone. Sure… meat, dairy and grain are major food groups in the pyramid, but they don’t tell you how you should be eating them. Is it a good thing to eat pepperoni pizza all the time, even with a whole grain crust? No??? But all three are in the food pyramid!
Also, scientists and dietitians keep changing their minds about things. Years ago, eggs & butter were the big villains in the food world, and were mostly to blame for high cholesterol and heart disease. It turns out now that eggs aren’t as bad as once thought, and margarine has proven to be far worse than real butter ever was.
Another thing about grains is that if they are so great, why are some people deathly allergic to them? Have you ever heard of anyone being allergic to meat or vegetables? Some people are allergic to dairy, but even that tends to be far less worse than in allergy to grain or nuts.
All in all, I don’t subscribe to the idea of TOTALLY eliminating grains from your diet. No one is going to die from eating an occasional few pasta shells in their minestrone (barring the above mentioned allergies), but we should be eating a lot less than we do in our culture, and I for one am going to start.
You are young, and your body can tolerate many things for now, but when you get older as I have, and start to feel like crap and suffer anxiety problems and low energy after eating pizza or a big plate of pasta, you may understand what we’re talking about.
Take care,
Chris
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
Jenny,
A quick read into a good nutrition book will show that all carbohydrates when eaten, are turned to glucose (sugar) by the body, thus the body makes insulin to compensate in order to lower blood sugar. You don’t have to eat sugar to become loaded with sugar. Excess protein is converted to glucose (sugar) by the liver, thus the body makes insulin to compensate to lower blood sugar. Only FAT when eaten in the absence of carbohydrates and excess protein will level blood sugar and limit insulin production.
I wish you a long and healthy life.
Pa-Leo
OOPs…sorry Jenny,
It should have been addressed to Zoe…of course Jenny knows what she’s talking about, I was referring to Zoe, the person with very limited knowledge and understaning.
My applogies.
Pa-Leo
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
Also, just to give a little background on my paleo experiment: I have eaten an almost 100% paleo diet for around 3 years now, but I also eat A LOT of whole, organic grains. When I went paleo for that month (around 4-5 months ago), the only thing I cut out was the whole-grain, while continuing my vegetable-fed meat and an insane amount of veggies every day. Thanks, 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.
Whenever anyone would ask me my favorite food, it was never ice cream, pizza or cake it was always whole wheat toast with butter and jelly. I swear I have even dreamed of jelly toast before. I am convinced grains are about as addictive as crack! After my last jelly toast dream I decided to stop eating all grains. I have always had exercise induced asthma and thought my walking around.. every day breathing was great until I cut grains. I quickly realized I had probably never taken a full breath in my life. I was amazed that I could breath that deeply. I would always have to yawn or suck in air two or three times to catch enough air. The first week or two off grains I would lay in bed at night just deep breathing, because I could. It is likely I have celiac disease, but you have to be on grains for a baseline for testing and I am just not willing to do that. I have lost weight, have so much more energy and no longer suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, which would always settle in as soon as you could smell fall in the air. My mother in law is insulin dependent diabetic and I have tried to get her to try cutting grains and eating foods with a low to moderate glycemic load. It’s not the easiest thing in the world, but it seems alot better than having to pay for and take insulin the rest of your life. I have found most people are highly resistent to this lifestyle.. for me, I would never go back!
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!
“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…”
All he’s asking for is that she cite the statistics and claims she makes in each particular article. I’d like to know where she’s getting this info from too, so I could look at the studies myself.
It’s not an unreasonable request and it’s utterly unfair to compare someone citing research in an article to advertising claims. I’m sort of stunned that you’d take that approach.
For instance, from number 3: “some researchers on celiac disease and gluten intolerance estimate that 30% to 40% of people of European descent are gluten-intolerant to some degree.”
This is a very interesting claim. Why is it objectionable to cite where you got this information from?
Jenny, please?
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.
After several asthma attacks, keeping a food chart and reading a lot of books I went on an elimination diet free of grains I found it was the trigger. Haven’t had one since I gave up grains completely and my allergies and joint pain left also. I’m a grain free witness! People ask what do you eat? There are so many good foods available to us in this country that I never feel deprived. I’m positive, peaceful and productive. Been gluten free for 15 years. Worked for me.
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.
If you regularly use citations as a foundation for your nutrition decisions, you will quickly find that conventional nutrition is based on weaker science than this article. It does take a bit of research yourself, but not that much really.
My personal conclusion is that nutrition science is weak in general, mostly because of the impossibility of doing a reliable study on something that is very individual, with an extreme amount of variables and no way to control the subjects. However it is easy to spot truly horrible science, and conventional nutrition really is on the shakiest ground.
Jeebus! can’t anyone on the intertubes use MYRIAD properly?
Come on people it’s like a number (the alternative meaning for myriad is ten thousand).
You say “I have 10 toes”, not ” I have the 10 of the toes”.
Stop it. Please. If you can’t use a grade school word properly, how can you expect me to believe anything you’ve said?
I don’t think that’s correct, Stephanie. The most common use of “myriad” in english is, from dictionary.com, “a very great or indefinitely great number of persons or things.” Yes, that’s how it’s used in its noun form. You’re using it in its “10,000″ adjective form (and apparently it can be used as the noun 10,000).
It’s completely fine to say:
“There are a myriad of reasons…”
Because it’s pretty close to saying:
“There are a [great, indefinite number] of reasons…”
Actually, there are myriad reasons, not a myriad of reasons, if you truly want to use the word correctly.
Jeebus, Stephanie!
MPT is right, and Jenny is correct in her usage. It means “a great number.”
Before you cast stones, perhaps you should look it up:
“Recent criticism of the use of myriad as a noun, both in the plural form myriads and in the phrase a myriad of, seems to reflect a mistaken belief that the word was originally and is still properly only an adjective. As the entries here show, however, the noun is in fact the older form, dating to the 16th century. The noun myriad has appeared in the works of such writers as Milton (plural myriads) and Thoreau (a myriad of), and it continues to occur frequently in reputable English. There is no reason to avoid it.” http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/myriad
My husband and I have just this month cut out wheat and I tell you, it’s been difficult. It signals to me just how much of the stuff we were eating! And I didn’t think we were…
I’ve got one little nit-pick about this list, however. My husband is an archaeologist who works on settlement patterns, collapse, and other issues in prehistoric agricultural communities. It’s not quite true that tooth decay is an indicator of the problems with grain with agriculture. It’s more an indicator of a number of problems early agriculturalists faced (and that they worked out over the generations, leading to overall longer lifespans than hunter-gatherers): they monocropped, so they weren’t getting all of the nutrients they were getting when they were gathering and hunting; their lives were significantly more sedentary and settled than hunter-gatherers’ lives; they were subjecting their bodies to new, repetitive movements, like the grinding of grain; they had new problems with sanitation that they hadn’t figured out how to deal with yet, which led to disease; etc., etc.
Eventually our ancestors developed rather incredible, complex systems to get all of the nutrients they needed. My husband works in a Zapotec village in Oaxaca, Mexico, where many people still farm the way their ancestors did 2,000 years ago. They plant beans, corn, and squash in the same milpa so that each of the plants works to help the others grow more healthfully; they plant gardens for peppers, tomatoes and other fruits in their yards; they treat the corn with cal then grind it with volcanic stone metates and they cook their tortillas (and tlyudas, giant, beautiful tortillas) on clay comales and their beans in clay pots. It’s an incredibly healthy native diet and truly symbiotic, with each of the elements helping to complete the others.
It’s sad that we’ve let the corporatists define our relationship with food and that we’ve had it drilled into us that grains should be the center of our diets. I feel like I’ve been told to eat more grains my entire life. Told by whom? Why, the lab-coated “Experts,” of course! I’m so excited to have found your site and all of your expert advice and recipes. I’m loving it all!!
When I went gluten free last summer, to make things easier, i went totaly grain free. on day three i felt better than i had in 25 years! as i slow added gluten free grain products as i found them in the store, my digestive issues returned. i will now go grain free.
Jenny,
Thank you so very much for this article. I was recently diagnosed with Pericarditis and need to go through an elimination process of certain foods to get rid of the inflammation around my heart. All went well until I learned I should completely eliminate grains from my diet. In an effort not to hastefully funeralize one of my favorite foods; the search was on for more clarity and that I found. The reasons why I should eliminate grains from my diet was never explained and broken down the way you have so thoroughly done. Thanks again Jenny
Well, I sure missed the boat on this post but I just wanted to ad my support for and excellent and well researched post. I only managed to read the comments section down to where you responded to Celine, the dietetics student Jenny. Wow, it’s really no wonder anyone who actually knows about health, rather than illness would never bother to consult a dietitian. I consulted a well respected on here in Australia once many moons ago. i told her I thought I was addicted to sugar or something. She said oh no, if you were you’d be eating sugar from the packet. I was binging on white flour, butter and sugar mixed together twice a day, chocolate bars, ice cream and cereal. She told me to change to weet-bix in the morning and go for walks.
Anyway many years later and I found WAPF, you, a brilliant naturopath or two, Dr Atkins and SCD. No I have been grain free for 2 months. In that time I have all but eliminated debilitating allergies, body covering skin rashes, regular thrush, any sign of tiredness, and lost about 12kg so far (I think around 22 pounds) And that was with having two days of crap during Christmas, after which I couldn’t wait to get back to no grains again. I feel so sad that there are people who entirely trust only what they are told by their university lecturer and don’t expand their research. I am an undergrad student too. There is no excuse for that lack of insight really. It’s a shame.
Anyway Jenny You are fabulously inspiring and i hope your grain free experiment went well. It’s great!
Mel
Hi there,
I have been a fan of Weston A. Price research for some time, and own the Nourishing Traditions cookbook. I think the viewpoints expressed are well thought out, researched and relevant.
However, I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian (no animal flesh, but I do eat eggs, and dairy products), and quite healthy.
My body does not do well with animal flesh. My biggest ‘change’ happened when I gave up meats. I lost weight, detoxified my body, and quite literally became quite an advocate for healthy eating and lifestyles. I am a manufacturer of a raw food bar, a professional Chef educator, yoga teacher, and ‘ecstatic living activist’ (nutritional cooking consultant, as it were.. kind of an encompassing term). I do not proselytize vegetarianism or veganism, however, my belief is that we could all benefit from incorporating more interesting, plant-based foods to our daily plates. It’s pretty easy to ADD meat to dishes that we can learn to make vegan (i.e. animal stocks, meat cuts and grinds, etc.), however it is a lot harder to REMOVE the meat from dishes that we love in an effort to ‘eat more vegetables’. Arguably, there is a large number of people whose health would improve dramatically if they did just ‘eat more vegetables’. But the truth is, we all need to discover the diet that will work best for our individual bodies, and it will vary widely!
It is always interesting to hear the stories from various folks who have had a dietary enlightenment, such as my own. A common thread is that ‘everyone’ should join them in their path, because if it worked for them, it must be appropriate for humanity. The truth is, as uncovered by Dr. Price, that there are literally hundreds of ‘diets’ that humans can subsist on quite healthily and happily. Plus, if there was ONE diet that ‘worked’, quite frankly, we would have discovered it by now. The one diet that has much evidence to demonstrate its dangers is the current Western diet of processed foods.
But where did this diet come from?
It came from the development of agriculture; as did most of the technological, artistic, and intellectual advances of our modern society! If we did not stop to plant grains and grow crops, it is likely that these advances would not have ocurred (or at the very least would have looked DRASTICALLY different from our current existence.) Just look at the world from its developed end all the way to its very primitive end: we still have both ends of the spectrum existing on this planet side by side. There are no primitive cultures that have created ’21st century’ technologies that we enjoy in America, and, quite clearly, Western societies have not adopted a ‘paleo’ or equivalent diet of our ancestors or primitive peers.
So what is a human to do?! How do we marry our ‘need for speed’ with sustainability necessary for the longevity of our planet, and health needed to maintain our species? Embracing our paradoxical nature might be the first step… How is it that what brought us here, is also what is taking us down? The human condition is rife with paradoxes and inconsistencies, most of which are based on our perceptions. Our perceptions come from our education and development within our environment. Unfortunately, many (most) people are not educated about themselves, meaning our inner workings (i.e. the magic of the human condition). We are not taught how to listen to our bodies and understand the messages. Quite the opposite! We are taught to look outside ourselves for answers. Our bodies, if looked at like a machine, are quite capable of reporting failures, deficiencies, and errors, much like the instrument panel of your car: when you are ‘low on oil’, a light goes on; only your body is not quite that obvious about it. When we are ‘low on oil’ all we get are a set of symptoms in the body that can manifest in ways like dry skin, tremors, or uncontrolled blood pressure. Not nearly as obvious as a little oil can shaped light! Now, we were never designed to be our complete own ‘doctors’ to diagnose our own diseases and maladies, however, our general well-being and nutritional needs are articulated by the body in a subtle way. A simple way of putting it: feeling good is a result of following your body’s direction, feeling lousy is a result of ignoring the messages. Simple as that, right?
The discussion of whether “going grain free” is appropriate has been qualified, mostly, by personal accounts of whether or not it made individuals FEEL BETTER or not. For some, clearly, it is a message that their bodies do not accept grain well, others seemed to be ambivalent, while others feel strongly that grain could not be the source of their ailments. This is a testament to the fact that we are all very different people. I might offer that some opinions expressed are not well researched on a deeply personal level, in other words, some people are so out of touch with their bodies that they do not have a reference point to what is truly affecting them. This can result from mental obscurity of an unhealthy diet, and ignorance of the human condition among other things; but it comes back to not actually being present to listen to the messages the body is sending. What it does say, in my opinion, is that there is more than one answer to this question, and it is an individual question, not one of humanity as a whole.
As one person put it, “we eat [specific diet] in our household, and no one has died yet.”. Indeed, the human body is capable of processing a lot of things, and is incredibly good at it. The argument can take a more productive turn if we simply look at calibrating our diet to serve us best on a gross physical level, as well as more subtle emotional, psychological, and spiritual level. Taking everything into account is the true holistic approach which really finds solutions instead of band-aids. An Inuit will not survive well eating coconuts and chonch meat, as much as Polynesians would thrive on a diet of seal blubber. These are hyperbolic examples, but the message is clear: if we know our needs, we can thrive, if we eat outside of our needs, there will be a price to pay.
So do I eat grains? Yes I do, and I love them! I make a point to eat sprouted or soured grains, and I feel that they are very beneficial to my diet and health. I can tell the difference when I eat processed grains versus the sprouted. I have also gone through periods of being grain-free, for various reasons. However, I always return to eating grains, but quinoa and buckwheat are my favorites which are not indeed cereals, but are still classified by most as being in the ‘grain’ category. I do tend to avoid gluten because I do have a level of intolerance, and doing my best to avoid it will result in better well being. Cookies, cakes and pastries on occasion are fun to eat, and I enjoy those things on certain occasions, and they really are a treat for my tongue, teeth, and spirit when I do. Making inflexible constraints on my diet is not an enjoyable way for me to live, nor is being constantly tired and overweight as I was before my ‘diet revolution’ when I ate anything and everything.
The takeaway is that I have found a balance in my body for the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’ the things I enjoy and the things that enjoy me. Essentially, by listening to my body, and allowing it to function as it’s intended (which includes filtering toxins, and refining challenging foods) I eat whatever I want, but I eat it with a mindful purpose. Most of the time, my mindful purpose is to maintain a healthy body, but my emotional, psychological, and spiritual health is sometimes fed with a cupcake filled with processed sugar, topped with hydrogenated oil and high-fructose corn syrup! Because my body has been trained to deal with those as they enter my temple as ‘guests’, they don’t affect me in an adverse manner that my healthy system can’t recover from quickly. This approach has increased the quality of my life in a way that I cannot quantify, but I know my recipe is different from everyone else’s, and I invite anyone who is reading it to do the same!
Source?
Very nice article but isn’t that a bit contrary to your site being that you have grain recipes?
Keith -
From the FAQs:
“Nourished Kitchen is about real foods, traditionally prepared to optimize nutrition. We follow the dietary principles of the Weston A Price Foundation. So you’ll find a huge assortment of foods and recipes on this site. Some may not fit your chosen diet, but most will. So check out our primal/paleo recipes, GAPS diet recipes, vegetarian recipes and even vegan recipes.”
http://nourishedkitchen.com/frequently-asked-questions/#preference
Is steelcut oatmeal an inflammatory food?
Also if i make my own bread in a bread maker, can i choose inflammatory bread recipes, or is all bread, no matter what the ingredients going to be inflammatory?
All grains are inflammatory foods – this is mostly due to their fatty acid composition (mostly omega-6) and their high starch content. For those who can tolerate grain, or prefer to include them in their diet, choosing whole grains and preparing them properly: sprouting, souring or soaking in an acidic medium doesn’t do much to change the inflammation factor, but it does increase the bioavailability of trace minerals while also reducing enzyme inhibitors which make grains difficult to digest. If you eat a diet that’s otherwise rich in good quality fats while minimizing added sugars (natural or otherwise), it’s probably not a huge deal (some people might disagree and say no one should eat grains ever.) Your bread machine bread recipe is fine as long as it’s very slow rise (12 – 24 hrs) or sourdough.
I recently did a 30-day grain-free challenge. Having spent the second half of my childhood following a macrobiotic diet, I had been well trained to believe that grains (short-grain organic brown rice, to be precise) were the pinnacle of healthful eating. This 30-day challenge was a huge departure, but not nearly as difficult as I had expected, and since I’ve been pretty consistently eating a lot less grains than I used to. I love skipping the grain, and filling my plate with additional vegetables.
I wrote about my experience, “Experimenting with a Vegetarian Paleo Diet” on http://www.planithealthier.com.
I didn’t see a Definition of ‘Grains’ – can someone please list which are considered grains and which not? e.g.
Grains
———
wheat
barley.
Non-Grains
—————-
rice
buckwheat
http://www.getting-started-with-healthy-eating.com/list-of-grains.html
I’ve been (mostly) off grains for a month and honestly, I feel so much better. No stomachaches and no lack of energy. I get plenty of carbs from fruit, dairy and nuts, without the addition of grain. I’ve even lost some weight– this while eating full fat dairy, a daily helping of almonds, and lots of meat!
I might try sourdough after another month of this, and see how I do with that. I’d like to be able to eat bread again, because I love it, but it isn’t worth the negative health effects.
There is plenty of solid scientific evidence to support this, but of course there is also scientific evidence to the contrary! For me, right now the deciding factor is my personal experience. And that points to a diet without grains, or at least with drastically reduced amounts.
i agree with what you are sharing with us all.
i just found about grains even the ones tha are sprouted.
i read that the grains sit in solos and they become molded.
thank you for taking the time to inform us all:)
Unfortunately, as a college student, I have an embarassing amount of pasta in my cabinet!! Is there such as thing as grain-free pasta??
I admit that going heavy on grains in your diet may not be a good thing, but there are some things about this that just naturally strike me: why is it that when people are suffering digestive problems or diarrhea or something, some doctors will recommend the BRAT diet? As R and T are rice and toast, and the BRAT diet is supposed to be composed of some of the most easily digestible foods, why is it that grains are being touted as such a bad thing? Also, I think some of the issues people have with grains could also be attributed to food combining. A burger on a bun or any protein with a carb isn’t proper food combining and generally causes digestive stress. I think, given proper food combining, many people could still include some grains in their diet without having to completely cut them out. I also think another important issue in regards to all this meat consumption is factory farming. I have considered paleo, but Food Inc. as well as other documentaries, etc., have redirected me from that path. I think there are merits to the health benefits; my mom has recovered from IBS/ulcerative colitis with the help of a paleo diet. However, I can’t help but think how much more havok we would wreck with more factory farming if this suddenly becomes the new “miracle diet.” Another issue to raise would be the acid-alkaline factor in eating (though I realize this hasn’t been heavily researched).
Scientific sources for your information please.
Fantastic article… Although I don’t believe that any one diet is right for everyone, I believe that many people who suffer from chronic diseases, aches, and pains should consider going grain-free, to see if it works for them.
One word of warning, though: get tested for gluten-intolerance before removing gluten from your diet. If you remove gluten and feel better, then you have to add it back for a time if you want a medical test to confirm the intolerance, and adding it back can be REALLY painful. If you DON’T have a medical test confirm it, then you were never “properly diagnosed”, and you may have issues down the road with having your food “choices” respected. (I have never understood how the school system would honor the choice to be vegan and provide a menu for that, and would declare “nut-free” zones for those intolerant of peanuts, but require you to jump through hoops and still resist providing a gluten-free menu option for your celiac child.)
I have been on a gluten-free diet for 11 years now, and have still had some health issues. I even had issues with the Enjoy Life Foods snacks (which contain sorghum). I did really well with the Atkins diet several years ago, and my health spiraled back down after I went back to my “normal” foods. Recently, I have figured out that corn and rice also give me problems. I have resisted going grain-free because my diet is so limited already (gluten-free, dairy-free, legume-free, nut-free, egg-free… Ugh.), but I’m wondering now how I will tolerate those foods in six months if I remove grains completely and get rid of the inflammation they are causing in my system…
Jenny, thank you for your insight and your courage.
Shan,
I did something very similar years ago by cutting dairy, eggs, wheat…. It made a difference, but the BEST MOVE OF MY LIFE was ditching grains forever. I adopted the Paleo Diet (www.thepaleodiet.com, http://www.robbwolf.com, and even http://www.marksdailyapple.com).
Sometimes people have a misconception about the diet. They say it is limiting. I can say it has set me free.
I’m not eating grains, so that means I get to eat a TON of awesome other stuff!!!
And since I don’t have the grains leeching the vitamins and minerals out of my body, and I’m eating more fat… I don’t eat nearly as much as I used to.
It’s beautiful.
Hi Erin and All Others,
Please check out my response to post lower in the column. There are no essential carbohydrates. If you don’t eat carbohydrates the body makes them when it needed only in small amounts for brain and blood function. When your body burns fat instead of carbohydrates — Fat is what you eat, not sugar and starch and limit protein consumption to less than 1.5 g/kg. It seems to go against all we are taught, but in the end if you can limit insulin production to a great extent and thus control blood sugar, you will live a much longer and healthier life, a fact that we are not taught.
.
.
Pa-Leo
Pa-Leo,
Thanks… but I’m already aware of that. I’m pretty sure I unintentionally eat under 50g carbs a day, and my brain does NOT suffer. Quite the opposite. If I have any more carbs (like half a sweet potato in one sitting), I get wicked sugar cravings that day and the next. I’m not even sure the brain needs glucose – I think (need to check my sources), it has been shown to function off ketones once adapted. I think red blood cells are the only ones that need glucose and the body can make that small amount easily.
Glucose is NOT necessary in consumtion.
I hate that kids learn this in school… makes me not want to send my future kids to school at all, but sheltering them isn’t the answer either. Hopefully the USDA gets a boot in their a**, but with the political situation, it’s on the back burner.
So if we can’t have grains, what do people who exercise a lot do for getting increased carbohydrates?
Also, what is a better breakfast to have then instead of grains? I save salad and baked beans for lunch and I’m also trying to be a vegetarian.
Also, the grains keep you full for longer – won’t I end up crashing within an hour if I have salad for breakfast?
Thanks for a great article!
Eggs scrambled in butter, cottage cheese, almonds or walnuts, Greek yogurt with berries or in smoothies– all awesome vegetarian breakfasts. (I am assuming you didn’t mean vegan.) You won’t crash mid-morning if you eat plenty of protein and quality fat. You can make good pancakes and crepes with coconut or almond flour, as well.
Also, you can get carbs in plenty of places beyond grains.
Fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes all contain carbohydrates. And your body can make energy from protein and fat– not just straight carbs.
Check out Mark’s Daily Apple (http://www.marksdailyapple.com) for good advice for people who love fitness but don’t want to eat grains. It recommends a lot of meat, but there are plenty of vegetarians who follow the lifestyle as well and modify it to suit their preferences.
Hope that helps!
Actually as someone who is being torn between so many different ‘healthy’ diets it’s very hard to be follow a vegetarian paleo diet. It’s all about moderation for me (even though when people tell me they practice moderation I normally think of it as a cop out), small amounts of meat and small amounts of grain. I don’t crave either and have found a pretty happy medium.
This is an extremely interesting article. One has to begin reading with an open mind…especially an individual who may/does have a belief that runs contrary. Well written and great facts! Thank you, Hughie
Enlightening!
Finally-someone who understands living grain-free!! After being overweight all my life and cutting out sugar to no avail, I was told to maybe cut gluten-containing grains. I did but no results. Only more bloating and weight gain. Then I went grain-free. Within 3 weeks, I dropped 13 lbs. Over 2 yrs, I went from 186 to 122 and from a size 18 to a size 4 (I’m 5’2). Giving up grains was the best thing I could have ever done!!!
Oh dear, more Paleo nonsense.
Not a grain of truth in it . . .
I used to actually take comments like this personally… but you know what? I’m not insulted, because now I focus on putting things into perspective.
Call it nonsense if you like, it works for us. Just like you don’t like us telling you what to eat, we don’t like the government telling our kids what to eat at school lunch… so… before attacking us, just consider that, in the same way you see no truth to our way of doing things, we see no truth to the USDA approach either. After all, why is a Department of Agriculture establishing the Dietary Guidelines in the first place? See, to me, THAT doesn’t make any sense.
Love this post, but am dismayed that it is followed by “Like this? You’ll love these posts from the archives: a recipe for Challah bread using wheat! I was going to forward this blog entry to a friend considering going grain free, but decided not to because of that recipe. Really undercuts the excellent information.
The excellently presented information in this article is undercut by this link at the end:
Like this? You’ll love these posts from the archives:
A Recipe: Sourdough Challah with Poppy SeedsA Recipe: Sourdough Challah with Poppy Seeds
I’d be interested in knowing if you change that link. It would prompt me to share the article which I don’t feel comfortable doing as it appears now.
oops! See that my previous comment posted. Sorry. Didn’t mean to post twice.
I’ve been grain free for the past 6 or 8 years now.
How’s this for a statistic? I’M a statistic.
I suffered from:
Constant bloating/nauseaHow’s this for a statistic? I’M a statistic. (actually, so is my sister, and all of the undiagnosed relatives we have)
I suffered from:
Constant bloating/nausea
Weekly Migraines
Fluctuating weight
Back Muscle Spasms
Near-sightedness
Cystic Acne
Insomnia
Mood Swings
Brain “Fog”
Painful Joints
Inflammation in my knee and hip (they we ready to operate to remove inflammed tissue)
Sinus infections 6 months per year
The list goes on.
First I cut gluten, dairy, and eggs.
Then, what the hell, I cut all grains and avoid soy like the plague.
I suffer from NOTHING on this list anymore. Yes, my eyesight improved.
I’ve been sick 3 times this year, once with a mild cough, and the other two times I’m not even sure I was sick… I had a little plem in my throat when I woke up for a few days.
If I slip up, I feel sick, I get acne, a little congested, and I get headaches. That’s usually enough to halt me in my tracks.
If you don’t want to try it, don’t. I don’t really care.
Just don’t be feeding my healthy kids goldfish when the come visit Johnny when he’s got a cold again.
Just sayin… Believe who you want to believe, just take a look around you first
Weekly Migraines
Fluctuating weight
Increasing Myopia
Cystic Acne
Mood Swings
Brain “Fog”
Painful Joints
Inflammation in my knee and hip (they we ready to operate to remove inflammed tissue)
The list goes on.
First I cut gluten, dairy, and eggs.
Then, what the hell, I cut all grains and avoid soy like the plague.
I suffer from NOTHING on this list anymore. Yes, my eyesight improved.
If you don’t want to try it, don’t. I don’t really care.
Just don’t be feeding my healthy kids goldfish when the come visit Johnny when he’s got a cold again.
Just sayin…
I don’t know why it posted all jumbled like this… Here’s what it was suppsed to look like:
How’s this for a statistic? I’M a statistic. (actually, so is my sister, and all of the undiagnosed relatives we have)
I suffered from:
Constant bloating/nausea
Weekly Migraines
Fluctuating weight
Back Muscle Spasms
Near-sightedness
Cystic Acne
Insomnia
Mood Swings
Brain “Fog”
Painful Joints
Inflammation in my knee and hip (they we ready to operate to remove inflammed tissue)
Sinus infections 6 months per year
The list goes on.
First I cut gluten, dairy, and eggs.
Then, what the hell, I cut all grains and avoid soy like the plague.
I suffer from NOTHING on this list anymore. Yes, my eyesight improved.
I’ve been sick 3 times this year, once with a mild cough, and the other two times I’m not even sure I was sick… I had a little plem in my throat when I woke up for a few days.
If I slip up, I feel sick, I get acne, a little congested, and I get headaches. That’s usually enough to halt me in my tracks.
If you don’t want to try it, don’t. I don’t really care.
Just don’t be feeding my healthy kids goldfish when the come visit Johnny when he’s got a cold again.
Just sayin… Believe who you want to believe, just take a look around you first
Honestly, do you really think that your food was the source of the problem? There’s alot of people that eat what you cut out and they don’t have illnesses you do. You might have parasites or candida overgrowth which is another demon on it’s own. What you are doing diet wise is great but if you just slip up a bit and your symptoms come rushing back then your diet might not even be touching what’s really off in your body…just a thought.
For those who dont believe” MOVE ON!!!!” speaking from my own experiences i decided to give it a try after watching a documentary on netflix named” fathead” . i decided to give grainfree a try it was kind of hard for me because i love pancakes. but i gave it a try. after the first 2 weeks my energy level increased and my clothes fit looser. after 2 more weeks i had to buy another belt. when i started i wore a size 50 pants and a 4x shirts. after i needed a new belt i weighed my self i was 363 pounds i dont know where i started. i didnt do any exercise besides my normal walking at work. my only adjustment was no grains includeing no high fructose corn syrup. in 9 months i have lost 100 pounds again no extra excersize only diet changes. and for those who think its too expensive to eliminate the filler in their diet when you destroy your health for the sake of a car payment or a credit card payment or coffee and cigs when u destroy your health to have these unnecessary necessities anyone of us would do anything short of killing to have our health to be without pain to to not spend a quarter or more of your income for medication just so u can walk or not be in pain or not be depressed. i only suggest if u try it please give it at least 30 days if u honestly do it u will see changes such as weight loss clearer skin and more energy.30 days will change your life like it changed mine. NO BREAD NO PASTA NO POTATOES NO CORN NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP. please just try it
Thanks for this. It’s truly inspiring.
If people don’t want to try it, they don’t have to. Unfortuntately some feel that they are accomplishing something by criticizing those who DO try it, while they do not. I like to call it “casting stones from glass houses” but I may be a bit off.
I have read hundreds of your kind of stories at http://www.marksdailyapple.com and http://www.robbwolf.com. Feel free to share yours there and add it to the list of thousands!
For those of you that liked the article, I recommend these sites:
http://www.chriskresser.com
http://www.undergroundwellness.com (Sean is awesome!!!!)
http://www.robbwolf.com
http://www.marksdailyapple.com
http://www.everydaypaleo.com
http://www.paleodietlifestyle.com
http://www.thepaleodiet.com
All of these are aweome links, and there are CITATAIONS (since some seem to have a problem with this page), referencing all of the work done in grains, health, and the overal SAD (standard american diet).
For those of you with success stories in cutting grains, you’ll be very interested in these!
Let me know what you think, because I’m working on getting a blog up and running linking all of these resources and their work together!
Enjoy!
Hi Erin and All Others,
I’m going to echo another chorus for a restricted carbohydrate macro-nutrient approach to eating . You may have missed “Primal Body-Primal Mind” by Nora Gedgaudas, but she was our inspiration to this lifestyle. I have been eating low carb (less than 100 grams/day), limiting protein to about 1-1.5 grams/kg of body weight / day, and generally have had two large, filling meals each day for the past 6 months. I lost 30 lbs. in about 3 months. No Wheat, No Corn, No Potatoes, No Soy, No Rice, No Sweet Fruit, No Starchy Veggies and over 50% of calories daily are FAT calories. Lots of organic green leafy vegetables and other low starch ones, high quality grass feed and pastured meats, eggs, whole raw milk, butter, cheese, coconut oil, walnuts, a few almonds or Brazil nuts each day are the sources of fat and protein. NO man made oils/seed oils that daily provide a balanced blend of micro-nutrients. NO heavy exercise, some brisk walking 40 -60 minutes / day about 3 times / week. I am an active person, gardening, working around the house, sports in season, etc. So I do burn a few extra calories to some degree. However, I eat until I’m satisfied with no calorie counting. I no longer take a nap after lunch, I don’t need it. I have lots of energy and get up early each day with 7-8 hours of sleep each night. My cholesterol was recently checked and it’s great: HDL 60, triglycerides 67, HDL / LDL ration 3.8 — the Doc said I’m good. This is a LIFESTYLE Change- Not a Diet
Great article! I haven’t eaten wheat/gluten in 10 years, and I personally don’t eat much in the way of other grains, either. But the real culprit here for most people is specifically, wheat. To support your statements about grains and wheat, the author of Eat Right 4 Your Type says there is only one blood type that can handle wheat, and then only in limited consumption (you can read my review, here if you’re interested in learning more: http://stuffed-pepper.com/store/item/039914255X). That’s roughly 95% of the world! Other blood types may or may not be able handle other grains. My blood type is associated with the paleo diet and so almost no grains are good for me.
Please consider including a definition of what you consider a “Grain.” A seed of a cereal grass? It would clarify the situation in case people are wondering if you consider all grass seeds grains-like rice, flax, millet, etc. Perhaps it would be easier to list what you would not put under the definition of the word “Grain.”
It is interesting that there is much reference to a paleolithic diet without any reference to the average age of paleolithic man/woman: Some 30 years or less. The average age now is more than twice that figure. How did that happen? Hmm.
Henry,
You’re missing a key factor in your average. You need an * to indicate that many of the “deaths” of paleolithic times were the result of being eaten…we were food for a lot of other animals. We’ve managed to kill most of the preditors off so we live much longer not being part of the food pyramid for the rest of the meat eaters. Averages have nothing to do with the end point of the distribution curve, it doesn’t tell you what the end point number is.
Pa-Leo
Okay, so I first read this when it was originally posted, years ago. I was so, so incredibly skeptical. Now, in January 2012, I am nearing 1 year on a grain free diet, and I have never felt better in my life. Every once in a while, I try a sourdough bread or a bit of rice, and I have the full realization of how bad they are for my gut. I started the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) February 2011 to treat IBS, and now my whole family has benefited from our totally unprocessed, grain free, starch free diet. Our blood sugar is far better regulated (so, so important for our kids!), and my blood work numbers (triglycerides, cholesterol) are far better now than when I was at my lowest weight on a low fat diet 6 years ago. What a difference a year or two can make! I wrote a bit about why I started SCD here: http://www.willfulparenting.com/2011/05/specific-carbohydrate-diet-and-me.html And next month I’ll write a one year update.
Hello! My name is Alexander.
My results with paleo diet: I have been following the paleo diet (low carb, no grains) since Februar 2010 and lost ~50 pounds now(no chronic-cardio, just weekly strenth and daily walks)! Back to my weight 12 (!!!) years ago! Went from pants 37/38 down to 30/32! And you can do it, too!
I gave up grains months ago before reading any of this, because after 50 years of self observation I realize they make me bloated, give me cravings …give me stomach aches, lentils, beans, rice, maize, wheat and barley all do it, my raw food diet was a longterm failure too, I have just given up on losing weight and feeling comfortable, or turning food making into anything else than a costly time consuming activity
“For example, when pesticides are over-used in farming, mutant variieties of the targeted insects almost always survive and the multiply. You can witness evolution in a matter of days or weeks in studies done with fruit flies because of their fast life cycle.”
That is not evolution that is adaptation. The species of say aphids that become resistant to bifenthrin are still aphids theyve just become immune to bifenthrin,much in the same way man became immune to small pox. The whole fruit fly baloney doesn’t fly either because no matter how generations go by and in fruit flies it’s thousands upon thousands if not hundreds of thousands of generations when experimenting. And they are still fruit flies.
I have been nearly one year on a gluten -free, no grain, no sugar, no dairy ( other than some butter) no caffeine, no alcohol diet. I suffered from brain-fog, hives, ataxia, vertigo, fibro-myalgia pains, bleeding gums and elevated triglycerides and LDL.
I was diagnosed by the Mayo Clinic as having Stiff Person syndrome, but after only a month off gluten, the ataxia was gone. I no longer suffer from any of the above symptoms, but have not lost one pound , in spite of eliminating all of those foods. I dont exercise much, mostly due to the stiffness which prevents me from moving easily. Does anyone have any sense of why I have not lost any weight? I do eat some almond flour and coconut flour , use coconut oil for most of my cooking, eat mostly vegetables, pastured meat, poultry and eggs. I eat no sweets, not even much fruit. drink only water and green tea, sometimes herbals. any ideas?
many thanks. Im so frustrated by this. I am 5″7 and weigh around 155. would like to be around 135.
Can anyone tell me how long it takes to see results? I stopped eating grains two weeks ago and I have not seen a lot of improvement. My digestion is better – no more indigestion and bloating every night. But I still have the extra weight (tire around my middle), joint pain, and low energy. Does it take months and months for these to improve?
It takes a while for the extra benefits to kick in – it did take months for my joint pain to go away, for e.g. – but it does happen. Stick with it.
It took me 5 days gluten/wheat free to feel better, and I noticed how I felt different, don;t give up and don;t mistake the idea you’ll crave wheat/grains with them being “naughty but nice” – it’s a whole different thing.
Love your website. The SCD rocks! I’ve been on it for 2 years (not perfectly, but mostly) and am 95% better than I was 2 years ago. After dealing with IBS-D for over 15 years, I no longer have to schedule my life around the porcelain throne.
Grains were the last thing to go (along with peanut butter, which I found I have a sensitivity to, probably from years and years of overeating it), and although I occasionally have a very small piece of sour dough bread or a gluten free beer, I am very cautious about adding these things back into my diet as they are very inflammatory and I don’t feel the need for them.
Karen
what the hell kind of fad nonsense is this!? No grains = mass starvation. What lovely advice. Since we can’t eat the things we plant/farm, I guess this means no watermelons or lettuce. Humans didn’t invent grains! Wheat seeds were not manufactured in an assembly line! Grains once upon a time were free growing plants, just like every other food you mention. So what? No oranges because they grow in orchards and humans planted those orchards? This is absolutely stupid! Leaky gut is scientifically unsound. And if we’re gonna talk about what’s not good for the skin, then I guess everything with sugar and fat needs to be deleted from our diet. Goodbye ketchup and barbecue sauce. Goodbye carrots! Goodbye sweet grapes, peaches, pineapple, banana, and every other sweet fruit high in sugar that will make my body produce insulin. Goodbye pork that is so very high in fat. since starch causes inflammation I guess that means I can’t have lima beans or potatoes. Last I checked, tooth decay was caused by NOT BRUSHING YOUR TEETH. I dare you to eat fruit every day and not brush your teeth and see whether or not your teeth decay. Notice that the earth is made of 7 continents and not just Europe. I’m not European so I guess I don’t have that mild allergy. Why should I care about what makes OTHER people sick if I am not? That’s like saying you COULD be mildly allergic to dairy or peanuts but have never noticed it b/c it doesn’t matter so just don’t ever eat dairy or nuts. This is the most retarded article I have ever read in my entire life. I don’t know who pays you to write this crack but you’re a whack job.
A very good topical synopsis of the major science-based thinking around grains and their effect on our bodies. It’s nice to find a link which summarizes the many findings in useful bullets of info. Well done.
I suggest reading Dr Davis’ book ‘Wheat Belly’, which explains what’s happened to traditional grains over the years and also cites numerous independent scientific studies to support his claims. It was all the supporting evidence I needed – I stopped eating grains by the time I’d finished reading the second chapter. As a heart attack survivor and on multiple medications, I can honestly say that reading ‘Wheat Belly’ and acting on the information it contains has given me a new lease of life. I have so much more energy, people comment on how well I look and as a side benefit I’ve lost 6.2kg (just under a stone) in about 6 weeks. Other medical specialists have now openly admitted the advice for a healthy diet they’ve been promoting for the last 40 years is wrong. Science makes new discoveries all the time and the old ‘truths’ are disproved. I believe this is what’s happening with our new and proven knowledge of the effects modern grains have on our bodies. Of course, there will be diehards who disagree and refuse to accept new found evidence, that’s human nature for you. Yet if a cure for a deadly virus was discovered, would people reject it? I think not.
I HAVE TAKEN AWAY GRAINS FROM MY DIET AND I MUST SAY I FEEL GREAT. I HAVE MORE ENERGY AND MY BELLY FAT HAS DECREASED. IN ONLY ONE WEEK ON THIS DIET I’VE LOST TEN POUNDS. I’VE NOTICED I’M NOT AS HUNGRY AS I USED TO BE CAUSE I’VE BEEN EATING PROTEINS AND VEGGIES. I THOUGHT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN HARD TO STAY AWAY FROM THE BREAD BUT IT WASN’T, ESPECIALLY WHEN I NOTICED THE DIFFERENCE IN MY STOMACH IN JUST A FEW DAYS.
Help,
I was just diagnosed with cancer and have completely redone my diet. I am eating gluten free granola, is that OK?
Other than wheat and barley, what other grains are bad for us that turn to sugar and cause inflamation, which is terrible for cancer?
Very interesting. Very helpful. But how accurate? I dont mean to not give credit where it’s due, but where did this information come from?
I am going grain free. I have been gluten and milk free for three years but still have problems with other grains. gluten free bread makes me bloat. So I am going off all grains. I still eat potatoes and sweet potatoes. Coconut flour or Almond flour. I try to eat mostly fresh fruits veggies and hormone and antibodic free meat.
I use to be sick all the time. No more infections, high blood pressure, joint pain, edema, weight gain, bloating, gas, reflux, brain fog, rashes, canker sores, constipation, and high blood sugar. It helped my depression too. Working nights has not helped from 7p to 7a. Need to find a day job. Still work in progress.
How long does it take to notice a difference? I am going grain free to see if I can reduce/eliminate pain from severe arthritis.
Oranic plantfood is priced out of almost everyone’s budget. Eveything else plant wise is poisoned with pesticides. Biblical and secular historic records reveal the eating of grains for milleniums. The new fad was tofu is bad for you, now grains. This bizzare internet site stuff is humorous. Sorry I can’t feed your propaganda chain here.
I think it’s a great idea. I am just starting to eliminate wheat, and it’s scary. I did it in the past, but went back on when I moved and had to wait a long time for our kitchen to arrive and be installed. It’s SO hard with children and snacks, etc. I can’t pack nut or nut products for my kids’ school snacks, and I pack some fruit and raw veggie, but the sandwich is what satisfies them. The reality of this is very tricky. How does one manage when they travel for a living, which I do often, and are stuck with airplane or long trip? Staying in a hotel before? Ugh. I’m not saying it’s not possible, but it’s really very difficult forever, especially with kids. What do you say,” No, Jimmy! You can’t have a birthday cake!” I just need good advice on the real stumbling blocks. Any advice appreciated! Bless!
I think that what you posted made a lot of sense.
But, what about this? what if you typed a catchier post title?
I mean, I don’t wish to tell you how to run your website, but what if you added something that grabbed folk’s
attention? I mean 10 Reasons to Go Grain-free is a little boring. You should glance at Yahoo’s front page and watch how they create article headlines to get viewers to click. You might add a video or a related pic or two to get people excited about everything’ve
written. In my opinion, it could make your blog a little livelier.
I’ve almost totally givin up grains thankfully.. Though I still am tempted by Kamut cereal or spelt ‘rice cakes’. My sister has colitis and I’d like to let her know about this and the benefits of getting rid of grains… The only problem is my family enjoys their bread, pizza etc… My dad was born to my Nonna and Nonno who are both Italian so he thinks bread and grains in a diet is a necessity.
I’d like to show them all the evidence I’ve found against consuming grains but well… I mentioned to my dad i little while ago about showing him the study and him looking for himself and wasn’t impressed with his reply… He basically said they were nonsense and shrugged them off!
How the heck is he supposed to see the truth right in front of his face if he isn’t willing to look? I want my family to be healthy but their so close minded… Even my sister, she’s very attached to her grains… I dunno what to do to help them, any suggestions?
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 2 but I no longer have any of the symptoms. I found a diet online called Dr. Rob Thompson’s Low-Starch Diabetes Solution, and every day I ate no bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, and corn I lost a pound or two. Then I found out I was hypothyroid; one of the primary causes of this is soy products, so I cut out soy — when I knew it was in there. (Problem is soy is in EVERYTHING, and many terms are used on food labels to disguise the presence of soy – the main one being “natural flavors,” which means soy, and there’s a list as long as your arm on the net of food ingredients that mean soy.) So I’m taking Armour, which I understand is the most innocuous or harmless drug prescribed for this disease. I’m 79 and this is the ONLY prescription or nonprescription drug I take. Of course I’d rather not take any prescription or nonprescription drugs, as I believe it is the legal drugs that are the dangerous ones. (Federal legalization of recreational marijuana would go a long way to reducing our deficit not to mention it’s far less harmful than nicotine, which IS LEGAL AND KILLING PEOPLE RIGHT AND LEFT.) Then I read about gliadin, the opiate added to wheat back in the late seventies making it addictive. Apparently bread was indeed the “staff of life” up until then. Not so now. So now I eat no bread, and no soy if I can identify it, and since I’ve been a semi-health-food freak since 1973, I am the healthiest person I know of any age, and I’m pretty sure I would remain so if I simply ate no bread or soy. Another recommendation on the diet that I follow is to eat a handful of food every 3-1/2 hours, BEFORE I GET HUNGRY, to reduce cravings, and guest what — IT WORKS. I don’t even miss bread now and I go to a restaurant that has a bakery, makes its own bread, and I am somewhat tempted to eat their wheat products if warm out of the oven, but it’s not something I must do. I’m pretty much pain free, eat an anti-inflammatory 80% plant food (alkaline), 20% animal (meat, eggs, cheese etc. (acidic) diet with no bread or other grains, but some nuts and beans for protein and magnesium. I take some nutritional supplements, probably more than I need, including a blood sugar support just in case. I drink filtered purified ALKALINE water (I use the acidic to water my plants, and I put nothing on my skin and hair except acidic purified water and lemon juice, vinegar, and/or evoo.) In addition I walk an hour a day in my neighborhood as soon as it is daylight.
Hello. Does anyone know a good grain-toast replacement? Something that is hot and has that dual crunchy/doughy texture? Thank you.
Try and imagine a recovering sober alcoholic asking for a really tangy, zingy, whisky replacement – if grains do create an inflammatory/adictive response, as I think they do, your cravings are a symptom that you’d do best to address by making the *gasp!* sacrifice to do without for a month and see how you feel.
Crunchy-to-creamy via a yeasty/doughy smell is the signature of the wheat/gluten axis, just like malty/hoppy is the signature of beer.
I’ve phrased this strongly but if you’re watching replies, and still not sure, please think it over – very few foods should have that kind of kinaesthetic need you describe, which I remember SO well myself. Good luck.
I watched the documentary ‘Forks Over Knives’ on Netflix. I’m now a vegan because of it, and now you guys are telling me to not eat grains and beans. Where do you think I should get my proteins? I really do not want to eat meat because of the harmful health issues associated with it.
I recommend the diet outlined by the Weston A Price Foundation: http://westonaprice.org.
No human society has ever been vegan, which means avoiding ALL animal products – Hindu & Buddhists are often but not always non-meat eaters (for example, some Hindus eat meat but not beef, some Buddhists eat fish, almost all eat dairy) and all ate copious amounts of ghee which is clarified butter fat, they overcame the “white blood” stigma of killing claves by raising females for more dairy and castrating the male calves to pull ploughs.
Educate yourself and don’t let any one thing you see online influence you, that includes my post of course but also Weston A.Price (who I think are good but not always very helpful to vegetarians) and also ecological causes who’ve maybe not done their homework. You have a duty to your own health, and not to hypothetically render this planet as one big lowest-common denominator foodlot. Good luck.
Interesting read but I would prefer if you cited your sources/research for the claims you’re making. Thanks.
This was a great list. I was surprised to be able to align my experiences with some of the side effects mentioned especially the “insulin withdrawals”. Learned some new stuff. thx.
This is an interesting post, but the comments are even more interesting.
I’m puzzled by why people think going grain-free is so difficult or even impossible. Coming from SAD way of eating, yes, it would be tough, but certainly not impossible. There are oodles of grain-free websites, blogs, recipes, etc. out there. I’ve been hard-pressed to find any grain-containing foods I love that I can’t make a grain-free version of, from brownies and pizza crust (with almond and coconut flour) to crackers (made from roasted red pepper and sunflower seeds) to “rice” made out of cauliflower. And it’s all delicious! But it takes work. It takes planning, experimenting, and, most importantly, spending the time to cook at home. We as a culture want things to be quick and easy. That’s why processed food has such a foothold in the US. But what’s excited is that we have more resources available to us than ever before with the Internet; even if we live in the middle of nowhere, we can order food supplies online. Scrap the “impossible” attitude and give it a try!
Excellent summary I can relate to most of the points listed
great info including the comments from people. i’ve been gluten free for almost 3 years now and seem to have problems with corn and rice as well so i’m going grain free. i still eat quinoa and buckwheat for breakfast. i also have a few other food intolerances and hoping they will go away after going totally grain free. wish me luck!
Good luck Elizabeth, post back if you see this and let us know how it went?
I went gluten-free in January, I’m 43, my entire health took a quantum leap forwards and I lost my lifelong (as in aged six with a suicide plan) depression, I literally and no exaggeration feel reborn, I’m in England and had my share of organic wheat etc because we do have slightly more cranky/fringe stuff in our supermarkets, I’m trying grain-free myself from tomorrow just to see if I can improve things.
To other posters, I think all the Biblical stuff above is hilarious, it’s great you have faith but since when did “free will” stop at the checkout and mean you just have to buy what’s given on the shelf?! It’s really time to use that God-given free-will and make some choices, few people would insist a recovering alcoholic drink wine just because it’s mentioned in the Bible, or someone with a true allergy to fish eats it just coz of the Scriptual references to fish, for crying out loud.
And, lady buying the kids wheaty snacks? If you’re gluten/wheat intolerant, what about those little innocents who have 50% of your DNA, think on it and don’t be a puppet, if your neighbourhood had people pushing drugs would you buy them for your child just because they said everyone else was doing it?
Okay I’m done rambling on, good luck and let’s hear back from som of you passing commenters if you have time please!
By the way, grain is bad only in the US and European countries. I came from Saudi Arabia 4 yrs ago, and I was healthy and used to eat tons of grains including wheat. One yr after being in the US I started having gut problems, gas, indigestion, inflammations, and my health started declining and started to feel old though I was 25 yrs old. After going through a lot of misory, I discovered that it’s all about hybridized, processed, and heavily altered grains in the US. When I go back to Saudi Arabia, I eat as much as I want from grains and get no problems.
If you’re thinking “but they ate grains in Ancient Egypt, they ate grains in the Bible” remember that it’s possible, I’d say probable, that our diet has held so MUCH grain starch and especially so much altered, GM and selectively bred grains that what they ate in moderation back then, we have been poisoned of.
“The dose makes the poison” is true of everything, too much water can kill, too much salt, too much of anything. We have been raised on a false pyramid of altered and modified grains above all else and if we, as a generation or two, need to redress this balance by cutting them out, that’s not going against the history of agriculture nor the right of anyone to eat what they wish.
I am not so sure whole grains are as bad as everyone is saying. Without grains many people in the world would starve to death. In America it’s a cheap alternative to fast food and meat. I’ve been doing Whole30 for 28 days now. I haven’t cheated and I feel no differently than when I ate everything (in moderation). The thing that is different however, is my budget. Eliminating beans & whole grains has cost me significantly. In general the average life span has been going up over the history of man even though the food is full of crap. My dad still remembers his childhood in which many days he went without food. His philosophy is that the only food that isn’t good for you is “not enough food”. I am not saying we should stick our heads in the sand, but we need to be realistic. The vast majority of people cannot afford to eliminate these foods from their diet.