Grains or no Grains?

Lets be honest. These are the reasons we eat grains: 1. We are told to by a food pyramid. This pyramid, given to us by our government, was created by a mega-PR firm, Porter Novelli International. Their past clients include McDonalds and the Snack Food Association. Is anyone else seeing a red flag here? 2. They are cheap. You can use them as a bed for other more nutrient-dense foods like vegetables and grass-fed meats. Basically, they are a filler. 3. They taste good. Who doesnt love a bowl of oats or a piece of buttered bread? Reasons Not To Eat Grains: 1. They are carbohydrate dense. Carbohydrates are easy energy for your body and train your body not to work as hard so it becomes difficult for your body to burn other healthier carbs and use them for energy. Carbohydrates also convert into the extra inches on our hips. They can also trigger an insulin response that can leave us hungry an hour after a meal or craving sugar. 2. They contain anti-nutrients. Grains contain both phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors. Phytic acid is an organic acid contained in the bran or outer hull of grains. This acid can combine with minerals such as calcium and zinc and block their absorption in our intestines. 3. They are difficult to digest. The enzyme inhibitors contained in grains are just as they sound substances that inhibit the ability of enzymes to aid in digestion. Grains also contain complex sugars that are difficult to break down as well as allergenic proteins like gluten
4. They are not as nutrient dense as other options. Per calorie vegetables contain far

more vitamins and minerals than grains.

Grains or no Grains?
For 49 calories worth of collard greens you take in: Collard greens, boiled 1.00 cup. 190.00 grams 49.40 calories Nutrient vitamin K vitamin A vitamin C manganese folate calcium dietary fiber tryptophan potassium vitamin B6 vitamin B2 vitamin E magnesium protein omega 3 vitamin B3 zinc vitamin B1 phosphorus iron vitamin B5 Amount 704.00 mcg 5945.10 34.58 mg 1.07 mg 176.70 mcg 226.10 mg 5.32 g 0.05 g 494.00 mg 0.24 mg 0.20 mg 1.67 mg 32.30 mg 4.01 g 0.18 g 1.09 mg 0.80 mg 0.08 mg 49.40 mg 0.87 mg 0.41 mg DV(%) 880.0 118.9 57.6 53.5 44.2 22.6 21.3 15.6 14.1 12.0 11.8 8.3 8.1 8.0 7.5 5.5 5.3 5.3 4.9 4.8 4.1 Nutrient Density 320.6 43.3 21.0 19.5 16.1 8.2 7.8 5.7 5.1 4.4 4.3 3.0 2.9 2.9 2.7 2.0 1.9 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.5 Worlds Healthiest Foods Rating excellent excellent excellent excellent excellent excellent excellent very good very good very good very good good good good good good good good good good good

Grains or no Grains?
4 ways grains negatively impact our health & well being 1. Damage to your gut lining Youve heard how grain impacts the intestines of coeliacs? Were all impacted by grains, just not to the same extent as coeliacs. This damage means we arent able to absorb nutrients properly. So even if we are eating the right nutrients, our bodies arent able to use them. 2. Mineral deficiency Grains contain phytates that bind minerals such as calcium, iron and zinc so that our bodies arent able to utilize them. This leads to deficiencies, even if the minerals are present in the body. 3. Autoimmune diseases & cancer Once our guts are damaged we are at risk from autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, autism, MS, lupus (and more) and certain types of cancer such as pancreatic cancer. Not a pretty picture 4. Weight gain So the simple equation is that grains contain lots of carbohydrates. Too many carbohydrates = too much insulin = fat bodies.

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 100gram portion of yard long 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
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Grains or no Grains?
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 arent good for your gut. Intestinal health is critical to your overall health. If youre gut isnt healthy, you cant absorb nutrients from the foods you eat. If you cant 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. Youre probably gluten-intolerant. If youre white, theres a good chance that youre gluten-intolerant to some degree. Current research estimates that about 1% of the population suffers from celiac disease, an autoimmune 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. Thats a lot of people who are regularly consuming a food that makes them sick. (And, yes, Im 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 innumerable of degenerative, modern diseases including arthritis, allergies, asthma, cardiovascular disease, bone loss, emotional imbalance and even cancer. Unbleached white
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Grains or no Grains?
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 didnt plant a garden, or grow any amber waves of grain or, for that matter, drink dairy from domesticated animals since there simply wasnt any domesticated animals. Humans survived like this 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 arent good for your joints. Due to their inflammatory nature, grains even whole grains are linked to joint pain and arthritis. Grains 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. 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.
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Grains or no Grains?
8. Grains arent 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. 9. 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 cant 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.

What Do You Replace Grains With? I have found that when I first stop eating grains I want to replace them with something higher in carbohydrates, such as fruit or starchier vegetables like sweet potatoes and winter squash. After a while you get used to eating more leafy greens and high-fiber vegetables such as broccoli or cabbage. Without a doubt I consume far more vegetables when I am not eating grains. I cant imagine that anyone would argue with eating more vegetables. I would recommend going grain free for a couple of weeks to see how you feel. You might just find that your body responds very well. And you might not want to go back.