I just finished reading a wonderful post by Scott Kustes, health writer for the Life Spotlight Network.
Scott’s article, “The Real Truth About Those ‘Healthy Whole Grains’”, explores in detail a subject that is close the heart of my nutrition beliefs. And that is this (old school nutrition followers may need to sit down first) – grains are not good for you. Nup, not even whole grains. Sorry.
What I love about this post is that it goes beyond the surface reasons why grains are no good (they screw up your digestion, can impair your brain development and most definitely cause fat gain) and gives you some unarguable evidence, including:
- The link between grains and leptin resistance. Leptin resistance comes before insulin resistance and is a key predictor of obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.
- The effects of phytates (an acid typically found in the hull of a grain) and gluten (the protein part of wheat-derived grains) on your delicate digestive system.
- How to ‘cheat’ safely if you just can’t give up your grains (invaluable advice!)
- And quite a bit more.
Have a read of Scott’s article here, and then come back and take the grain challenge. It’s the most sure-fire way to determine whether grains are for you.
The Grain Challenge
What you need to do is eliminate all grains for two weeks. You may eat quinoa, which is not actually a grain, but many people consider it so. The purpose of this challenge is twofold -
- It will force you to include more nutritional variety for just 2 weeks and thus observe a difference in your energy, your digestion, and quite likely any stomach upsets or bloating.
- It will indicate a possible intolerance to gluten.
And the outcome is pretty simple – you are gluten intolerant if you notice your energy, mood and general well-being improve at all during this time. Remember – intolerance does not mean allergy and does not indicate celiac disease. It just means your body does not tolerate that food well.
After two weeks, add back in one type of grain, but just at one meal. If within a day you notice adverse reactions such as stomach cramping and digestive upset, or any dip in energy and moods, you are gluten intolerant. If you are okay, on the next day add in another grain, again just a small amount.
No adverse reactions after adding back in the first grain does not necessarily indicate no intolerance – some people react more subtly than others. This is why it’s worth gradually re-introducing each grain and taking the time to see how you react. Any negative reactions indicate an intolerance, although it may not be full-blown.
While giving up your grains, make sure you read labels on sauces and packaged foods to ensure none are sneaking in. It goes without saying (I hope) that you can’t drink alcohol during this period. Keep track in a journal of how you feel and whether your weight, energy, overall health or even your moods change during this period. At the end of two weeks, start eating grains as described above, and note your reactions. Pay close attention to every detail. If your energy drops, you become bloated, you have diarrhea or constipation, or you just don’t feel good, then you should not eat grains, and if you do they will definitely cause you to stay outside of ideal health.
The long and short of it is that, intolerant or not, many people find they feel so much better without grains, and that their energy is so markedly improved, that they are strongly motivated to change their eating patterns. I’d say that possibility alone is enough to give it a go, wouldn’t you?
Sure, it’s tough initially to eliminate grains, but the physical rewards are well worth the effort. To help get you started be sure to check out my 10 Tried And Tested Rules For A Healthy Breaky to get you underway.
Life is Now. Press Play.
Kat
Have you every eliminated grains or thought about doing so? What has your experience been on this topic?
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Life is Now. Press Play.
Kat
Hopefully this article got you thinking. And if you enjoyed it or found it at all interesting then I’m guessing you know at least one other person who’d benefit in a similar way. Feel free to share!
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Got something to say or a question to ask? That’s what the comments are there for, so let’s hear it. Keep it cool please folks.
I’m so glad you wrote this! I’ve been gluten-free for over three and a half years and grain free for almost a year and I never felt (and looked) better. Grains are totally unnecessary and dont add anything nutritionally. Just replace those grains with more veggies, nuts, seeds, etc.
I actually consider quinoa a grain too.
I used to as well until someone told me it was a fruit and then I did some research to back it up .. easy one to confuse! Great to hear how well your gluten-free diet is going
[...] Puts a strong focus on consuming plenty of fresh fruits, salads, vegetables and fibrous foods such as whole grains [...]
Thank you for writing this post Kat! I found you through your comment on the Fitness Spotlight post on grains. I’ve decided to take on The Grain Challenge and decide for myself about the effect of grains on my body. I’m blogging about my experiences over at my blog Urpi’s Dream (linked to on my name).
I’d like to ask you the same thing I asked Scott at Fitness Spotlight: Where you put corn, cous cous, kamut and rice on the spectrum. Are any of them ok, or perhaps less bad than wheat?
I’ve found your posts that go into further detail about the New Nutrition, particularly about the hormones. I’m super interested in this topic, and expect to be asking lots of questions! I hope you don’t mind!
Thanks Marilyn! No, I definitely don’t mind
To answer your question, I would put all of those grains on the ‘no-go’ list. Corn particularly is a nasty one and is definitely over-eaten. IN fact, Michael Pollen in one of his books (can’t remember which), points out that corn is now the basis of pretty much every processed food out there. We are, in fact, literally ‘corn people’. Kamut is just an old-fashioned term for wheat, and is these days still a close relative of wheat. Same rules apply for rice and cous cous – they’re definitely grains, and I wouldn’t say any less bad than wheat. If you HAD to eat one, go with rice.
PS – I laughed at what you said about ‘New Nutrition’ on your blog
.. I probably should call it ‘Old Nutrition’ since it’s about getting back to basics!
Kat,
I’ve suspected this for some time about grains…I’m just so glad to see someone with the guts to say it to the public. You’re obviously not paid/suported by the wheat industry. The US government acts concerned about the obesity problem knowing full well that it’s really good marketing by the grain industries that fool the public. Same with dairy, in my opinion. They tell you how healthy dairy products are without mentioning that all of those wonderful benefits exist BEFORE all of the processing that strips it of the natural vitamins. I’m a former Marine and have always tried to stay fit, which gets tougher when you’re over 40, but I just went off both dairy and all grains a few days ago and think it’s the right thing to do. I’m sticking strictly to meats, fish, fruits, nuts and a ton of veggies. If I notice a large difference over the next month (and I believe I will), I will be spreading the word to everyone who will listen that the food industries really don’t have our best interests at heart. Keep up the good work!
Thanks D.J, let me know how you go over the next month …
[...] Take a 3-day break from grains. All of ‘em. Yep, that includes corn, rice, millet, even spelt. [...]