Well, take this advice with a “grain” of salt!
Just as controversial as eggs, coconut oil and artificial sweeteners are…grains have been a real topic of discussion lately. A day doesn’t go by I don’t get asked if I eat them.
Short answer, never!
When I took a real interest in living a higher fat lifestyle, one of the first books that I picked up was, “Grain Brain” by Dr. Perlmutter. It was honestly the first time that I was told grains are not healthy. His book made a lot of sense to me and really ignited the fire in my belly to learn more about being more specific with the carbohydrates I put in my body.
Another good book, called Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis, shed some light on my views of grains as well.
Dr. Davis states the simple fact that two slices of whole wheat bread raises your blood sugar higher than 6 teaspoons of sugar does… It raises it higher than a Snickers bar. High blood sugar triggers insulin and when that happens too often, our bodies get sick.
He also makes a bold statement that wheat consumption causes heart disease. It’s not cholesterol, it’s not saturated fat that’s behind the #1 killer of Americans; it’s wheat.
We have been taught by agribusiness that if white bread isn’t so good for you… Then whole-wheat bread must be a better choice.
Well the problem is, it might be a tad bit better but it’s still not really “good” for you.
I won’t argue with the fact that grains have fiber… But so do vegetables. And vegetables are much higher nutritionally than grains could ever be.
The truth is that “heart healthy” grains are the hardest food for us humans to digest. It’s why they wreak havoc on our immune systems, gut lining and trigger our inflammatory response.
All grains are really just seeds and seeds are meant to make plants. They’re not meant to be digested. They contain phytic acid which blocks the absorption of minerals in your small intestine. Why would you consciously eat something with a low nutritional value but a high caloric value? Again, why not eat something highly nutritious and low in calories like vegetables instead?
And lastly, did you know that wheat also has a protein called gliadin that has been proven to be an appetite stimulant. And you bet the air that you breathe the Big Food companies know this as well and that’s why it is put into almost all packaged food.
I know most people’s answers are to just eat a gluten-free diet but that only takes care of a small portion of the problems that grains create.
When companies produce products like gluten-free bread, they instead use products like cornstarch, rice starch, tapioca starch, and potato starch. The starches actually increase blood sugar higher than even the wheat. That means more weight gain… Especially in the abdomen. There are not any healthy replacements for wheat.
We are sucker punched into believing, thanks USDA, that whole grains are good for us and that we should eat them at every meal. We get problems like weight gain, hypertension, higher cholesterol, arthritis, acid reflex and diabetes from the grains but the Big Food and Pharma companies get lots of money. It’s ALWAYS profit over the people with these guys!
Yes, soaking, sprouting or sour leavening your grains helps a little but why make eating healthy so complicated? I’ll go back to what I always say and that is to eat tons of vegetables, nuts, humanely raised meats, wild caught fish, pasteurized eggs and healthy oils. You will notice a BIG difference within 24 hours, I promise!