Grains or No Grains?
Hang on tight, because whenever the issue of whether or not grains are good for us comes up, there is a lot of passion and emotion on both ‘sides'. Many of us, myself included, love our bread and pasta, and when you start talking about how much of it we should or shouldn't eat, people can get a little defensive.
I've covered this topic extensively in the past, and all of those links are included below, so scroll down for the complete overview list.
Today, however, I'm doing a bit of a hodge/podge post — I'll throw out the bits and pieces of information that I know and that I don't know.
First, if you've read my blog for very long, you know that I'm always reminding you not to blindly follow what you read here or anywhere. I want to put some facts in front of you, and urge you to research more on your own before you decide what's best for your own body and your own family.
***You won't find any statements here about THE right way, because there's too much I don't know about how the body works to say anything with total assurance, especially when each of us are so different.
Here's what I know:
- For myself, I do best on a diet of lower carb/lower grains. Not no grains/carbs, but limited and mostly properly prepared grains at that. My weight stays more stable and my hormones more level. (I notice fewer PMS symptoms this
way. And by the way, I also shoot for no sweets, but that doesn't always happen.)
- Many who cut grains from their diet (and sometimes also drastically lower all carbs) have amazing results in their health. They go off their insulin and/or blood pressure medication, they feel energy they haven't felt in years, they don't have sore joints anymore, and this list goes on and on. How do I know this? Because my readers tell me all about it!
- According to Dr. Davis, the author of Wheat Belly, wheat these days is drastically different from what our ancestors ate.
Here's what I don't know:
Why do many enjoy grains with no problems at all? Does it have to do with how healthy their gut flora is, as some have suggested?
Why do many enjoy grains with no problems at all? Does it have to do with how healthy their gut flora is, as some have suggested?- Does it have to do with whether or not the grains are refined? If they're eating alternative grains besides wheat? If they are properly preparing them or not?
- If you limit your carbs/grains and then go back to eating them, does the weight and/or detrimental effects come back around more quickly then, as some say?
- Is lowering your carbs hard on your adrenal glands long term?
- How much does all of this vary from person to person? (A LOT is my guess. I believe that the key is knowing our own bodies. Sometimes we may need a natural practitioner to help us make sense of all of this.)
Notable quotes:
- Dr. Kaayla Daniel: “A diet low in grains—particularly gluten- and gliadin-containing grains—has helped many people restore their gut health. However, traditional preparations including soaking, will lessen the likelihood of ill effects from any of the grains.” Source
- —Dr. Mercola: “In the case of wheat there's the Gluten or gliadin molecule that are particularly pernicious for many people, are you aware of an influence of fermenting on those aspects?
—Caroline Barringer (his podcast guest): “Well, I can use my own health, I don't respond to grains well at all, but when I ferment them I'm fine, it makes them almost like a cultured vegetable would be more digestible. It does help to neutralize many of the preservatives on grains, nuts and seeds, and all you have to do to make a grain more digestible is to soak it. It's a hydrophylic process that draws water into the grain and when you add something like whey or cultured vegetable juice or coconut kefir, a spoonful of yogurt, etc., those probiotic organisms take action on the grain, just
like the organisms in the soil would to make this little dormant grain sprout or germinate, and when it's in that state it's much more digestible and bio-available. Now some people still can't handle grains like this, they just have to keep them out, especially on the GAPS Diet, there are people that will never be able to incorporate grains after stage 6 on the diet, it's just he nature of the beast and who you are and what you can and can't handle. But when you soak, sprout and germinate a nut, seed or grain, it will neutralize the phytic acid and helps the glutens predigest so YOU don't have to do the work, and you or immune system doesn't have to recognize something that it finds unfamiliar which can cause an allergic reaction. Again, grains are not a central part of my diet, but if you are going to be able to incorporate them into your diet, you'll need to prepare them properly.”
—Dr.: “There's a whole community who follow the paleo approach, I'm fond of it too and I think there's lots of truth to it. Two important components to avoid are grains and legumes, but if you choose to eat them for whatever reason, it's would seem very useful to ferment them.”
—Caroline: “I also believe mostly in the paleo diet as well, but if you look at our ancestors, they knew how to prepare these properly, and they consumed them in smaller portions, so I believe there are people out there who do OK having some grains in their diet, prepared properly of course. I don't like to broad-brush, because I believe in complete bio-individuality. But if you look at where we came from, agriculture didn't come into play until 12-14,000 years ago, and in evolutionary terms, that's a blink, so there's some merit to that, too.” Source
like the organisms in the soil would to make this little dormant grain sprout or germinate, and when it's in that state it's much more digestible and bio-available. Now some people still can't handle grains like this, they just have to keep them out, especially on the GAPS Diet, there are people that will never be able to incorporate grains after stage 6 on the diet, it's just he nature of the beast and who you are and what you can and can't handle. But when you soak, sprout and germinate a nut, seed or grain, it will neutralize the phytic acid and helps the glutens predigest so YOU don't have to do the work, and you or immune system doesn't have to recognize something that it finds unfamiliar which can cause an allergic reaction. Again, grains are not a central part of my diet, but if you are going to be able to incorporate them into your diet, you'll need to - My sister Terri, when she adds any carbs back in (not just grains), says this: “I bloat and ache just about everywhere; my feet become numb or tingle, and sometimes I even have pain shooting through them.”
- Ann Marie: “The grain-free/paleo/low-carb movement is missing the boat because they're not taking into account the hormonal side of the equation. Lowering grains causes deficiencies that lead to other issues like not eating enough, which leads to low blood sugar and cravings. Some people can’t eat grains because they have food allergies. For those people it is best to avoid grains while their gut heals. But avoiding grains doesn’t necessarily fix diabetes. Restrictive low carb diets can actually exacerbate hypothyroidism (it did for me). Hypothyroidism creates problems with blood sugar. For me, going back to grains is what is helping me raise my body temperature, return to a normal monthly cycle, and regulate my hormones and blood sugar. I don’t think it is black and white.”
Don't stress over it
Remember, these are just my random thoughts gathered together in one spot and obviously there are no easy answers. No matter what you figure out is best for you, just know that stressing too much over what you eat or don't eat is not good! Don't let this consume you. Even when I'm not eating perfect, I know that we're eating MUCH better than the majority, and sometimes we can only do the best we can do. Just keep learning more here and there, do your best, and trust God with the rest.
So what do YOU know (or don't you know) about this issue?
Maybe you, unlike myself, actually DO have it all figured out, or maybe you've at least figured out your own body. I hope you'll let us know about it in the comments. 🙂
Previous posts on grains that you may have missed:
- How to properly prepare grains for best nutrition and digestion
- Have we fallen for a fad diet?
- Q & A with Dr. William Davis, author of Wheat Belly
- The Great Grain Controversy – Q & A with Ramiel Nagel, author of Cure Tooth Decay: Heal and Prevent Cavities with Nutrition
- The ‘other side' of the grain issue with an interesting Q & A from someone who would definitely know.
- For *really* fresh whole grains, here's how to grind your own for flour! Or just find the grain mill I have here.
- Using alternative grains (besides wheat)
- Finding bread for your family
- Soaking flour in dairy or no? Kimberly Hartke answers this well in her post.
- Paleo Proponent Chris Kresser: “Dairy and Certain Grains OK for Some – Paleo is a Starting Point, Not a Destination”
AnnMarie Deis says
I want to say thank you for writing this piece. Your paragraph at the end about not stressing about what you eat/don’t eat is something that was meant to be put in front of me right now because I AM stressing over what I and my 6yo son eat and it’s consuming me. Thank you for this piece. You are a true pioneer.
Take care,
AnnMarie 🙂
KitchenKop says
I’m glad it was helpful AnnMarie!
Kel
Gyrobob says
We don’t need grains, so it doesn’t matter if you understand that grains are harmful or not. We can get, quite easily, all the nutrients we need from meat/fish/poultry, veggies, fruit, nuts, low-carb dairy, and healthy oils. Eat that stuff in single-ingredient form, and you’ll be as healthy as you can get. Why mess with grains at all?
ellen says
The reason some people are not affected by grains is because of their ‘Metabolic Typing’ i.e. some people are carb people, some protein people, some veggie people, etc.,
Carb people can handle many more grains than the others.
Sarah Dickinson says
this is all getting pretty repetitive at this point, but after skimming all these comments, and after reading all the Real Food Media blogs and such I still cannot find anyone talking about lectins. This post talks about it https://www.marksdailyapple.com/lectins/#axzz1lqkhMO3S and states that any amount of grain preparation does nothing to reduce them. Does anyone else out there know about this? And as for grain-free and low-carb. Is anyone talking about just forgetting wheat but keeping the rest of the grains? It’s a messed up grain from our farming practices, but what about just using spelt and the others? Anyone out there have some new info to share please? Thanks!
KitchenKop says
Listen to the webinar today, she’s going to cover this!
https://ow.ly/8Ss9p
chuck says
there is a lot of effort to put lipstick on a pig. all the effort to find the perfect wheat grain and prepare it properly is not paid back at end with a nurtient dense end product. imo, my time and money is best spent on other foods. of course just my opinion.
Ann Marie @ CHEESESLAVE says
“Lectins are proteins found most heavily in beans, grains and other foods, and can cause ‘leaky gut,’ immune system reactions and blood clotting.
The enzymes present in fermented foods can take car of most lectins. So can heat processing and cooking. Unlike ordinary food proteins, lectins are not easily broken down by enzymes in the gut. At least 60 percent remain biologically active and immunologically intact.
The biggest problem with lectins comes when people eat an insufficiently varied diet. In one study, rats put on rotation diets showed significantly less damage from lectins than rats fed soy proteins continuously. Because the rats did nearly as well with the rotation diet as they did on a steady diet of high quality, low-lectin feed, the take away message is for us to eat a richly varied diet and to reduce repeated exposure to all lectin rich legumes, especially soybeans and kidney beans.”
— Dr. Kaayla Daniel, PhD, CCN
https://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/plants-bite-back
I don’t personally believe there is enough evidence out there yet to show that wheat is a “messed up grain”. The book, Wheat Belly, has been discredited by a number of the most anti-wheat paleo advocates. I don’t personally have any problems digesting wheat. I used to be gluten-intolerant in my 20s but I reversed it with a GAPS-like diet and strong probiotics. I believe it is not the wheat or grains to blame, but rather all the antibiotics and sugar and chlorinated water we ingest.
That said, if you are afraid of wheat, you can do spelt. It makes fabulous bread, choclolate chip cookies, shortbread, and pretty much everything you would use wheat for. It has a little less gluten so if you try to make pizza or bagels, the crust will be more dense.
Erin K. says
Thanks for this post. For three years I’ve been working on eating healthier and right now I’m considering some additional changes, mostly the idea of going gluten free. But right at this moment I am overwhelmed by all the advice and opinions out there. Thanks for the reminder that there is no ONE right way for everyone to follow and for the the encouragement to not stress out about it. (Easy to do!) I have to remind myself that small changes, done consistently, over time will add up!
joanne says
RRRG! I can’t think of what exactly I’ve done to my diet recently, but I’ve been having constipation quite a bit. The only thing I can figure is I’ve gotten rid of sugar, except the last 2 weeks I’ve started having a little chocolate every day. But was it your FB post on constipation that mentioned not eating oatmeal for breakfast everyday unless it’s soaked? That’s my staple!
I really need to get educated on soaking my grains- not sure if it makes a difference when I’m buying the cheapest store-brand on the shelf and I don’t have access to raw milk at the moment. So much to learn!
Ann Marie @ CHEESESLAVE says
Low magnesium is one of the most common causes of constipation. Whole grains, nuts and seeds that are soaked or sprouted are a great source of magnesium. This is probably why you are craving chocolate – chocolate is a good source of magnesium — however, the sugar in chocolate “wastes” the magnesium so you would be much better off eating nuts, seeds, grains and legumes. They do need to be soaked or sprouted in order to best absorb the magnesium.
For temporary relief of constipation, try taking a magnesium supplement or soak in a bath of magnesium chloride flakes.
(This is why people used to take Milk of Magnesia as a laxative!)
joanne says
okay, i’m going to try kelly’s ‘crispy nuts’ recipe when i make my grocery run this week. again, working w/ non-healthfood-store-bought product, but it’s worth a try. the sprouting this is over my head too, but one day i hope to learn. def. need to get my feet wet! thank you for the response!
Andrea (From Seed to Stomach) says
Thanks for this recap. I’ve been experimenting with alternative flours like teff and brown rice and sprouted whole wheat flour with mixed results. We made pizza dough with To Your Health Sprouted Whole Wheat flour and it was SO much more FILLING than our standard whole wheat pizza dough. I could only stomach a small slice of the pizza compared to 2 of the standard dough. It caused some distress, but I think that was due to the very high fiber and the fact that our stomachs just aren’t used to it. I agree that it is important to manage our grain and especially flour intake and think we all just need to be more conscious of our intake and of their effects, so posts like this serve us well as we try to find our way to whole health.
Karen says
Wondering if you have read the book the Truth About Beauty by Kat James? I am reading it now. It falls in line with a lot of what Price wrote and The Wheat Belly book and others. I am really appreciating her slant and I bet you would as well. THanks for this post.
Ann Marie @ CHEESESLAVE says
I read that book. Lots of things I disagreed with. I’ll have to write a review.
Lillian says
I agree with everyone else who stated that we are all individuals and what works for us doesn’t necessarily work for anyone else. Grains don’t bother me. I prepare my grains traditionally as much as possible, but if I have some bread that isn’t sourdough or the grains haven’t been soaked, I notice no difference in my body at all. Now Sugar bothers me, even more “natural” sugars like coconut sugar or sucanat don’t completely agree with me. If I stay away from sugars, I feel great. Otherwise, not so great.
Heather Anderson says
I think that you are on the right track. Each of us is individual and unique with different genetic make up and nutritional background. There are very obvious principles that are true for everyone, such as white sugar is bad for you. Personally, I believe that God made the many “food groups” to be enjoyed, and did a series on this called Real Food and the Bible. However, I realize that because of current farming practices, lifestyle stresses, and improper food preparation many people can no longer eat freely of every food group. For some it is dairy, for others it is grains, etc. We can use healing diets to restore our bodies, but ultimately I believe that it is ideal to eat some from all the food groups to be balanced. Again, I realize that this just isn’t possible for those with compromised health in some way or another.
Thanks for all your research and insight. It is refreshing to hear an alternative perspective than those promoted in mainstream media.
Gyrobob says
Heather, you got that right when you stated, “There are very obvious principles that are true for everyone, such as white sugar is bad for you. ”
This is true for grains as well. We are simply not designed for sugar or grains. Both create harmful blood sugar spikes.
A couple of slices of “healthy whole grain” bread creates a more damaging blood sugar spike than a Snickers bar.
Grains are bad. For everyone.
Ann Marie @ CHEESESLAVE says
Diabetes is a modern epidemic. People have been eating grains for 10,000 years or more.
“A couple of slices of “healthy whole grain” bread creates a more damaging blood sugar spike than a Snickers bar.”
If this is true, why didn’t we see an epidemic of diabetes prior to modern times? How is it that people lived on diets of 50% or more grains and were not diabetic and obese?
There is new evidence that we could have been eating grains for 100,000 years:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091217141312.htm
Debbi Does Dinner Healthy says
After reading the comments, I think a bunch of the readers hit the nail on the head. Low carb and gluten free are not the same. You’re right, no one knows the “right” way but the wheat we have now if NOT the same and I think it’s doing a lot of damage to people. I think people who are successful with Southbeach or Atkins are successful mainly because they cut out gluten from their diets. I think if they ate carby veggies and fruits they would do just as well. Just my uneducated opinion. 🙂
Teresa M. says
When I cut grains out of my diet to lose weight, my hair fell out. More than just any postpartum molting I’d ever experienced, and it took me 6 months to connect the dots. Once I started eating grains again, namely oatmeal, my hair stopped coming out. It’s been 3 months now, and I’m hopeful my ponytail will get back to the thickness it once was!
J in VA says
I went gluten free for 3 months thinking it would help some occasional bloatiness and gassiness. I occasionlly ate gluten free grains and was mod carbs. I lost 10 pounds (could stand to loose more) the first 2 weeks then see-sawed up and down after that. I was never gassy or bloaty.
Just after the first of the year, I re-introduced gluten. I’ve not had any gassiness or bloating since.??? I have not gained back the lost weight.
I eat traditional foods–recognizable by my grandmother. I don’t soak or ferment (dh makes kefir). I need to eat whole wheat bread (instead of 2/3 unbleached white flour + 1/3 whole wheat.)
My conclusion seems to be that individual chemistries need different diets. No one needs processed foods. Everyone benefits from minimal ingredient, homemade food. God gave us grains and, except for the rare person who has an intolerance or allergy, if you like them and can digest them, eat them.
Commenter via Facebook says
Do properly prepared whole grains cause blood sugar and thus insulin to spike? my concern with carbs is with insulin levels. This week I went off all sugar and carbs to adjust for insulin levels. I’m not sure how long i will go without carbs. I would like to in a few weeks go with prepared whole grains.
Commenter via Facebook says
I have Celiacs too and still not feeling 100%. Just made an appointment with a Doctor that has informed me to go completely grain free. I love my corn tortillas, rice and my Udi’s gluten free granola! Does this mean farewell? Would love more information. Can anyone shed some light???
Jana says
Rice is a grass not a grain. However rice tortillas taste horrible to me. You may try corn tortillas but that depends on how you do with corn. A great website with great ideas on eating real food and recipes too is http://www.dietdoctor.com It’s a balanced sitemade by a Swedish doctor who is well known for his LCHF diet. He has done great seminars at the Ancestral Health symposium and been interviewed by a lot of low carb experts.
Sheila says
I think everyone should test for themselves. Especially if you have any chronic health problems, you should try going off grains for awhile. Then add them back in and see what happens. If there are problems, try testing various grains and various preparation methods.
Normally I don’t have problems with grains, but lately I’ve had horrible, horrible, I mean really bad gas. I thought it was just a pregnancy symptom, but when I cut out grains, it vanished. Then I added sourdough, and so far, no problems. Perhaps sourdough makes all the difference! I’m still testing various recipes (in particular, ones that use just starter vs. ones that add additional flour with only a short rise time after that).
Jana says
I think where your ancestors came from has a lot to do with how you will deal with particular types of food. For instance, many Asians have a dairy intollerance while most Europeans do not. Asians can eat a lot of rice but I cannot without gaining a significant amount of weight. It’s a super complicated issue but I do find concern that the wheat we eat today is not similar to the wheat of 50 years ago. I find that the doubling of the chromosomes and the increased yield with reduced grain height is a problem. If you think about dog breeds you will find many different varieties. All of them have health issues particular to that specific breed. Boxers are prone to hip dysplasia. Shelties are often deaf if they are a blue merle color. https://www.dogpack.com/breeds/A.htm
Why don’t health officials find out the health problems associated to this new super grain called wheat and compare it to it’s ancestor of 50 years ago? We should know the pros and cons of what we consume. It’s only fair so we can make good decisions for ourselves.
I also think traditional preparations have value that has been tossed aside in the past 50 years and should be given a fresh chance at showing what those preparations do.
Susan says
This grain thing gets so tiring. Right along with the vegan-thing, the low-fat thing, the no-dairy thing, the living on juice-thing…whatever the latest “thing” is. This way is right and your’s is wrong. Eat this, but don’t eat that! UGH! We spend so much time arguing about one doctrine over the other. I realize this is just human nature, we have, after all been arguing about one thing or another -usually religion!- since the beginning of time. But now we need to argue over food?!
Now, maybe I am touchy because I spent an hour yesterday arguing with a vegan on Huffpo who stated that ALL farming should be banned! It ticked me off that he equated CAFO farmers to people like Joel Salatin. We went several rounds until I was so exhausted I had to go eat some grass-fed beef…
I look at it this way: God gave us EVERYthing we need to survive right here on earth. Eat what you can pick, hunt, fish, milk or gather. Don’t eat things made in a factory. If one thing doesn’t work for you, eat another, but try and eat as many things God has blessed us with that you can. But please, let’s not argue about what is the “best” way to eat. All the arguing is ruining my appetite and I am in the middle of trying to RRARF!
Give thanks for even having food in front of you and let’s not worry about what is the best, worst or most beneficial way to eat. If you’re eating from the earth, then I would say you are off to a healthy start!
Yolanda says
https://simplyhomemaking60.blogspot.com/2011/10/thought-for-today.html
Exactly.
chuck says
a vegan with no farming equals death. did they really try to argue that “all farming should be banned”? to gather enough vegetation to survive would be impossible. that is why pre agricultural societies HAD to hunt and eat animals.
joanne says
I have oatmeal for breakfast every morning and a fried egg on (half a piece of) toast. That’s about all the grains I need all day. My husband refuses the bread at most restaurants, he says it’s a waste of space 😛 (except Red Lobster’s biscuits :P). My question, though, is making granola. I’ve actually never figured out how to soak my oats b/c I don’t have access to raw milk right now for milk kefir and I don’t know how you’d apply this rule to granola. Also, most recipes I’ve found call for ‘no-no’ canola oil.
I’m still new to the whole kefir thing and I’m not sure how else to soak my (store-bought) grains. I know you can make it w/ coconut milk, and I don’t mind the flavor, but I also don’t want coconut in absolutely every recipe that calls for milk kefir. My culture packet insert actually tells me to put the grains in milk every few cycles to let them rest.
Any suggestions? Many thanks – you guys (gals) rock!
Michelle B. says
When I soak oats, for oatmeal or granola, I use cultured buttermilk. If you cruise the real food blogs I know several of them have soaked granola recipes that don’t require canola oil, usually butter and coconut oil. I can’t remember off the top of my head where the recipe I use came from, but I know Katie at Kitchen Stewardship has one, and Kelly has one too here https://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/01/homemade-breakfast-cereal-homemade-granola-snack-from-cheeseslave.html Good luck!
joanne says
Hello! Why didn’t I think of coconut oil – I LOVE that stuff! Thanks for the refresher! I will take another look at her post – thanks for the link!
chuck says
i think we can all agree that eliminating highly processed foods is good thing for most everyone. my question is, is what you get from properly processing grains a better than other, more tolerable carb sources? are you better off eating some bread or a sweet potato? an apple or some pasta? i don’t know. i would love to see a nutritional comparison. and also a time/money invested comparison. how much do heirloom grains cost these days?
Amy says
Well, Weston A. Price seemed to heal people using freshly ground wheat flour along with other nutrient-dense foods. And many of the people he studied ate grains. They contain b-vitamins and other nutrients. And then Asians eat a lot of white rice and French eat a lot of white bread (the flour is different from what you get in the US), which don’t have the nutrients, but they get them from other foods in their diets. I think the whole messed-up gut flora thing so prevalent in the US today might complicate things, but I have yet to see anything to suggest that apples or sweet potatoes are preferable to grains. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with them, either, if you prefer them.
Commenter via Facebook says
I don’t think grains are doing anyone any favors, but some people can probably ‘get by’ on them. I do fine on rice, but I do not consider it nutritious, just something that helps me to be able to eat out!
Gyrobob says
I put little stock in testimonials or opinion pieces or editorials or blogs or FB pages, etc. Using these “sources” may make for interesting reading, but for making decisions, these sources are useless. Within an hour you can find 50 sources to support ANY way of living.
The only way to find out what actually matters is to make the effort to blast right by these collections of assertions/interpretations/anecdotes/hype, and to do the research yourself. REAL research,.. not skimming others’ opinions of others’ opinions. Find those actual studies done by people or groups of people that have no agenda other than factual research. I would view with suspicion research done by the Atkins corporation as much as I would view with suspicion research done by the Whole Grains Council, or by the USDA or FDA, since they all have a lot invested in the “healthy whole grains” fraud. When you consider research as a source of information for decisionmaking, be careful to note who funded the research.
Anyway, once you find some reputable studies, analyze the info yourself. See if their conclusions agree with yours. All this is a lot of work, but it is the only way to get past agenda-driven hype, and find out what actually works and doesn’t work.
Beware of research claiming to show improvements using whole grains. Each and every one of those studies compares whole grains to something even worse, e. g. refined flour. There are no studies showing improvements from whole grains added to an otherwise healthy diet when compared to no grains and an otherwise healthy diet.
Anyone who engages in actual research like this will be very hard pressed to find valid studies that prove whole grains are healthy. Quite the contrary, in fact. The preponderance of raw research shows whole grains, especially wheat, to be harmful.
Michelle V says
I, too, think that it depends on the individual, and I loved your list of questions that you didn’t know. My son and I don’t tolerate grains AT ALL. My daughter can do a little, and my husband can pretty much eat anything he wants, even if it’s not prepared correctly! I would LOVE to discover the answers to the questions! 🙂
Commenter via Facebook says
So true! I believe that there is no one size fits all “perfect” diet. We all come to the table with such individual systems. However, making our food digest-able and nutrient rich no matter what is key!
Commenter via Facebook says
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM
Commenter via Facebook says
So we think we can eat anything but if you do suffer from sinus, allergies, arthritis, inflammation in joints or even inflammation in things such as tonsils that would be “tonsillitis”, cholesterol, hair loss and the list goes on you may wannah try this this way. No only have I read but have done this grain free life and have cured MANY things in myself, my children, husband. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVEiYwFvKvU&feature=youtu.be
Commenter via Facebook says
I think it’s kind of like smoking. Some people seem to do just fine with it . . .
Michelle says
I know Dr. Mercola recommends eating for your nutritional type. According to the assessment you can take on his website, I am a protein type and I feel much better and slimmer without grains. I lose weight just by following his nutritional protocol for my type. Maybe some people are experiencing better health eating grains because they are carb types? Just a thought.
Commenter via Facebook says
Definitely depends on the person. There is NO one ideal diet that is good for every single person. You must be committed to learning how to read your own body and finding what works for you!
Commenter via Facebook says
I think it is an individual case by case situation. I know people who do very well on properly prepared grains while others (like myself, even properly prepared) can’t handle grains on a regular basis.
Commenter via Facebook says
No, I don’t. Some people have no trouble with grains and then some maybe most do, which is due in big part to terrible diets. One mans food is another mans poison. Whole grains that are soaked overnight can be very beneficial for some people. The whole wheat and white breads and pastas that are being served up today are not the same grains our parents grew up on.
Commenter via Facebook says
When diagnosed with Celiac, our whole family went regular, grain-filled gluten free. It wasn’t enough to heal our bodies, and now we are all grain free and much, much healthier! I think it depends on the person whether grains are okay or not. It does seem that more people do better with no grains though.
Commenter via Facebook says
I think so. I can’t eat any. My husband can eat them all and is healthy as a horse as evidenced by perfect labs, BP, pulse that is about 50, he still weighs the same as he did at 30, and he is well into his 50s. (and he’s a couch potato) Individual genetics are important….
Commenter via Facebook says
I do think different people have different dietary needs. The only way to know for sure is to try different things and listen to your body. To many people don’t know how to read their own bodies or don’t give their body time to adjust to different diets.
I’ve recently gone off grains. I’ve done it before, but didn’t have the self control to stay of them. I know I feel much better when I’m not eating grains, but I don’t know the long term effects on my body.
Commenter via Facebook says
I do think different people have different dietary needs. The only way to know for sure is to try different things and listen to your body. To many people don’t know how to read their own bodies or don’t give their body time to adjust to different diets.
I’ve recently gone off grains. I’ve done it before, but didn’t have the self control to stay of them. I know I feel much better when I’m not eating grains, but I don’t know the long term effects on my body.
Commenter via Facebook says
Yes! there is no one individual diet and there is no ONE perfect food that everyone can eat. Including meat, grains, raw milk, eggs etc. We are all compromised just a little different. Personally I try avoid wheat due to an allergy that I had tested via kinesiology, I do eat wheat when I am out but try to avoid it at home. I do eat other grains though.
Commenter via Facebook says
Yes! there is no one individual diet and there is no ONE perfect food that everyone can eat. Including meat, grains, raw milk, eggs etc. We are all compromised just a little different. Personally I try avoid wheat due to an allergy that I had tested via kinesiology, I do eat wheat when I am out but try to avoid it at home. I do eat other grains though.
Commenter via Facebook says
Handle grains? That’s an individual response by each person’s body. I can “handle” them, but it’s the damage we don’t see or feel or link to grains that decided it for us. No grains in this household.
Amy says
I agree with those who caution against conflating the terms “gluten free” (or even “grain free”) and “low carb.” These are not synonymous. I also agree with the commenter who said that it’s not possible to tell whether grains are adversely affecting your health unless you remove them for at least 30 days and then add them back in (and that there are no nutrients in grains you cannot get from whole foods – i.e., vegetables, fruits, meat, nuts, and seeds).
Another very significant (but often missed) part of the equation is QUALITY of food. If food is highly processed (i.e., it comes in a package other than just some wrapping over whole food), it is highly likely to be full of GMOs (many grains and nearly ALL corn and soy are), which are horrible for your health; as well as pesticides, herbicides, and other toxins.
In addition, supporting the processed food industry by injesting grains promotes the type of monoculture (planting just ONE crop on a large scale) that is terrible for the soil and will, ultimately, deplete it (and anything we attempt to grow on it in the future) of nutrients. Small organic farmers and small grass-fed meat/free-range poultry producers are the best source for quality food. Sticking with real food is healthier for people, better for the environment, and supportive of those communities that have been harmed by the practices of companies like Monsanto. Staying away from grains will not guarantee this, of course, but it is definitely a step in the right direction (because grain production is one of the biggest culprits).
Commenter via Facebook says
I used to think that but now I am wondering. Especially since it is coming to light what a franken food today’s wheat is. I think the only way that people will know whether or not grain free will work for them is to give it a decent trial run. Most people that I know won’t do it but continue to complain about their ailments and prescription med bills. After pulling the last vestiges of grains from our diet, I think we may be about ready to say goodbye to my son’s acne on his forehead. Sometimes it’s the “little” things.
Commenter via Facebook says
I used to think that but now I am wondering. Especially since it is coming to light what a franken food today’s wheat is. I think the only way that people will know whether or not grain free will work for them is to give it a decent trial run. Most people that I know won’t do it but continue to complain about their ailments and prescription med bills. After pulling the last vestiges of grains from our diet, I think we may be about ready to say goodbye to my son’s acne on his forehead. Sometimes it’s the “little” things.
Kristi says
I totally think that everyone is different. I always thought I had an iron stomach and could eat anything without any problems. Then I started reading all this food stuff. LOL I gave up grains. Lost weight and felt great. Then I added them back in and felt terrible and bloated and gained weight. This never happened before. I also gave up dairy. When they were added back in I got really bloated and my stomach swelled and I got gassy. And this was with a glass of raw milk. This NEVER happened before, either. I would drink glasses a day with no problems.
So either I was just always bloated before giving them up, or eliminating then adding back in certain foods made things way worse than ever before. I’m not sure why it happened.
I’m thinking I’ll just have a little sprouted bread and rice a few times a week and see how things go. I also want to start slowly adding milk back in. I’m pregnant now and I want some milk darnit. 😉
Amy says
Why can’t you have milk without the grains?
Kristi says
First came the grain free. Then I went primal and gave up the dairy, too. Now they both cause problems they didn’t before. I think it might of made things worse and not better. With me.
Amy says
This is a different Amy than the one who replied to your comment before. I think you are probably right that it made it worse. That’s typical for people who do a low-carb diet. They have a very hard time tolerating carbs when they add them back, and often develop other food sensitivities, too.
Real Food RD says
what happened with you is totally normal. the point of eliminating grains or any other foods that might be suspect of causing problems for a couple weeks and then adding them back (one at a time of course) is to see if they cause a reaction that wasn’t clear before. You can do food eliminations and challenges without going low carb too and will get the same result if you have an intolerance to gluten or whatever the case may be. good luck with your pregnancy!
Michelle B. says
My chiropractor explained it like this. If you have a white board that has 100 random marks on it and some one adds 1 more you don’t notice it, but if you clean the white board, by going on an elimination diet, then when someone adds a mark it sticks out like a sore thumb. So after eliminating things that might be allergens when you add them back in you can tell right away what was causing you problems.
Commenter via Facebook says
such a great post! I started the GAPS diet a month ago and giving it a try for a while to regulate my digestion and see if it improves energy. Like Ann Marie, I have low thyroid and adrenal fatigue, so I am working to balance that out as well. I hope to eat properly prepared grains again in the future, but might need to reduce the quantity. We’ll see. Excellent post on the many faces of going grain free! This is the beauty of individuality and what works for one person might not work for another.
Commenter via Facebook says
such a great post! I started the GAPS diet a month ago and giving it a try for a while to regulate my digestion and see if it improves energy. Like Ann Marie, I have low thyroid and adrenal fatigue, so I am working to balance that out as well. I hope to eat properly prepared grains again in the future, but might need to reduce the quantity. We’ll see. Excellent post on the many faces of going grain free! This is the beauty of individuality and what works for one person might not work for another.
Commenter via Facebook says
Of course. Seven billion bodies on the planet = seven billion different, individual biologic needs.
Commenter via Facebook says
Of course. Seven billion bodies on the planet = seven billion different, individual biologic needs.
Commenter via Facebook says
Absolutely. I think as WAPF people we are sometimes in danger as being just as dogmatic as those we disagree with in terms of nutritional information due to the passion of our beliefs. We need to have a compassionate understanding that everyone’s biochemistry is unique and special… some people can handle grains and some cannot.
Commenter via Facebook says
Yes. I can eat grains, but just no gluten. Others (like my hubby) can eat all grains with no ill effects. Some do better with no grains at all. If I were to try to go grain-free (and I have) I lose way too much weight (I am already underweight as it is). Even with eating tons of good fats and proteins, I still need the carbs from the grains to maintain my weight.
Commenter via Facebook says
I think so, yes. I can handle grains (which I usually eat as sourdough bread). My mom can’t really have any for a lot of reasons.
Jen says
I do better with grains. Yet I do not overdo it.
I personally believe that there is a reason why grains are so time consuming to prepare — because our bodies were not meant to eat a lot of them. It’s ok to eat them if your gut can handle it, but it shouldn’t not be the center of a meal. I usually will eat a sourdough toast in the morning loaded with butter to dip in my eggs. Then a small portion of white rice with my dinner. That is the extent of my grain intake for the day.
Carissa says
I found out via muscle testing at my holistic doctor that, out of WAPF, Primal, GAPS, Perfect Health Diet, and Matt Stone’s Diet Recovery, the best diet for me personally is Primal. I have a number of health challenges, including autoimmune hypothyroidism and endometriosis, so I was surprised that my body would prefer Primal over GAPS. (My doctor was surprised, too.) Maybe because GAPS is so strict that it would actually stress my body out too much…? I think the point is, which was highlighted in one of the above interviews, is that bio-individuality is key: what works for one person may not necessarily work for another.
Amy says
Kelly (or anyone else), you should read the comments for Matt Stone’s last post https://180degreehealth.com/2012/01/paleo-diet-myth-testimonials
Read some of the long testimonials from people (There are a lot pf comments but search for the ones written by Big Kitten, Luke and Bob Dean). The story is the same for all of them. Giving up carbs was great at first, had fantastic effects. And then ran their health into the ground. Adding carbs back in felt awful at first but has helped them regain health.
The problem with low-carb is it feels awesome short-term and seems to resolve all sorts of health issues. But it’s deceiving and actually worsens health long-term.
I think you can be healthy without grains as long as you are eating lots of starch (it’s harder to get enough starch this way, though). But, personally, I like including grains and think there is no reason at all to avoid them unless you are someone who is super sensitive to them, and I think that is a very small subset of the population. We’ve been eating grains for thousands of years now and are adapted to them, and at least rice should be tolerable for most people.
Alexandra says
I agree – I’m grain free, but that doesn’t mean I’m low carb. I eat tons of veggies, fruit, and even higher starch veg like potatoes. I don’t think grain free and low carb should be conflated, as they are two very different things.
JMR says
Thank you for this post. I know lots of people who feel much, much better with few or no grains. And I know people who feel best on very low carb diets. I’m not one of those people. I used to think there was something wrong with me because I felt so much healthier and more energetic when I ate grains. But I’ve decided that different people react differently to different types of diet. What works best for one may be the worst thing for another. I no longer eat gluten because I have Celiac Disease, but I’ve never had any noticeable symptoms from eating gluten. But I do eat properly prepared grains and legumes (and sometimes improperly prepared ones).
Jen says
I think it’s a mistake to interchangabley refer to grain-free and low-carb together. They are not the same thing. We are grain-free in my house but I eat low carb and my husband does not. He gets plenty of sweet potatoes and other carby vegetables because he has such a low body fat percentage and does well with them.
The only way anyone can really know if grains are affecting them negatively is to go off them completely for 30 days and then add them back in. I have to just laugh whenever anyone tells me they do just fine on grains but they’ve never tried this. What if you sleep just a little bit better? What if you had just a little more energy than you have now? You might be “okay” on grains but what if you feel fantastic without them? You won’t know unless you try.
There is absolutely nothing in any grains that your body can’t get from somewhere else. Fiber, vitamins, minerals, amino acids . . . nothing. There are, however, all kinds of bad things in grains that you are better off avoiding. You can’t ferment or sprout away gluten, for example.
Personally my thyroid has done immensely better when I’m completely off gluten. My temperatures are up and my cycles are regular. Based on my research, I think it’s due to the elimination of gluten and more level blood sugars.
Yolanda says
I think it is very useful to look at all sides of it. Also, essential to “know thyself.” Every Body is different. Here is something I wrote about it a while back:
https://simplyhomemaking60.blogspot.com/2011/05/word-to-my-gluten-free-friends.html
Obviously, though, this will not work for a lot of people. In my opinion, if we do eat grains, they need to be properly prepared. And there are lots of people that can’t tolerate them even then.
It’s an individual thing. It’s not reasonable for someone to say that ALL people should avoid grains. And, it is unreasonable to claim that grains would agree with everyone.
We have to carefully and thoughtfully figure out what makes our own bodies happy. And even that can change as we age.
I enjoyed your post, Kelly
Jenny says
I agree with you that sometimes there is too much info out there. I also don’t believe it is all black and white for everyone. What is best for me is not going to be the same for my husband, daughter, son, sister, etc. We are all different and the goal should be to figure out what our bodies say is best for us. I am modern wheat gluten intolerant. I did have to give it all up for awhile but recently started adding some gluten products back in after they go thru a sourdough process. I am working toward only old style wheat an giving totally up modern wheat. This is probably a black and white for people. I do believe God gave us all whole, real food to eat. This, though, does not include our messed up modern food and genetically modified seeds and food. (I don’t include hybrids that have been slowing improved by selective planting and seed saving.) Oh, I have to agree that sugar is the other black and white. We eat to much of it period. If sugar had the same overwhelming attack on it that fat does I wonder how our health would change. Could be really embarrassing for many major organizations and our government. Thanks for your blog.