Food Freedom Friday Edition 345 - The Problem With Grains

Healthy or unhealthy?

Good or bad?

Since the inception of the food guide it has been asserted that grains, especially “whole grains” are part of a “heart healthy” balanced diet—prescribing 6-11 servings of grains per day. At least half of those are recommended to come from “whole grains”. This equates to more servings than any other food group in guide and includes

·       Whole wheat bread

·       Sprouted grains

·       Brown rice

·       Quinoa

·       Multigrain wraps

·       Wheatberry Bagels

·       Barley

·       Quinoa

·       Oats

·       Cereal

·       Whole grain pasta

·       Tortillas

·       Couscous

·       Bulgur

As long as its wheat, brown or sprouted, there is a common misconception tat these “whole grains” are indeed an incredibly healthy choice.

Advocates claim whole grains:

·       May reduce the risk of heart disease.

·       May reduce constipation.

·       May help with weight management.

·       Are important sources of many nutrients, including dietary fiber, several B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folate), and minerals (iron, magnesium, and selenium).

·       Dietary fiber from whole grains or other foods, may help reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower risk of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.

In recent years words and phrases, like “gluten-free”, “paleo”, and “grain free” are becoming more and more mainstream. “Grains are bad,” is a newer school of thought—completely negating the ‘health’ advice being broadcast widely for the past two decades in particular.

You may wonder why these claims that your former heart healthy whole grains are “not good” for you have arisen especially because humans have been eating grains for generations

Unfortunately, even many proponents of a grain-free lifestyle are also unsure why they assert grains are “bad”, except that it’s what they’ve been told; it’s a health trend they SHOULD believe.

No matter what camp you fall into, get the facts on the trending stance against the 6-11 grain servings/day prescription–why there’s so much hype around going “grain-free.”

The following are the most compelling reasons to remove wheat and other grains from your diet:

 Grains Are Nutrient Poor

Grains cannot be considered a nutrient-dense food. Compared to organ meats, meat, seafood, vegetables and fruits, grains are low in bioavailable nutrients. Grains also contain large amounts of phytic acid, which stop you absorbing many of the vitamins and minerals in the grains. (Note: phytic acid reduces the absorption of a mineral in the food that it’s in, but it’s not chelating minerals from your body). Phytic acid makes a not particularly nutritious food even less nutritious. It is definitely more viable to eat the most nutrient-dense diet available to you, and replacing grains on your plate with meat, seafood, eggs or vegetables will help you achieve this goal.

Grains Contribute To Weight Gain.

Grains contain hard to digest and incomplete protein (plant protein is typically more difficult to digest than animal protein). Most grains eaten today (including products labelled “whole grain”) are highly refined such as flour, bread, pasta, couscous and cereals. These foods are easy to overeat and have little nutritional content. They are also high in carbohydrate and have a high glycemic load which can contribute to weight gain. There is a big difference between completely unrefined whole grains such as oats and barley (which studies have shown do have benefits), and grain products made from the flours of these grains.

Grains Contribute To A Leaky Gut.

Gluten (the protein present in wheat and many other cereal grains) damages the intestinal lining and makes it more permeable. There are peptides derived from the digestion of gliadin, which is a part of gluten, that increase intestinal permeability. That increase in intestinal permeability can lead to a wide variety of problems and is known as leaky gut. Leaky gut is a serious problem as it is one of the major pre-disposing factors for many modern diseases, particularly auto-immune diseases. Some doctors and researchers are beginning to believe that gluten sensitivity may be a factor in every auto-immune disease. Even if you are not overweight and feel strong and feel healthy, you can still be suffering from a leaky gut that can be predisposing you for health problems in the future. Lectins are a class of protein found in grains and pulses. Many other foods contain lectins but the ones in grains and pulses can be problematic as they are hard to digest, can cause gut dysbiosis, damage the cells that line the gut, open up the junctions between the cells in the gut (contributing to leaky gut) and stimulate the immune system in a negative way (inflammation). Some lectins are not broken down in the normal digestive process. There are some lectins that are not deactivated by traditional preparation methods of soaking, sprouting and heat. They survive digestion, make their way into the bloodstream, and are likely very allergenic (one of those is peanut lectin). Lectins can also affect the type of bacteria that grow in the gut in a negative way as well as crossing the gut barrier and triggering the immune system (inflammation). Grains contain another substance called saponins which may also make the gut more permeable. Psuedo-cereals like quinoa and amaranth (the seeds of broadleaf plants) also contain high levels of saponins which is why they should possibly be avoided too.

Grains Contain Protease Inhibitors And Allergenic Proteins.

Protease inhibitors prevent the proteins in the grains from being digested properly. If you already have a leaky gut, then the undigested proteins that can leak through into the bloodstream will stimulate the immune system in a negative way (inflammation). There are also proteins in grains, legumes and in dairy that are very immunogenic (activating parts of the immune system) and/or allergenic (activating immunoglobulin E).

Grains Are High In FODMAPs

FODMAPs is an acronym (abbreviation) referring to Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols. These are complex names for a collection of molecules found in carbohydrates that can be poorly absorbed by some people. When the molecules are poorly absorbed in the small intestine of the digestive tract and then continue along the digestive process they eventually arrive, at the large intestine, where they act as a food source to the bacteria that live there (the microbiome). The bacteria then digest/ferment these FODMAPs and can cause symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome include abdominal bloating and distension, excess wind (flatulence), abdominal pain, nausea, changes in bowel habits (diarrhoea, constipation, or a combination of both), and other gastrointestinal symptoms. Honey, certain fruits and vegetables and milk can also be a problem for those who have an issue with FODMAPs

Grains Are High In Omega-6. 

Omega-6 fatty acids are pro-inflammatory and an overconsumption of them is one of the factors at the root of many modern diseases. Balancing out omega-6 to omega-3 in the diet should be a goal or anyone looking to improve their health and lowering omega-6 consumption by eliminating grains is one step to achieving that balance.

Grains Are Usually Farmed Unsustainably.

The agriculture of most grains (corn and wheat in particular), is not sustainable as currently practiced. These grains are grown as monocrops in a way that is destroying biodiversity and destroying the health of the soil.

Furthermore, there is no evidence that any traditional groups ate unfermented, unprepared grains as a regular part of their diet. All traditional groups that ate grains went to extensive lengths to prepare them. If you want to reduce the phytic acid content and make some of the minerals more bioavailable in grains, the amount of time or the extensiveness of the preparation that you have to go through depends on how much phytase is present in the grain. Certain grains will need much more preparation than others in order to reduce the phytic acid content. Oats, for example, happen to need a lot of preparation, as does brown rice. These grains are high in phytic acid and low in phytase. Whereas something like buckwheat contains a significant amount of phytase \ and may not need as much preparation.

In Summary

In summary grains and pseudo-cereals (like quinoa) may lead to the condition of leaky gut as a result of the action of various compounds contained within them. This in turn leads to inflammation in the body. Inflammation is the root cause of most modern diseases. Grains also contain anti-nutrients such as phytic acid, pro-inflammatory compounds and can contribute to weight gain. I would advise most people to avoid eating grains  at all – especially if you are suffering from digestive issues, autoimmune disease or nutrient deficiencies. If you are healthy the choice as to whether to include grains is a personal one, but they certainly should not make up the bulk of your diet, and be aware of the potential problems they can cause downstream and in the future. If you do include whole grains in your diet, I would recommend you prepare them appropriately.

A note on white rice: White rice is considered by many a “safe starch”. It contains no anti-nutrients and is pure starch. it also contains no nutrients. Many people can therefore eat white rice with no detrimental effects but it is certainly not a nutrient-dense food.