What’s The Problem With Grains?
Posted on 26 August 2009
I am often asked what exactly is the problem with grains? This can be a hard one to answer as it all depends; Is it the high insulin response they produce? the high carbohydrate content? the anti-nutrients they contain? well really its all of them but its important that we have a general overview of each of these topics so you can make an informed decision about whether or not including grains in your diet is the right thing for you…..
Mainstream Advice - This is where the real problem starts, grains have only been part of our diet for the last 10,000 years which a fraction of our evolution. Plus grains 10,000 years ago where a lot different to the “Healthy Wholemeal” loaf you buy today in your local grocery store today. We are told to get 5+ servings of wholegrains per day in order to achieve optimum health -- The Irony of this claim is that I challenge anyone to eat 5+ servings of wholegrains a day and maintain a healthy body weight or feel good without doing stupid amounts of cardio to burn off the extra carbohydrate intake.
Watch the video above for a little introduction into the whole topic, which is far better than I could every explain in writing.
High Insulin Response
Insulin is a storage hormone. It promotes your body to store either fat or muscle and by eating real food you will generate a moderate insulin response which keeps your body in a fat burning, muscle building mode. Whereas if you treat yourself to a healthy low fat sandwich for lunch your Insulin levels shoot up and your body stores what you have just eaten. Now this isn’t such a problem if you have been on a long run or if your a manual laborer as the energy will go into your glycogen stores (muscle) and none will be stored as fat. Whereas if you have been sitting a desk all morning and have the grain based lunch it will be stored in the wrong places- Your Fat Cells…. So how should we eat?
In plain language, base your diet on garden vegetables, especially greens, lean meats, nuts and seeds, little starch, and no sugar.
Simple as that, if you follow those guidelines most the time your insulin response will be moderated and you will leave your body happy and healthy. Sadly though this prescription doesn’t include grains, pasta, potatoes or other starchy foods.
Anti-Nutrients
Unfortunately grains also have another dark side. They are filled with a substance called Phytates which bind to nutrients in your body especially things like; Calcium, Magnesium, and Zinc in the digestive tract making the difficult/impossible to absorb, the irony comes with the least processed therefore “healthy” grains being the highest in Phytates.
Gluten, I am sure you have all heard of it with things like gluten free diets or gluten free cookies in health food shops. Well there is a reason for this in that many people simply don’t do well on bread as their guts hate gluten and give them a host of ugly symptoms when eating anything with gluten. Gluten is the protein in grains which mimics those found in viruses and bacteria triggering an immune response in the body. You don’t have to be experiencing bad symptoms to be gluten intolerant, things like joint pain, dermatitis, fatigue and acidity could all come down to the ingestion of a few slices of Whole-meal bread a day….
What To Do? I am not suggesting you go totally against the grain straight away but its worth considering that the healthy whole grains you have been eating could be the cause of some health problems. There are countless stories of people who have dropped their grain based diet and felt an improvement in energy, joint pain diminish and improved body composition…
Once you do this you can start introducing some unrefined grains back into the diet:
- Oats
- Wild Rice
- Sprouted Bread
- Corn based wraps
Either way its an informed decision for you to make or experiment with, but ultimately something well worth considering on the path to better health and fitness.
24 comments so far
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Comment by Bill
26 August 2009
Where do you stand on Quinoa?
@ Bill: Quinoa, back a few years ago when first embarking on a more natural diet I experimented with using the stuff instead of cereal/oats to make a oatmeal and it worked well to make a pudding like dish. Being said though I have now strayed away from it and have only eaten it in “Health Salads” when foraging for food out and about…To me its similar to rice and has little overall flavour or health benefit apart from the carb load. Check out this thread for some more opinions from people like Robb Wolf….
Overall though if your looking for a more carby dish then consider sweet potato or wild rice, both are much easier to prepare and healthful foods in my opinion. In health, Chris
Comment by Grok
26 August 2009
I’m one of those stories.
Almost all of my meals were bread based do to the convenience, and I also went through pounds of oatmeal each week. This doesn’t count the almost daily slices of pizza, ramen noodles, or other packaged junk foods. When I decided to eliminate grains, I had a tough time trying to figure out what to eat. I literally did not know! Ultimately it forced me to salads and cottage cheese.
I’ve always been skinny but very high bodyfat. I also had terrible inflammation issues throughout my body from the grains & sugars.
In in another effort to become paleo, I also cut out all dairy. This was even harder, because now I didn’t know how to get my protein! Until I cut out the pasteurized dairy, I had no idea how big of a problem it was for me. It was probably worse than the grains. Once I found RAW dairy & kefir ALL my dairy issues (a lot) were eliminated.
The moral of this story is, it can be hard to cut out food groups like grains if you’ve been programed to eat them all your life.
I recommend total elimination right off the bat. Obviously this will be impossible for most people. Aim high, you’ll probably end up in the middle. I feel it’s best to force yourself to find alternatives quickly, otherwise you may just revert back to grains for the convenience again.
A few grain alternatives that helped me tremendously: Most are WAY tastier and cheaper than the grains they replace:
Morning cereal = Coconut flakes w/berries and/or nuts
Buns or bread = Romain or similar lettuce (this will be weird at first)
Snacks/granola bars = hard boiled egg, nuts, piece of cheese (preferably raw).
The low-carb community can offer some good grain alternatives also. Just be careful many of the eat frankenfoods. Although usually much healthier, eating the same foods you are now with slightly different ingredients, won’t cause you to change your eating habits much, if really at all.
@ Grok: Really good addition to the post. I also love a mix of Blueberries/Chopped up Apple/Coconut flakes and Pecans in a bowl along with a nice cup of organic coffee as a breakfast. It definitely hits the craving for a bowl of something sweet and juicy!
Comment by Rob
26 August 2009
This is a great blog post. Check out Dr Ann DeWees Allen’s Glycemic Index. I didn’t realize that about grains. I’ve been under the assumption that a bread needs to have cracked wheat as a main ingredient in order to be low glycemic…..
Comment by Greg at Live Fit
26 August 2009
The timing of this is helpful as I’ve been considering altering my eating habits. Right now I’m in the mode of increasing protein and reducing fat. Still an adherent of fiber, but hadn’t thought much about phytates.
What’s your take on sprouted breads? The sprouting process should reduce or eliminate phytates, correct?
Comment by CrossFitLove
26 August 2009
Now if we can just get everyone to listen!!!
Keep it up, great stuff
Comment by Liam | EverythingZing
26 August 2009
Hi Chris
Yes, grains are a very modern food.
Yes, grains aren’t metabolised well.
Yes, grains send insulin levels rocketing.
Yes, grains promote fat storage.
YES, grains are an anti-nutrient, anti-metabolic, fat storing, stomach bulging, global obesity generating, life expectancy slashing nightmare!!
…but I’ll tell you what the real problem with grains is… they taste too damn good!
That jam sandwich picture is making me hungry.
Comment by Grok
26 August 2009
@Bill, I’m with Chris. It’s pretty blah don’t you think? Remember that quote from Crocodile Dundee… “You can live off it, but it tastes like S#!T.”
@Chris I think you may have been the one who got me going on flakes. I was utilizing shredded stuff, but hadn’t seen unsweetened flakes until your tweets. Only one store carries them in my county (90k pop), and in the next county (way bigger) neither Trader Joe’s or Whole foods (biggest stores) had them.
@Greg, Just ditch them all! In two months you’ll look back and wonder why you didn’t do it a long time ago.
@Liam You hit the nail on the coffin… I mean head
Comment by Tom Parker - Free Fitness Tips
26 August 2009
Hey Chris – I am one of those who thought that wholegrains were a healthy food. I’ve even posted about it on my blog. However, after reading a number of blog posts on the topic I’m starting to reconsider my approach. I do have a couple of questions though.
1) Are wholegrains healthier than white bread, pasta etc? From what I have read wholegrains do contain more fibre, nutrients and vitamins than their white counterparts. Plus, when I made the switch from white to wholegrain I did feel noticeably better – like I had made a positive dietary change.
2) Are there any wholegrains that generate a moderate insulin response and don’t contain phytates? I would assume if there are any wholegrains which are high in soluble fibre these would generate a more moderate insulin response?
I’m not trying to suggest that grains are healthy with these questions. Just for many people (myself included) they make up a big part of the diet and it would be good to know if there are any ‘healthier’ grains as we slowly phase them out.
Thanks,
Tom
@ Tom: I would suggest dropping the wholegrains you are eating in favour of things like Sweet Potatoes, Yams and Squash or even some hearty wild rice as a side to your dinner or mixed in with salad if you really want some grains…
As for grains without phytates there is one option. Have a look for sprouted bread next time your in a health food store. The stuff has been totally sprouted using just mineral water and therefore kills off the anti-nutrients in the process.
Comment by Rafi Bar-Lev
27 August 2009
I’m sort of conflicted about this. I like the paleo diet because it’s a healthy way of going low carbs. But it’s hard for me to imagine that having some whole wheat bread in your diet could be bad for you, especially if you’re very active.
Anyway, really good post Chris, definitely makes you think.
-Rafi
Comment by Nicole
28 August 2009
To decrease the anti-nutrients in grain, an alternative to not consuming them is to eat only SPROUTED whole grains.
Also, quinoa is a seed, not a grain. And it has many healthful properties “apart from the carb load.” 5g fibre per serving, it is a complete protein containing all the essential amino acids, has a low glycemic index, is hypo-allergenic…. please heed Chris’ own advice in his “About” page by broadening your sources for nutritional information beyond his anecdotal blog, posters.
Source: http://brianstpierretraining.com/index.php/mother-of-all-grains/
and
http://brianstpierretraining.com/index.php/quinoa-20/
Comment by Natalie Gaston
29 August 2009
I switched to the Paleo diet with my husband a few months ago and we both feel amazing. I did not even know how the refined foods were bringing me down until I had cut them out. We both live busy lifestyles and one of the best ways we have found to keep the diet convenient is to cook 4 or more portions of any meal we prepare (usually dinners) and save the 2 other servings. Also once you change over your kitchen, tossing all the bread/pasta products, the temptation to ‘cheat’ is squashed. Plus on the Paleo diet you are afforded as many as three cheat meals a week, that is just about every other day.
Comment by Vic Mgary - GymJunkies
1 September 2009
Plain & Simply awesome post!
Comment by mikeshealthycaveman
2 September 2009
Nicole, not to sound like a Pointdexter, but Grain is a seed too…
Cutting out the carbs means gourmet dinners every night! Instead of a boring sandwich, greasy pizza, or fast food, we eat like royalty! Instead of heavy desert that makes you feel weak and sluggish (and shuts down you immune system for 24hrs), we eat fruit full of antioxidants. I don’t know how anyone could get bored with so many delicious, full fat possibilities. Thanks for the inspiring posts!
@ Mike: I like your way of looking at things, eating Paleo/Primal really can feel like royal eating, good perspective!
Comment by BetterBody
2 September 2009
This is a great article, and a little beyond the scope of what I know.
But the general problem I think is the type of grains we eat. Sticking to whole grains is the way to go (http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/definition-of-whole-grains)
Not processed grains that make up a lot of our food.
@Mike – Caveman diet is the way to go!
Comment by Yash
3 September 2009
I sort of had my movement away from carbs/grains, but have come off it recently. This is not to say I don’t still believe in the principles, but it isn’t for me. I am involved in athletics, and aside from several practices/games a week, I also train in the gym for my sport, and I will also be adding another physical training activity 3 days/week about 2-3 hours each. This means my need to maintain weight now outweighs my desire to get leaner. I most likely will get more lean as a product of all this activity.
However, even before I got so much on my plate, I was thinking about reversing my PERSONAL stance on the topic. For trained individuals who have lowered but not altogether eliminated carbs strategically for a period of time, insulin sensitivity is increased and eating carbs at the right time can be pretty beneficial. Even at non-optimal times, carbs aren’t all that bad if you’re training regularly. I think insulin gets a bad rep for all the nasty things it can do to people who eat cheetos and snickerdoodles all day and are fairly overweight and insulin resistant as a result, but on the other side of the spectrum, I’m beginning to think the Primal community, as much as I value the underlying principles, could stand to be a little more tolerant of insulin.
I wouldn’t go as far as some and say that clean eating is overrated, but if you’re healthy and your biggest indulgence is some wheat bread or pasta, it may not be so blasphemous.
Comment by Yash
3 September 2009
sorry to be unclear, my point at the end of that first paragraph was that with higher activity levels, grains/carbs may be required to meet caloric needs, whether because of caloric density, convenience, or whatever the individual case may be.
Comment by Carole
7 September 2009
I’ve always said that whole grains and milk are problems. While there was plenty of science to back up the problems with milk, I didn’t have the science to back up the whole grain theory though. Just an observation comparing people who ate them against those who don’t. Now I have the real answer!
Comment by Elliot Wilson
7 September 2009
One of the main problems I have with avoiding grains is when I’m at a friends place for a meal. Grains are the cheapest way to bulk up a meal so almost always I’ll be faced with rice, pasta or at best potatoes. Sure, they’ll have meat and veges with that, but to avoid eating the grains and just eating the meat and veges is just not going to look very good!
Is this a problem you face much Chris?
Comment by jp
19 September 2009
I have just ordered a copy of Paleo For Athletes, but was wondering how you feel about no grains in a diet of someone who is active.
If I was setting out for a 3 hour mountain bike ride I would usually eat pasta before and take sweets power bars, and maybe cake with me (prob why I am heavy), but I need the carbs. What would you suggest.
In theory I need 100g of carb an hour whilst riding to avoid ‘bonking’. I am allergic to nuts.
@ JP: The Paleo Diet for Athletes is a great read for someone like you and I would follow the recommendations in the book. Sweet Potato is great make a big batch and mash them (add some butter and cinnamon) and eat up before a long event. Keep trail mix with you as well as bananas and things like Dates if your worried about bonking. However I am sure you will be fine if you follow a Paleo diet with extra starchy tubers around the event…
Comment by jp
19 September 2009
Thanks for the response, I’ll try those.
Comment by Edwin
5 January 2010
What about eating focaccia bread? This isn’t made from grains, so I suppose eating this is okay?
@ Edwin: Focaccia although delicious is definitely made with grains, have a look here….. I would keep it for days which you want to treat yourself to something but not a regular addition to your diet.