The Real Truth About Those “Healthy Whole Grains”
If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you already know that I’m no fan of grains, whether processed or whole. Unfortunately, those of us that think such blasphemous things against those “wholesome” grains are an anomaly. So for those that still think whole grains are an important, healthy, wholesome, and necessary part of the diet, let’s look at just a few of the issues.
Do Grains Cause Leptin Resistance?
Stephan at Whole Health Source grabbed an old article of mine about lectins in grains and took it to a a new level with an awesome three part series on Lectins and Leptin Resistance (Part II and Part III).
Here is some of the pertinent information from all three parts to help pull together the picture Stephan is painting:
Furthermore, elevated leptin predicts the onset of obesity and metabolic syndrome. It also predicts insulin resistance. Yes, you read that right, leptin resistance comes before insulin resistance.
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Many plants use lectins as a defense against hungry animals. Thus, an animal that is not adapted to the lectins in the plant it’s eating may suffer damage or death. … Grains and legumes (beans, soy, peas, peanuts) are rich in some particularly nasty lectins. Especially wheat. Some can degrade the intestinal lining. Some have the ability to pass through the intestinal lining and show up in the bloodstream. Once in the bloodstream, they may bind all sorts of carbohydrate-containing proteins in the body, including the insulin receptor. They could theoretically bind the leptin receptor, which also contains carbohydrate (= it’s glycosylated), potentially desensitizing it. This remains to be tested, and to my knowledge is pure speculation at this point. What is not so speculative is that once you’re leptin-resistant, you become obese and insulin resistant, and at that point you are intolerant to any type of carbohydrate.
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One of the molecules they use to probe the function of the leptin receptor is our good friend wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), a lectin found in wheat, barley and rye. They used WGA to specifically block leptin binding at the receptor.This fits in very nicely with the hypothesis that grain lectins cause leptin resistance. If WGA gets into the bloodstream, which it appears to, it has the ability to bind leptin receptors and block leptin binding. It doesn’t take much imagination to see how this could cause leptin resistance.
Lectins And Phytates And Gluten, Oh My!
Along with lectins, there are two other components of grains that are detrimental: phytates and gluten. As the Weston A. Price Foundation points out in the article Be Kind To Your Grains:
Phytic acid, for example, is an organic acid in which phosphorus is bound. It is mostly found in the bran or outer hull of seeds. Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc in the intestinal tract and block their absorption. This is why a diet high in improperly prepared whole grains may lead to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss.
WAPF also points out several other antinutrients:
Other antinutrients in whole grains include enzyme inhibitors which can inhibit digestion and put stress on the pancreas; irritating tannins; complex sugars which the body cannot break down; and gluten and related hard-to-digest proteins which may cause allergies, digestive disorders and even mental illness.
Gluten is the protein component of wheat grasses (wheat and its derivatives rye, barley, durum, etc). It is made up of the proteins gliadin and glutenin and is quite the gut irritant. Even for people who don’t exhibit overt celiac symptoms, gluten is known to be a gut irritant and a component of developing a leaky gut.
If You Decide To Eat Grains, Eat Them Properly
There are cultures, however, that have figured out ways to neutralize, or at least minimize, the dangerous components of grains to optimize the available nutrition. From the same WAPF link, we learn that:
Our ancestors, and virtually all pre-industrialized peoples, soaked or fermented their grains before making them into porridge, breads, cakes and casseroles. A quick review of grain recipes from around the world will prove our point: In India, rice and lentils are fermented for at least two days before they are prepared as idli and dosas; in Africa the natives soak coarsely ground corn overnight before adding it to soups and stews and they ferment corn or millet for several days to produce a sour porridge called ogi; a similar dish made from oats was traditional among the Welsh; in some Oriental and Latin American countries rice receives a long fermentation before it is prepared; Ethiopians make their distinctive injera bread by fermenting a grain called teff for several days; Mexican corn cakes, called pozol, are fermented for several days and for as long as two weeks in banana leaves; before the introduction of commercial brewers yeast, Europeans made slow-rise breads from fermented starters; in America the pioneers were famous for their sourdough breads, pancakes and biscuits; and throughout Europe grains were soaked overnight, and for as long as several days, in water or soured milk before they were cooked and served as porridge or gruel.
So if you absolutely have to include grains as part of your diet, you must soak or ferment them. Today’s quick-rise breads and extruded cereals and all of those other “healthy” whole grain products do not neutralize the antinutrients. But a real soaked or sprouted bread does cut down on these components. Grains should also be consumed with fat-containing foods such as cream, butter, or raw cheese to help your body absorb the vitamins and minerals that are available.
Of course, there is still the gluten component to deal with. And I still advise removing grains from your diet, especially gluten containing grains, as difficult as that may be.
The FDA Lays The Smack Down on General Mills
Not so cheery anymore
Finally, in a pseudo-win for those of us that aren’t convinced grains are a panacea of health, the FDA sent a somewhat humorous (possibly unintentionally funny) warning letter to General Mills for misbranding Cheerios as a food instead of as a drug. Of course, most of the damage is done. People have seen the ads and the cereal boxes and now know to equate “Cheerios = whole grains = heart healthy”.
Here are a couple excerpts:
Based on claims made on your product’s label, we have determined that your Cheerios® Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug because the product is intended for use in the prevention, mitigation, and treatment of disease. Specifically, your Cheerios® product bears the following claims ort its label:
“you can Lower Your Cholesterol 4% in 6 weeks” ”
“Did you know that in just 6 weeks Cheerios can reduce bad cholesterol by an average of 4 percent? Cheerios is … clinically proven to lower cholesterol. A clinical study showed that eating two 1 1/2 cup servings daily of Cheerios cereal reduced bad cholesterol when eaten as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.”
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If you cannot complete all corrections before you respond, state the reason for the delay and the date by which you will complete the corrections.
It’s a fairly short letter and worth a quick read. The last line there is important though. They have 15 days to respond and surely the FDA isn’t going to force them to pull all boxes from the shelf. Anything in circulation is likely to remain in circulation as the offending boxes are phased out. I doubt that General Mills was unaware that they were pushing the envelope. Likely, they hoped the FDA just wouldn’t get the time to deal with it.
Cooking Without Grains Is Easy
Get a Free recipe for "Slammin' Citrus Salmon" by clicking on this pic or the link below!
Getting rid of grains seems to be the major sticking point for most people moving to a diet of real, unprocessed foods. While soaking, sprouting, and fermenting are pretty good compromises for including grains in your diet, I still think you’re better off to eventually remove them completely. Now, I’m realistic…those of us that don’t have full-blown celiac are probably going to eat some grains now and then. I do. Last Saturday I was at a restaurant that has amazing bread and butter, the kind of bread with a crusty outside and soft inside (and real butter, of course). So I had a goodly bit. But tearing into something like that is a rarity for me and my body thanks me.
Free Recipe!
Antonio Valladares is well known for the awesome job he did of putting together gluten-free recipes in his cookbook The Healthy Urban Kitchen. I tracked down Antonio and got him to give away one of his delicious (and healthy) recipes. Here is a free recipe for you to download (just click on the link to save or view): Slammin’ Citrus Salmon. Check it out and let me know what you think…I think fennel, citrus, and fish is an awesome summery combination.
Have you removed grains from your diet? If not, how do you treat them to ensure you get maximum nutrition from them with minimal detriments? If so, what benefits have you seen?
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Grains = gone. I have no problem getting great food in my house or out to eat. I just sub the grain with a vegetable.
And I feel 90% better since I’ve excluded them from my diet. My digestive problems are almost none at this point.
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I’ve stopped consuming grains for almost 2 years now.. hehe.. never better
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I love bread…. well not store brand but freshly baked bread, but I keep it in the PWO window and generally keep it as a treat item to weekends. But even that is rare.
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Over the past 6 months I have all but removed wheat/breads/pastas etc from my diet while increasing fat and protein. I am 42 now and have not felt this good since my 20’s! Over the years, I had been getting really heavy aching headaches that felt like like I had a dark cloud over my head. They were starting to get more frequent over the past year. Since I cut the wheat from my diet, I have not had one of these headaches (an lost about 4kg to boot). Also, no more bloating and overeating at mealtimes! Now that I eat more fat and protein I actually find it hard to over-eat to the point that I’m completely stuffed (which is very easy to do by hoeing into a huge bowl of pasta). I’m convinced the consumption of wheat was the cause of these headaches. I always thought it was sinus or allergy related. I still have my oats for breakfast though – soaked overnight in yogurt or kefir. That’s my only remaining carb/grain vice
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My husband and I have almost completely eliminated gluten from our diet and increased animal fat consumption substantially. We’ve cut back a lot on grain and presoak most of what grain we do eat. We’ve also eliminated, to the greatest extent possible, vegetable oils in our diet. (link to the website if you want an idea of how we are eating) We were not doing this to lose weight, but since changing our diet my husband lost 25 pounds and I lost 30 – we now weigh what we did when we started college 25 years ago. And like Freddo, we have been healthier than we have been in years.
The most frustrating thing is convincing the rest of the world that it really is this easy!
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Scott, what is your take on Quinoa, being that it is gluten free and not technically a grain?
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I have many clients that can’t have grains in their diet due to digestive problems. Some are obviously more sensitive than others. Great article and something to really consider!
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I too would get horrible headaches after eating the whole grains everyone said were so healthy. Since last October I have cut out grains and my headaches are gone plus my digestion is much better. I also don’t feel hungry all day like I used to. The only bad thing is that I can’t convince my family grains aren’t “essential” to good health.
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Interesting that everyone is reporting health improvements from the removal or at least drastic reduction in grains. Very telling, though obviously a small sample here.
Eric, Robb Wolf has mentioned before that for people with celiac, even quinoa has a protein that will cause a reaction. However, I do eat it occasionally instead of rice. I still consider it a grain, due both to its carbohydrate content/load and that it effectively serves the same purpose as other grains. It’s definitely above anything wheat-based, as well as rice, though I put rice above wheat too due to the lack of gluten.
Rachel, ask them to name a single vitamin or mineral that is in grains that isn’t available in fruits and vegetables. There isn’t one.
Cheers
Scott
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I cut sugar and grains from my diet in the end of January 2009. Since that time, I have lost over 40 pounds and I feel really good. The pain in my joints has decreased significantly.
My 22 year old son is dealing with some health issues that I think would improve if he were to change his eating habits and cut out grains. He claims that he needs a lot of carbs to support his exercise regimen… (PX-90…??) I was able to convince him to start supplementing with a good vitamin and a stress formula, but haven’t had any luck convincing him that dietary changes are in order…
Does anybody have any suggestions on how I can convince him that eliminating sugars and grains would help him improve both his body and his mind????
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[...] “The Real Truth About those Healthy Whole Grains“, Life [...]
Marti – there are plenty of people who do high intensity workouts (you can go look at the Crossfit website and forums) and eat WHOLE food carbs such as yams/sweet potatoes. There are always better choices, you may want him to read up on the “Paleo Diet”.
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Does anyone know if the Gluten Free Oats are really Gluten Free or is a marketing scam, i have Bob;s Red Mill
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[...] “The Real Truth About Those ‘Healthy Whole Grains’” courtesy of LifeSpotlight.com Published in: [...]
Marti, I agree with Mike. I’m one of those people that does high intensity work without a ton of carbs. Only about 20% of my diet is carbs, predominantly sweet potatoes/yams and fruit. With about 3000 calories per day, that’s 600 calories from carbs, or about 150g. Grains are a rarity for me and aren’t necessary at all to keeping glycogen stores topped up.
That said, I’d see if you can first get him to move away from gluten grains to rice and quinoa, as well as sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes can be done in many, many ways…I load them up with coconut cream and oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. They work with butter (real butter!), olive oil, raspberries, applesauce…anything really.
You might find the math I did on glycogen storage in this article on carb loading valuable as well (second to last paragraph). Bottom line is that the need for carbohydrates for the average person working out is vastly overstated.
Jeremy, as far as I understand, oats don’t actually contain gluten, but are usually processed in facilities that process gluten grains, which means they might be contaminated and therefore it has to be proclaimed on the package for celiacs. If Bob processes his on a wheat-free line, they are probably actually gluten-free.
Cheers
Scott
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Nice blog post!
So, a question. Do you think the guy who wrote the “Eat Right For Your Type” weightloss book may not be too far off the mark? His central theory is that lectins in food are very bad mojo and you should refrain or limit foods that specifically cause lectin and therefore antibody responses as they pertain to your specific blood type.
I’d always dismissed his theory as so much hooey, but the more I read about lectins, the more I’m inclined to believe he may have some merit. Your opinion?
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[...] The Real Truth About Grains – Life Spotlight [...]
Yup, I still have grains once in a while… but soaking and fermenting is right on the money! For an athlete grains have their place as long as they’re eaten properly.
Good article.
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So what’s the tought on “Ezekiel bread”. I love eating bread, but I know I can cut down on it pretty good. I’m getting into Quinoa and trying to eat more brown rice, and oats. I need to read up more on this, specifically for “gluten free” type things, I always see that but never really thought about reading up about those types of products.
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Jon, Ezekiel definitely seems better than most breads you find in the store since the grains are soaked and sprouted. They still have wheat, so you’ll run into the gluten issue, but as far as bread goes, this is a step up.
Cheers
Scott
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I have somewhat high cholesterol (bad genes) and a very high metabolism, I talked to my doctor and she says no way to Paleo, what advise do you have with someone in my situation on eating to stay fit and for energy for the gym?
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Scott, what about Paleo does your doctor object to?
My doctor also objected when I told her that I planned to eliminate sugars and grains from my diet and start eating whole foods… I also told her I didn’t want to continue taking statin drugs due to the side effects (brain fog, leg pain and a lack of energy) She felt that the only way I could lower my cholesterol and also lose weight was to take the drugs and follow the standard pyramid diet…
I did things her way for well over a year with very little progress… In the end of January I started doing it my way…
So far I’ve lost over 40 pounds, but more importantly… when my cholesterol was checked in April, my total cholesterol was down 38 points, LDL was down 42 points, HDL was up 8 points and triglycerides were down 67 points. In addition, my blood pressure was also significantly lower at 118/72 (it was 151/90) My energy levels have increased and I no longer take prescription pain meds (or statins)…
My doctor now fully supports my lifestyle changes.
I’m not suggesting that you go against what your doctor says… but I would find out why she objects… is it because there is some other health factors? Or is she stuck in the rut of the 5 minute class she had on nutrition when she was in med school?
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Eating more grains and processed food is also a good way to get the cholesterol higher…..not from eating more eggs and meat. Here’s some more info on cholesterol from a while back: http://lifespotlight.com/health/2008/11/13/good-news-now-everyone-needs-drugs/
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[...] Whole Grains and your health. [...]
I am so absolutely 100% against grains. As a Personal Trainer I used to be a huge promoter of whole-grains for energy and health. At the time I was talking from a very limited educational standpoint. Well I’ve done a heck of a lot of learning since then but, more importantly, have experienced the unquestionable benefit that comes from cutting grains out of my diet, and believe you me – every time I do venture back into grain territory I know all about it the next day!
These days all of my writing and teaching is positively grain-free!
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Kat – Right on. Help spread the word….although having grains on occasion is probably fine for most (of course no grains is ideal)…people need to get the “healthy whole grains” marketing slogan out of their head and stop eating it 4x a day and everyday.
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Jeremy –
Bob’s Red Mill are indeed gluten-free because they are farmed on fields not previously “glutened” by wheat, rye or barley, they are not harvested with “contaminated” machinery, nor are they transported or stored near glutenous grains. I believe there are three or so companies who sell gf oats. Bob’s gets theirs from Canada, btw. You can google “gluten-free oats” to find sources: tinyurl.com/qpqw3c
Signed, Celiac turned Paleo, and Never Better
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Scott, You have to take control of your life and wonder if your Doctor is well intentioned but following conventional wisdom and hence has been fooled by big med and food inc. I have had hi BP but dropped 10kg cutting grains and simple carbs and got off the drugs I was told I would be on for life. It’s a learning curve you’re going to have plan for the change and give it time. I took 18 months to grasp the simplicity of a Paleo lifestyle for me. I’m forty and need to be fit for my job in defence. I only feel cheated that it took me so long to find this way.
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Thanks, I went to a nutritionist last week and mentioned my issue, she said No to Paleo as well, she said that I would loose to much weight with that program and need carbs for weight gain and energy, she said the only things not to eat where butter, fried foods, mayo and cheese. What do you think?
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Scott, how much do you weigh that she’s worried about you losing too much weight? I maintain a solid 185lbs on a Paleo-esque diet. I think Mike and many others are about the same, give or take 10-15 lbs. I also have no issues with having energy on this diet…I just make sure to get plenty of fruit and sweet potatoes to keep my sprint workouts crisp.
As for what I think of her recommendations, eat raw cheese and pastured butter. Ditch fried foods. Ditch store-bought mayo, mainly because it’s mostly soybean oil.
Cheers
Scott
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let me clair something here, it doesnt matter when u want to gain weight or loss weight, how you eat, the thing its simple, eating few calories than you burn and you lose weight, eat more and you gain weight, thats the first thing to understand, so if your doctor says that you cannot gain weight in a paleo diet style, its the most stupid thing i ever seen, if that were true, then how the hell esquimals and other legendary tribus are a little fat? im not saying that they have ilness or things, i only say that they are a little fat, because they eat a lot of fish, that has a lot of fat, obviously a lot of good fat but the point is, you CAN GET FAT EVEN EATING THE MOST HEALTHY FOOD IN THE WORLD!
THE LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS ITS AN ABSOLUTE!
the ppl who loose weight with adopting another style of eating it was only because they eaten less than they burn and thats it!
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Thank you for writing this post Scott! It really struck a chord with me. I’ve decided to delve into this issue, and experiment with eliminating grains from my diet as another commenter, Kat Eden above, suggests on her blog with The Grain Challenge. I’m blogging about my experiences over at my blog, Urpi’s Dream (linked to on my name).
I’m interested to know where you put corn, cous cous, kamut and rice on the grains scale. Are any of them ok, or perhaps less bad than wheat?
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Hey Marilyn, good idea on trying an elimination…that’s the only way to really know how grains affect you. Cous cous and kamut are both made of wheat. Corn and rice I rank well above wheat due to the lack of gluten.
Cheers
Scott
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Marilyn: My husband is sensitive to corn, so we don’t use cornmeal (we both avoid gluten). But Masa, which is processed in a traditional way that makes nutrients more available, does not bother him. You may want to give it a try.
From Wikipedia: To make masa de harina, field corn (or maize) is dried and then treated in a solution of lime or ash and water, also called slaked lime. This loosens the hulls from the kernels and softens the corn. In addition, the lime reacts with the corn so that the nutrient niacin can be assimilated by the digestive tract. The soaked maize is then washed, and the wet corn is ground into a dough, called masa. It is this fresh masa, when dried and powdered, that becomes masa de harina. (Add water once again to make dough for tortillas or tamales.)
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Nixtamalization! That’s a word that should be used at every available opportunity.
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I started the Paleo diet two weeks ago and feel great. I have eaten clean for the last few years but included oatmeal, Ezekial, and quinoa. I thought I needed it for energy too – but have actually felt so much better and wthout the mid afternoon slumps. I wanted to see what would happen so I just ate a cup of cooked oats and I look nine months pregnant and want to take a nap! Nope – don’t need em and don’t want em!!!
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Mike, I have a question (I’m full of questions lately). Are not oats good for you for lowering your cholesterol? I agree having too much grain is bad but figured oats were a good thing.
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[...] The Real Truth About Those “Healthy Whole Grains” [...]
Grains r really bad due to very high carbohydrate content and all the toxins they have, since they r plants they want to ward of animals so all grains have some toxins to a certain extent. What do u ppl think of occasional eating of roots such as potatoes and yums and other roots instead of grains, they have lower carbohydrate content and safer to eat since they have less toxins.
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Thank you for this. What are your views on millet and buckwheat, which I think are actually seeds, but eaten like grains? Do they also have these anti-nutrients in? Also, how long should you soak rice for and does the soaking mean that you lose some of the water soluble vitamins?
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[...] The real truth about those”Healthy whole grains” [...]