Grains are a major staple of most people’s diet in America. The Food Pyramid recommends 6-11 servings of grains a day! While processed grains and white flours have gotten a bad rap in the last few years, most people still believe that whole grains are a healthy and necessary part of their diet. It comes as a shock to many people that the human body is not designed to function optimally on grains and flours.
Think about your own intake of grain products. In a month’s time, most people will have eaten several slices of bread, several bowls of cereal with milk, pasta, rice, bagels, rolls, muffins, crackers, cookies, pastries, corn or other forms of chips, and tortillas. Most of these are refined and lack many important nutrients. Grains contain undetectable amounts of vitamin C, B12, carotenoids, and other vitamins and minerals, and they tend to displace foods rich in these substances that are associated with a decreased risk of heart disease and many forms of common cancers. Grains may actually inhibit the metabolism of these nutrients and cause autoimmune reactions. Not only are grains deficient in vitamins but many contain substances that decrease the intestinal absorption of many other important nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc. One example of malabsorption…are you anemic?? Wheat/gluten impairs your absorption or iron. If you are taking iron, pairing it with Vitamin C the way you should and it is not working…look to wheat.
Appropriately termed “white death,” the common American diet consists of a combination of: white flour, white rice, white sugar, potatoes, and processed white foods. This high grain/processed food diet leads to an increase in insulin sensitivity or resistance, diabetes, and obesity. Many of the processed foods and grain based products on the market are absorbed almost identically to straight table sugar, causing a myriad of problems including:
- fatigue
- depression
- weight gain
- joint pain
- bloating
- diabetes
- vision problems
- hair loss
- and autoimmune disease
So by now you might be thinking, I must be on the gluten free bandwagon. As a matter of fact I am, but not for the “weight loss” fad that it has been identified with. (although if you stop eating it you are likely to lose weight) I stopped eating gluten when my joints were under constant assault I could not write more than 5 minutes without having to stop and massage my hands. My hips ached and I had constant sinus pressure. When I finally took the plunge it took 7 days…that is all, 7 days and ALL my symptoms were gone. So let’s look a little bit more at wheat and gluten.
How Wheat (and Gluten) Triggers Weight Gain, Pre-diabetes, Diabetes and More
This new modern wheat may look like wheat, but it is different in three important ways that all drive obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, dementia and more.
It contains a Super Starch – amylopectin A that is super fattening.
It contains a form of Super Gluten that is super-inflammatory.
It contains forms of a Super Drug that is super-addictive and makes you crave and eat more.
Today’s wheat, the product of genetic manipulation and hybridization that created short, stubby, hardy, high yielding wheat plants with much higher amounts of starch and gluten, is not your grandmothers wheat. The man who engineered this modern wheat won the Nobel Prize – it promised to feed millions of starving people around the world. Well, it has, and it has made them fat and sick.
Fact-Two slices of whole wheat bread now raise your blood sugar more than two tablespoons of table sugar!!!
Do you pay attention to labels? How about that ever popular box of cereal that states “heart healthy”? The best way to avoid foods that are bad for you is to stay away from foods with health claims like this and others on the label. The claims could not be farther from the truth. Better yet, try your best to not eat from a box at all.
Not only does wheat contain super starch and super gluten – making it super fattening and super inflammatory, but it also contains a super drug that makes you crazy, hungry and addicted. Even if you do not have the classic gut issues when eating gluten, don’t be fooled…inflammation is happening to you too. Inflammation is a silent killer.
If you have digestive problems or suffer some of the classic autoimmune reactions (e.g. allergies) consider the possibilities that grains may be problematic for you.
I realize that you like grains, probably a lot, and that your doctor probably even encourages you to eat them. I understand that the idea of giving them up might sound downright crazy, even impossible. I also know that giving up the grains is one of THE best things you can do for your health.
Please note that I am not a medical practitioner. The content of this website is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended as, nor should it be considered a substitute for, professional medical advice. Do not use the information on this website for diagnosing or treating any medical or health condition. If you have or suspect you have a medical problem, promptly contact your professional healthcare provider. By using this website, you assume full responsibility and liability for your own actions.
