Ok, the anti-grain movement is slowly settling in and in my opinion, I’m glad! Compelling research is surely enough to convince us that grains are one of the most damaging foods on the planet? Of course, there will always be controversy; in fact over the last 10 years or so, grains were said to feed and nourish the body and even help with weight loss.

So, with me being me, being armed with the tools for a good argument when it comes to nutrition and health; I have decided to write an article that explains the low-down on grains and why they are a food that should not be in your kitchen and should most definitely not be in your belly!

What is gluten?

Gluten is found in foods such as grains of wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut, and triticale. Gluten is made up of several sub fractions or families of proteins. The scientific name for the most studied of these sub fractions of proteins is gliadin. Gliadin is found in all grains and cereal grains; a silent predator hidden in these foods ready to cause damage.

How does gluten damage the body? 

Imagine a particular food that when eaten, your immune system reacts to this food as if it was an invading enemy, thus causing an “immune reaction”. Now, lets say a person frequently ate this food, in fact, let’s say a person ate this food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and he had done so  since he was brought into this world. Now imagine the kind of beating the immune system would have to take from consistently being bombarded with this invading enemy. This invading terrorist is grains, or more specifically, gluten.

Over time the immune system is constantly firing; from here, a dangerous downward spiral of health issues start to come about.

There are countless scientific studies that grains and gluten are responsible for, including over 200 chronic illnesses and conditions such as:

  • cancer
  • autoimmune disease
  • osteoporosis
  • brain disorders
  • intestinal decease
  • chronic pain
  • digestive disorders
  • infertility and problematic pregnancies

And more!

Grains and fat storage

Besides reeking havoc on the immune and digestive system, grains can dramatically contribute to unwanted fat storage. For the most part, there are two main reasons why.

First off, grains are rich in carbohydrates. Unless you are a person who is insulin sensitive and can handle their carbohydrates very well (and you are not gluten sensitive) then I guess there is no real reason you can’t have grain foods every now and again. Sorry to be harsh, but most of the people I deal with, and most of the general Western population are neither of the two. Grains, like simple and refined sugars, will affect insulin, which is your key hormone that will dictate fat storage and how well you dispose of glucose in the blood. Excess grain consumption=fat storage.

The second reason is that grains, or particularly gluten, causes inflammation in the digestive tract. Inflammation in the body is a particular type of stress, and when the body experiences stress, a specific hormone called cortisol is released. Cortisol, like insulin, is another chief fat storing hormone and it’s especially responsible for excess fat on the waist and hips.

How do I find out if grains are really bad for me?

The first step would definitely be to identify symptoms. After you eat grains do you get headaches, bloating, digestive troubles, foggy brain, loose stools, and stomach pain? These are just some of the symptoms to keep an eye out for. Another great way to identify grain sensitivity is clinical testing. Blood testing is a great way to see if your immune system is creating anti bodies to the particular food, and it’s also more accurate. Me personally, I just go gluten free diet!

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