Seriously, if you’re like more than 75% of our old box, (CF Rebels) or most of the current box (GrandMastersRx) – if you take grains, dairy, legumes, and sugar out of your diet for 30 days and then reintroduce grains, your gut may become upset, you may bloat, your joints will ache… symptoms that your body may not agree with your choice of food! So why do we eat grains? Why do we think we need them? And how to get them in our diets without the upset?
Well, if you have ever done any kind of elimination diet, like Paleo, you’ve definitely worked “against the grain” (pun intended). It may have been your family, friends, spouse, coworkers, or all of the above, but you can tell that people think you’re crazy for eliminating grains, right? They think you’re limiting yourself, starving yourself, or not getting enough fiber 🙄. I’ve been there, too. But I’ve never had a bad outcome. Whether it be working with clients, family, athletes at the gym or even my husband, elimination diets are a great way to learn how your body functional on different foods. Someone ALWAYS learns something …and now I have a mom who, due to some rising health concerns not only became a “Paleo” believer, but “eliminating grains” probably saved her life.
Don’t get me wrong, for 15 or so years now I’ve tried to impart my opinion of a good diet on my family, but speaking from experience and from hearing a lot of really smart physicians, scientists, biochemists, and registered dieticians talk about their “elevator pitch”, don’t force it. Don’t push your beliefs on others…let them ask you what you’re doing because you look so good, are getting so strong and fit, or just ooze excellent health. Believe what you believe and do what you think is right, and if people are going to follow you, they’ll do it because they see your results, not because you told them to do it.
So back to grains…
Grains are one of four starting points for cleaning up your diet (sugar, grains, dairy, and beans/legumes). And don’t get me wrong, yes, other cultures have incorporated grains into their diets successfully over the years. But things aren’t quite like they used to be. Small family farms don’t produce the grains that are used in YOUR bread, cereal and pastries. And if they did – say it was your farm. And you planted, harvested, dried, and milled your wheat…sure, it would be different. But that’s not the way of our food system in this modern era.
The sad fact is that the majority of the packaged food we buy is mass-produced and most likely doesn’t have the same nutritional value that wheat or grains should. Additionally, and unfortunately, we don’t often get grain-based foods that don’t also have some other suspect characters processed in with them – so from a health perspective, we’ve got a low nutrient level and probably a high allergenic and addiction level. Yes, I said addiction. Why do you think it’s so hard to walk away from bread…and why do you think it’s one of the first things we try to eliminate?
Asking someone to remove grains from their diet for 21 to 30 days is hard. We’re met with all kinds of resistance. Aren’t they full of fiber? Meh…non-starchy vegetables are way higher in fiber than grains. What about vitamins and minerals.? Again, non-starchy vegetables, fruit, roots, tubers…all higher in nutrients in general than grains. And yet, with a solid rebuttal to every complaint, everyone wants bread. Hmmm…maybe that addiction thing is more real than you want to admit!
Grains are shelf stable, convenient, and addictive – and it’s unfortunate, and it’s a fact.
Back in the early 90’s they knew wheat was addictive, especially in higher quantities. A study published in Australian Biologist in 1993 reported this:
The ingestion of cereals and milk, in normal modern dietary amounts by normal humans, activates reward centres in the brain. Foods that were common in teh diet before agriculture (fruits and so on) do not have this pharmacological property. The effects of exorphins are qualitatively the same as those produced by other opioid and / or dopaminergic drugs, that is, reward, motivation, reduction of anxiety, a sense of wellbeing, and perhaps even addiction. Though the effects of a typical meal are quantittatively less than those of doses of those drugs, most modern humans experience them several times a day, every day of their adult lives”.
Addiction to modern foods is real. Not to mention the potential damage it’s doing to our guts, brains and bodies.
Before I send you off to a few other sites to review more data (because if you STILL want bread, you probably need more proof that eliminating it is the best way to understand if you tolerate it well), there’s one more thing.
Like the image shown above of the large grain drying barn, the wheat in the US is different than the wheat in other countries. Our laws are more lax regarding chemicals, and pesticides used on crops. We’re more lax in allowing genetically modified seeds. In the US, processing of wheat into products like bread and pasta is less than artisanal, and where the EU still uses a lot of small batches and slow drying processes – making this a tradition, and an art; whereas in the US, a conglomeration of large companies control over 80% of the food produced in the US. It’s just different.
And, with the same vigor we source your eggs, and grass-fed/finished meat, why are we as rigid with our starches? Why isn’t the same due diligence going into grains as it is into other foods? Maybe because we HAVE to have bread? Maybe it’s an addiction versus a dietary need? Hmmm.
Time to hop off to some of the experts. Not influencers. Not bloggers who’ve cured their [insert disease here] with [insert diet here]. I have a few sources that I look to for information when I need it and I’m not a fan of getting my health information from influencers on IG, YouTube, FB and Twitter (and don’t get me started on TikTok).
RHR: Can Your Paleo “Template” Include Grains & Legumes?
Chris Kresser is a functional medicine physician (MD) and puts out a lot of free information. Trusted source.
Robb Wolf is a biochemist, researcher, and author. He’s not new to this scene.
The Whole 30 was one of the first few companies to package “how to eat Paleo”.
Don’t get me wrong – you can always find an argument for “your side of the story”. But that’s not the point here, is it? It’s to learn something and try something that might make you feel better. So let’s do this! Grain-free for 21 to 30 days. There is a very large chance that you’ll see improvements in one of not more facets of your health.
It takes some getting used to, but in the long run, what you’re getting rid of is more than grains, it’s inflammation, gut permeability, autoimmune disease, and a whole slew of other potential health problems. What you’re gaining is health, leanness, performance, and longevity.