Are Grains Good For You?

The USDA’s Food Pyramid recommends that Americans eat a whopping six to 11 servings of grains—including cereal, pasta, bread and rice—each day, according to the World’s Healthiest Foods. The Pyramid basically suggests that the bulk of our diet comes from this controversial group of foods. Yes, grains are ripe with controversy, even with—and perhaps because of—the endorsement of the USDA. Everyone from athletes to mothers of children with allergies agree that grains should not only not lie at the foundation of our diet, but we should consider eliminating these foods altogether.

Below are some of the most compelling reasons why these people and others refute the Food Pyramid-sanctioned massive dosage of grains each day for better health

The Human Body Can’t Properly Process Grains

As a Neolithic food, gathered from the fields by the women while men hunted bison and boar, the human body has never adapted to consuming grains. These foods were invaluable in prehistoric times, as quick and filling food and as currency, but those are not the times in which we live. Additionally, particularly in early times, grains were labor intensive to prepare to make them remotely edible, and that is not terribly different today. Many grains are highly produced before they make it to store shelves, so what seems like it is a healthy food is just another processed item you put into your body.

Gluten, Part I of the Terrible Twosome Against Your Digestive Tract

Gluten is a negative agent in some of your favorite grains. This sticky, water-soluble protein is often found in barley, rye, wheat and other popular grains. You’ve probably seen restaurants touting gluten-free items and have seen plenty of items in your grocery store and wondered why this substance has recently become the object of mass shunning. As these grains and their proteins break down in your small intestine, they leak grain remnant particles into your bloodstream, dubbed “leaky gut syndrome.” With these foreign particles in the bloodstream, allergies, autoimmune conditions, ADHD and digestive disturbances are becoming increasingly common.

Lectin, Part II of the Terrible Twosome Against the Digestive Tract

Lectins act as a grain’s defense mechanism and are proteins that our bodies cannot digest. Each time we eat grains, they pass through the walls of our guts undigested and as complete proteins, which proves too much for our stomachs and cause damage each time they make their way through. With this comes inflammation throughout the body and puts the stomach and body into a high state of readiness, preparing to battle these infiltrators. Your immune system is working overtime on an issue you can simply cut through diet.

The Insulin Factor

Any time you consume carbohydrates, even grains, you make your body susceptible to insulin spikes. With a high rate of diabetes, it is clear that the massive intake of grains has taken us far afield of good health.

Stop Grains in Their Tracks

Unfortunately there are other ways that grains are killing you, but these might provide a good basis for you to do more research about whether grains should remain in your diet or not.