Why Grains are NOT Good for you


A long, long time ago humans mostly ate plants, animals, fruits, nuts and seeds. We did this for about 2 million years.  Around 10,000 years ago though, the agricultural revolution began and grains have since become a primary component of the human diet. Wheat, rice, barley, buckwheat, millet, rye, amaranth, corn,  and oats support the worlds growing population. However, such a short period of time in human history is not enough to well adapt to a certain food type.

There is a huge and growing volume of research that implicates grains, including whole grains and sprouted grains, in the involvement of cardiovascular disease, cancers, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and a host of other health problems.

Why do we eat grains?  For one we have been told that eating grains are healthy.  That they provide a healthy amount of B vitamins, vitamin E and many  minerals, not to mention fiber.  Our food guide tells us a balanced and nutritious diet requires them.  So of course it must be true!  Grains are also inexpensive, a bag of rice is cheap and can sit in your cupboard for a long time.  And let’s face it grains taste good.  Who doesn’t like warm bread fresh from the oven or a big bowl of oats for breakfast?

But there are reasons why we should NOT eat grains

They are just not as nutrient dense as other alternatives

Whole grains are often praised as being a great source of vitamins and fiber but you can get better quantities in other more nutrient dense foods.  If you can find it in a grain, you can find it in greater amounts in a vegetable.  Let’s take quinoa, one of the most nutritious grains (actually botanically quinoa is not a grain but it has similar properties) and quickly compare it to collard greens.  100g of cooked quinoa has 5.0 IU’s of vitamin A and 42mcg of folate.  On the other hand 100g of collards serve up a whopping 8114 IU’s of vitamin A and 93mcg of folate.  Even the fiber content of collards is superior with 5g compared to 3g in the quinoa per serving.  We can compare healthy whole grains all day long with vitamin and mineral content of vegetables and meats and the latter will win hands down every time.

Grains = Sugar 

Every carbohydrate that we consume must be broken down into glucose so that our bodies can utilize it for energy.  Glucose (sugar) then moves into the bloodstream, the pancreas releases insulin to transport the sugars out of the bloodstream and then stores it into various parts of the body (liver, muscles, fat cells).  Unless we’ve just finished working out or are just about to that glucose is being stored in our fat cells.  Humans are not adapted to eating large amount of carbs and the pancreas and adrenals aren’t fit for the job.  Increased insulin levels over time will lead to insulin resistance, hypoglycemia and type 2 diabetes.

Grains are not good for your gut

Grains are extremely hard on the digestive system.  Just like every living thing, plants don’t want to be eaten by other living things.  They want to breed and reproduce and have, therefore, over time developed survival mechanisms that would prevent them from being digested, and in turn ensure their survival.  Fruits, for example, have nuts surrounded by a yummy flesh.  That flesh gets eaten, the nut stays intact just long enough to propagate.  A grains shell on the other hand offers little protection and is therefore loaded with toxins to discourage predators. They are full of lectins and enzyme blockers.

Lectins are very bad.  They are a protein that is not broken down in the normal digestive process.  Lectins also attach themselves to insulin receptors and bind themselves to intestinal lining.  Essentially the only way they can get through to the bloodstream is by punching holes in your intestine.  This not only damages the lining it now allows other proteins into the system undigested.  Now because they are foreign, our bodies mistake them for bacteria and our immune system makes antibodies to attack them.  This can lead to  a whole bunch of auto immune disorders.  Ever heard of leaky gut syndrome?

Enzyme Blockers are substances that block the enzymes needed to digest proteins (proteases).  So we have undigested proteins floating around including lectins that just wreak havoc on our system.

Gluten is a  protein found in wheat, rye, barley and millet. Celiac disease is an auto-immune condition that affects people who have ingested gluten containing products. Its the stuff that gives good dough its elasticity, its the glue.  It’s also primarily the gluten that responds and expands with yeast.  The problem with gluten is that most of us are gluten-intolerant to some degree.  In fact, researchers now believe that a third of the population has some sensitivity to gluten.  That’s 30% to 40% of us! And yet we continue to eat this stuff!!

The bottom line is that grains damage our gut lining and pave the way for auto-immunity and even cancer. Other issues include allergies, infertility, type 1 diabetes, crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, vitiligo, depression, huntington’s, non-hodgkin’s lymphoma, hypothyroidism to name a few.

Grains Cause Inflammation

Inflammation is the bodies natural response to defend itself from trauma.  It’s the redness and swelling you experience when you get a bruise or when you cut yourself.  Inflammation is essential to speed up healing.  Grains are inflammatory and when we eat a lot of them they induce a constant low level of inflammation across the whole body (chronic systemic inflammation). Furthermore, the more refined the grain, the more inflammatory it is.  Chronic inflammation is linked to many degenerative diseases including acne, asthma, IBS, arthritis and joint pain, heart disease, atherosclerosis, cancer and more.

Grains contain Anti Nutrients

Refined grains contain phytates that attach themselves to certain vitamins and minerals making them worthless or impossible to absorb. So much for the all the vitamin and minerals we are supposed to be getting form healthy whole grains!  Bear in mind that cooking reduces a food’s phytic acid content to some degree, as does soaking whole grains but it doesn’t remove them.

There are dozens of other reasons why grains are unhealthy.  When eating carbohydrates wouldn’t it make sense to eat the carbs that are bursting with nutrients as opposed to the mediocre option.  Stick with nutrient rich fruits and vegetables. You’re whole body will thank you for it!


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5 Comments on “Why Grains are NOT Good for you

  1. What options specifically do you suggest to replace grains? Also what type of preparation do you suggest? Thanks!

    1. Hi Jack. That’s a great question!

      Plant foods should make up the most part of what you are eating. Organic and locally grown fruits and vegetables whenever possible are the most nutritious. Dark leafy greens are a great choice as a side to any meal. Berries have amazing antioxidants and are full of micronutrients. You can eat your veggies raw, steamed, baked or grilled -whatever your choice, get creative! Have some kale or spinach with eggs for breakfast or some beets with your chicken at lunch. Best options and the higher in antioxidants are broccoli, brussell sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, spinach, carrots and beets. My fav fruits are any berry, cherries, apples, peaches and figs!

      Focus on quality sources of protein, so organic, free range, grass fed, wild meats and fish. Eggs are super healthy and nutritious as well. And eat healthy sources of fat (nuts and seeds, avocados, oils). They are a great source of Omega 3s and fiber and host of vitamins and minerals!


  2. Hi Gordana,

    I have been a fitness enthusiaist for years and believe that our food is our best medicine and also possiblly the most potent poison. I have been making a steady change in my diet to irradicate plant foods that cannot be eaten in their natural form.
    The only thought that used to bother me was what did our much healthier and disease free ancestors eat before they began cultivating grains and how can I substitute them in my diet. I have found several answers to this and many more question I have had about grains because they, I believe, are possibly the only plant food sources that need to be cooked before eating. This defeats the idea of consuming plant foods in their natural state.
    Thank you.

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