Going Against the Grain
Perhaps the most harmful element of dietary Conventional Wisdom is that
grains are healthy—the “staff of life”—as we’ve been led to believe our entire
lives. While grains enjoy massive global popularity today, they are simply not
very healthy for human consumption. From two million years ago, when the
first Homo erectus arose and began the steady evolution to the appearance of the
first modern Homo sapiens between 200,000 and 100,000 years ago, and
continuing until about 10,000 years ago, humans existed entirely as huntergatherers. Depending on where they roamed, early Homo sapiens derived their
nutrition from as many as 200 different wild food sources, including animal
meats, fruits, vegetables, and nuts and seeds, but grains were notably absent.
Starting about 10,000 years ago, forces conspired to create a dramatic shift in
the human diet. The widespread extinction of large mammals on major continents
coupled with increases in population forced humans to become more resourceful
in obtaining food. Those living by water utilized rafts, canoes, nets, and better
fishing tools to enjoy more bounty. On land, humans refined their toolmaking and
hunting strategies to include more birds and small mammals in the food supply.
Escalating competition for animal-sourced food eventually led to agricultural
innovations sprouting up independently in the most advanced societies around the
world (Egyptians, Mayans, etc.). As wild grains (which were a very small part of
some diets but difficult to harvest for any significant yield) became domesticated,
humans derived more and more calories from these readily available high-calorie
sources, a trend that has continued to the present day—with dire consequences.
Loren Cordain, Ph.D., author of the 2002 best-seller The Paleo Diet, explains:
Cereal grains [meaning cultivated grains in general, not breakfast cereals] have
fundamentally altered the foods to which our species had been originally adapted
over eons of evolutionary experience. For better or for worse, we are no longer
hunter-gatherers. However, our genetic makeup is still that of a paleolithic huntergatherer, a species whose nutritional requirements are optimally adapted to wild
meats, fruits and vegetables, not to cereal grains. There is a significant body of
evidence which suggests that cereal grains are less than optimal foods for humans and that the human genetic makeup and physiology may not be fully adapted to
high levels of cereal grain consumption. We have wandered down a path toward
absolute dependence upon cereal grains, a path for which there is no return.
Culturally, the cultivation of grains is the key variable that allowed modern
civilization to develop and thrive. Families could successfully feed and raise more
children. Large populations could now live permanently in proximity, and labor
could specialize, leading to continued exponential advancements in knowledge
and modernization. However, as Cordain elaborates, “[Grains] have allowed
man’s culture to grow and evolve so that man has become earth’s dominant
animal species, but this preeminence has not occurred without cost.… Agriculture
is generally agreed to be responsible for many of humanity’s societal ills,
including whole-scale warfare, starvation, tyranny, epidemic diseases, and class
divisions.” Dr. Jared Diamond, evolutionary biologist, physiologist, and Pulitzer
Prize–winning professor of geography at UCLA, and author of Guns, Germs and
Steel, goes so far as to say that agriculture was “the worst mistake in the history of
the human race” and that “we’re still struggling with the mess into which
agriculture has tumbled us, and it’s unclear whether we can solve it.”
Grain’s singular benefit of plentiful calories was often more than offset by
harmful aspects, including “antinutrients” (compounds that interfere with the
absorption of beneficial nutrients), the high carb content, and grain proteins that
were foreign to the human digestive process. Populations may have expanded, but
health costs to the individual were significant. The flourishing of agriculture
paralleled a reduction in average human life span as well as body and brain size,
increases in infant mortality and infectious diseases, and the occurrence of
previously unknown conditions such as osteoporosis, bone mineral disorders, and
malnutrition. Ironically, as medical advancements have eliminated most of the
rudimentary health risks faced by early humans (infant mortality, infections, etc.),
we can now live long enough to develop, suffer, and die from diet-related
diseases, including atherosclerosis, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes (it used to
be called adult-onset diabetes until millions of kids started developing it in recent
years!).
The Base of the Disease Pyramid
Grains offer the great majority of their calories in the form of carbohydrate,
so they cause blood sugar levels to elevate quickly (foods that easily and rapidly
elevate blood sugar are known as high glycemic foods). Because high glycemic
foods, such as sugar and grains, have been recently and suddenly introduced to
the human food supply (that’s right, even 10,000 years ago is “recent and sudden”
in evolutionary terms) and yet are consumed in massive quantities, they shock our
delicate hormonal systems, which are better suited to ingesting the low-glycemic
foods our ancestors ate, such as meat, vegetables, nuts, and most fruits.
A grain-heavy diet stresses the all-important insulin regulation mechanism in
the body. After consuming that bagel, scone, muffin, French toast, or bowl of cereal (all derived from grains) and a glass of juice for breakfast, your pancreas
releases insulin into the bloodstream to help regulate blood sugar levels. Even
after the routine meal just described, many Americans technically become
temporarily diabetic, with blood sugar levels soaring to clinically dangerous
levels. You know the drill by now. After your meal, insulin is released into the
bloodstream and stores glucose as muscle glycogen or directs its conversion to
fat. Experience this often enough and it’s very likely you’ll gain weight and
develop insulin resistance and Metabolic Syndrome.
If, instead, you were to have a Primal Blueprint breakfast consisting of a
delicious cheese-and-vegetable omelet with some fresh berries, you would enjoy a
moderated insulin response, leading to balanced energy levels for the hours after
your meal instead of a sugar high and insulin crash. Furthermore, with blood
sugar levels balanced, you would be able to access and burn stored body fat for
energy until your next insulin-balanced meal.
Phytates We Hate
There is sufficient evidence that this overreliance on grains—as well as on
simple carb and sugar products in general—leads to numerous vitamin, mineral,
and nutritional deficiencies. Most grains contain substances called phytates that
easily bind to important minerals like calcium, magnesium, and zinc in the
digestive tract, making them more difficult to absorb. Ironically, the
unprocessed—and, therefore, supposedly healthier—“whole” grains are typically
the highest in phytates. Mineral deficiencies are common in underdeveloped
nations that depend almost entirely on grain for their sustenance (bread accounts
for 50 percent of the total calories consumed in at least half the countries in the
world; some populations derive up to 80 percent of total calories from grain
products).
Grains also play a role in interference with vitamin D metabolism and in
related deficiencies of vitamins A, C, and B12. These nutrients are not present in
grains (again, ironically, unless they have been processed and then “fortified” by
adding back the missing vitamins—albeit at a much reduced bioavailability).
Deficiencies of these basic vitamins are prevalent mainly in third-world countries
(see the recurring theme?). However, even Western eaters with more balanced
diets, but who still rely too heavily on grains, miss out on eating more nutritious
foods, such as meats, fruits, and vegetables. In the United States, 45 percent of
citizens get zero daily servings of fruit or juice and 22 percent get no daily
vegetables.
Gluten, Lectin—Immune Affectin’
Certain grain (and also some dairy) proteins mimic those found in viruses
and bacteria, triggering an immune response when ingested. Gluten—the large,
water-soluble protein that creates the elasticity in dough (it’s also the primary glue in wallpaper paste)— is found in most common grains, such as wheat, rye, and
barley. Researchers now believe that as many as a third of us are probably glutenintolerant or gluten-sensitive.That third of us (and I would suspect many more on
a subclinical level) “react” to gluten with a perceptible inflammatory response.
Over time, those who are known to be gluten-intolerant can develop a dismal
array of medical conditions: dermatitis, joint pain, reproductive problems, acid
reflux and other digestive conditions, autoimmune disorders, and (kršitelj koda)c disease.
And that still doesn’t mean that the rest of us aren’t experiencing some milder
negative effect that simply doesn’t manifest itself so obviously.
Grains also contain high levels of mild, natural plant toxins known as lectins.
Researchers have found that lectins can inhibit healthy gastrointestinal function
by damaging delicate brush borders that allow appropriate forms of nutrients
(glucose, amino acids, fats, vitamins, and minerals) to travel from the digestive
tract into the bloodstream. Lectin damage allows larger, undigested protein
molecules to infiltrate the bloodstream. The ever-vigilant immune system sees
these unfamiliar protein molecules (not necessarily lectins, but anything you
ingest that was supposed to be fully processed in the digestive tract before
entering the bloodstream) and sets up a typical immune response to deal with
them. Unfortunately, these undigested protein molecules can resemble molecules
that reside on the outside of healthy cells, leaving your immune system confused
as to who the real enemy is. When your healthy cells come under attack by a
confused immune system, you experience what is known as an autoimmune
response, something experts believe is the root cause of many diseases.
The Holes in the Whole Grain Story
Many health-conscious eaters are well aware of the drawbacks of eating
refined wheat flour, white rice, pasta, and other grains that have been stripped of
their natural fiber and other nutrients during the manufacturing process. While a
refined grain product will (in most cases) produce a higher glycemic response
than a whole grain food (because fiber delays the absorption process and mutes
the blood sugar effect), a whole grain might well be considered less healthy than
its stripped-down cousin for many other reasons.
By definition, whole grains are those that have all three edible components
intact: the endosperm (starchy), the bran (fibrous), and the germ (oily). As we
learned earlier in this chapter, many whole grains contain harmful phytates,
glutens, and lectins that promote inflammation and offend your immune and
digestive systems. While you also get that highly touted dose of fiber from your
whole grains, this, too, can be seen as a negative. Contrary to Conventional
Wisdom, excessive fiber intake (practically automatic when you emphasize whole
grains) can increase appetite and interfere with healthy digestion, mineral
absorption, and elimination. (I detail the drawbacks of consuming too much fiber
in the Primal Blueprint Q&A at MarksDailyApple.com.) You can obtain optimal
amounts of fiber (and eliminate the risk of overdoing it) from emphasizing vegetables and fruits à la the Primal Blueprint.
When you ingest a refined product, such as Wonder bread, soda, or candy,
you get empty calories and a big insulin hit—but that’s all you get. Furthermore,
the total glycemic load is the same for a slice of white bread as it is a slice of
whole wheat bread. True, the wheat bread might burn a little slower, but you
eventually produce the same amount of insulin to deal with the glucose load. The
only thing in whole grain’s favor is a very minimal amount of protein and a few
micronutrients. However, the nutritional advantages of eating whole grains are
simply insignificant—especially in comparison to any vegetable, fruit, nut, seed,
or organic animal food with far more nutritional value calorie for calorie (and,
unlike whole grains, they also taste good!)—and free of objectionable agents.
For purposes of weight control and preventing disease, a gram of carb from a
whole grain is no better than a gram from a refined grain. I’m not suggesting that
you choose refined grains over whole grains; I’m suggesting you ditch all grains
in favor of Primal Blueprintfoods. That said, the next time you are faced with the
option to eat grains, and you rationalize that whole grains are a step up from
Wonder bread and soda, be sure you understand the “whole” story.
Say Good-Bye to Fatigue, Illness, and Suffering
Understanding that the long-term effects of chronic hyperinsulinemia (high
insulin levels in the bloodstream) are such conditions as general systemic
inflammation, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer should be enough to
convince you that it is critical to pursue a more natural way of eating. Eating lowcarbohydrate, grain-free meals will not only result in immediate gratification in
the form of regulated energy levels, but it can help you succeed with long-term
weight management and quite possibly save your life.
As a reminder, insulin is a “master hormone” that regulates the metabolism
of fat and carbohydrate in your body. The single most important requirement to
improve your fat metabolism and succeed with long-term weight management is
to normalize and balance the general amount of insulin you produce. High insulin
levels promote fat storage and disease. Moderated insulin levels (typical
with Primal Blueprint eating) stimulate fat burning and good health. It’s that
simple.
At the risk of sounding overly dramatic or redundant on this position, we
must understand that the reasonable, “evolutionary” voice challenging
Conventional Wisdom about grains is being battled by billions of dollars in
corporate and government propaganda pushing us to conform to dietary habits
that we are not suited for, that do not nourish us, and that are downright
destructive to human health. As Professor Diamond reminds us, humanity is very
far down a disastrous road, and righting course is incredibly problematic.
If you are one of the fortunate folks who are less sensitive to glutens, lectins,
and phytates than most, you might take exception to my wholesale damning of
foods that are a dietary centerpiece across the globe. Absent acute symptoms, I’ll still argue that we are all genetically “allergic” in some way to foods that are not
aligned with the Primal Blueprint. Perhaps you can try eliminating grains for 30
or 60 days, taking note of any general improvements in your condition. I’ll bet
your energy will be more regulated after meals, your digestion and elimination
will improve, and the frequency of minor illnesses or inflammation conditions
will subside, and you will be more successful controlling your weight. There
simply are no good reasons to base your diet on grains— and a lot of reasons
never to eat much grains for the rest of your life.