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I recently received a comment on one of my YouTube videos about weight loss from an individual who was concerned about the health implications of not eating grains.  This person was worried that my recommendations to eat primarily vegetables and high quality animal proteins and to avoid grain-based foods might lead to unspecified health problems.  In particular, the commenter noted that most food guides (such as the “Food Pyramid”, “4 Basic Food Groups”, etc.) list grains as the foundation of a healthy diet.  Based on these guides, the commented inquired, “Aren’t grains healthy?”.

From a nutrient standpoint, whole grains in limited quantities are certainly fine to eat and can be considered healthy.  The problem is not the grains, per se, but the FORM and QUANTITY in which most people consume grains. 

Let’s begin with form.  If you were to snack on a handful of unrefined bulgar wheat, rolled oats, etc., the nutrients and fiber in those products would be quite healthy.  But is that how most people eat grains?  With the exception of corn that is often consumed in a minimally processed form, most grains are processed in some way before they are consumed.  Most people are aware that highly processed grain products like white bread and pasta are largely devoid of the original nutrient and fiber content of the grains they are made from.  Even nutrient enrichment (such as adding thiamin back into wheat flour) does not restore the original nutrient content, and the key ingredient that minimizes the unhealthy impact of grains, fiber, is usually left out altogether. 

But even “whole grain” products are often problematic.  True whole grain foods largely retain the original vitamins, minerals, and fiber of the original grain, but most contain other ingredients that diminish the “healthiness” of the food.  For example, whole wheat bread is usually loaded with sugar to make it taste better.  The same is true of whole grain cereals and many other whole grain products.  General Mills should be ashamed of themselves for running those television ads promoting all of their cereals as being whole grain and thereby implying that they are healthy (does anyone really believe that Lucky Charms cereal is a health food even if it is “magically delicious”?). 

Regardless of whether the food is made of refined grains or of whole grains with added sugar, most grain-based products have a high glycemic index.  Basically, the glycemic index refers to the tendency of a food to rapidly raise blood sugar and trigger the release of insulin.  When high glycemic index foods are eaten, under normal circumstances, the pancreas releases a large amount of insulin to stimulate the cells of the body to take up the excess blood sugar and store it as glycogen and fat (and the amount of fat storage in the body is MUCH larger than the amount of glycogen storage). 

A large insulin release once in a while is not a big deal, but when somone eats high glycemic index foods on a frequent basis, and the large insulin release happens frequently, some major problems develop. 

For anyone who is overweight, the first problem is that insulin stimulates the body to store fat and blocks the ability of the body to burn fat.  So, eating grains, particularly in a refined form, or when there is added sugar, tends to cause weight gain.

The second problem is even more serious.  Over time, repeated release of large amounts of insulin creates a situation in which the body becomes desensitized to insulin, so blood sugar cannot be properly controlled.  This results in Type II diabetes, and all of its associated health problems. 

This brings me to the topic of the quantity of grain-based foods that people eat.  With refined grains (white flour, white bread, pasta, and cereal) or sugar-added whole grain products, even small quantities can be problematic.  A single slice of white bread can stimulate enough of an insulin release to block the ability of the body to burn fat for 24-48 hours.  Whole grains have a much lower glycemic index, because the fiber slows the absorption of the carohydrates into the bloodstream as blood sugar, but if there is added sugar, the effect of the fiber is largely negated.  So, even whole wheat and other whole grain foods can be problematic in relatively small quantities. 

As a general rule, I recommend people limit their carbohydrate intake as much as possible.  This means minimizing the intake of grains and sugary foods.  If you eat your grains completely unprocessed, such as snacking on handfuls of bulgar wheat, you’re probably OK, but otherwise you are usually best to just avoid the grains as much as possible.

It has been my observation that a majority of Americans consume quantities of refined grain products and other high-glycemic index foods (sugar-containing products like soda, candy, and other sweets) sufficient to not only virtually guarantee that they will be overweight, but also put them at a very high risk of developing diabetes.  So, the statistics regarding the epidemic of obesity and diabetes in this country should come as no surprise at all. 

So what about the food guides?  Are those government-proposed guidelines wrong? In a word, yes.  The various food guidelines such as the food pyramid are based on the outdated concept that fat intake is the primary dietary threat to good health.  Considerable research now clearly shows that while a rather large intake of fat can be problematic, even a relatively small intake of refined grains and sugar is far more detrimental to health. 

Check out my previous posts on weight loss and diabetes for more information.

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