Grains should represent a small part of your diet, regardless of your age. I personally seek to avoid most grains, except rice.
But if you're going to eat some grain-based foods, how much is too much?
This debate heated up earlier this year when two nutritional experts, Dr. Paul Jaminet and Dr. Ron Rosedale,
engaged in a debate over how many starches are too many.
Dr. Rosedale believes there is no such thing as a "safe starch" and
that all starchy carbohydrates should be avoided, which of course
includes all grains.
Dr. Jaminet, on the other hand, is a little more forgiving of some of
the "safer starches," such as potatoes and rice. He believes some
people need a small amount of these in their diets.
This is an interesting debate.
It's well thought out and well articulated, but quite lengthy.
If you have time, I do recommended your reading through all of it to see the nuances of their contrasting views.
Controversial Carbs
The amount of carbohydrates one should consume for optimal health is a
widely controversial topic. Fortunately we can gain some insights as to
how much we might need by examining a child's diet, which is critically
important for proper brain development. As you would expect, the
quality of a child's diet will directly affect his or her cognitive
functioning. Two recent studies highlight just how important this is.
STUDY #1: In the first study,
Japanese researchers analyzed the relationship between breakfast
staples and intelligence in children. They divided 290 healthy children
into three groups according to their breakfast staple—rice, bread, or
both. What they found was that children in the rice group had
significantly more gray matter in their brains and showed a higher
perceptual organization index, which is a component of intelligence.
This supports the theory that children's breakfast choices affect their
cognitive function.
According to the study:
"... [O]ne possible mechanism underlying the difference between
the bread and the rice groups may be the difference in the glycemic
index (GI) of these two substances; foods with a low GI are associated
with less blood-glucose fluctuation than are those with a high GI."
STUDY #2: A 2011 cross-sectional study in Tehran, Iran,
examined the relationship between long-term refined carbohydrate intake
and non-verbal intelligence among 6 to 7-year-old schoolchildren.
Researchers found that refined carbohydrate consumption and non-verbal
IQ were inversely related for these Tehrani children. In other words,
the more refined carbs the children were eating, the lower their
non-verbal IQs. So how much starch is too much starch for breakfast—or
any other meal, for that matter?
My Personal Experience with an Ultra-Low Carb Diet
After trying both approaches, my experience suggests that Dr.
Jaminet's position is more clinically relevant. The challenge is that
most people will not be able to lower their carb level to the below 20
percent suggested by Dr. Rosedale. This very low level is a long reach
from the average American diet, which is actually around 50 percent
carbohydrate—it is simply too hard. Achieving Dr. Jaminet's far more
carb-liberal recommendations will be enough of a challenge for most.
When I eliminated all my grains and starchy vegetables, I actually
experienced some negative effects. My energy levels declined
considerably, and my cholesterol, which is normally about 150, rose to
over 200. It appears I was suffering a glucose deficiency and this can
trigger lipoprotein abnormalities. It also seemed to worsen my kidney
function. So, while carbohydrate restriction is a miracle move for most
people, like most good things in life, you can overdo it.
This information really underscores how important glucose is as a nutrient,
and some people can't manufacture glucose from protein as well as
others, so they need SOME starches in their diet or else they will
suffer from metabolic stress.
About half of your proteins have glucose attached to them, and if
they don't have glucose, they simply don't work well, if at all. Your
body needs glucose both as a substrate and as a fuel in order for these
proteins to work well. If you drop below 200 calories of glucose per
day, you might notice some negative consequences in the way you feel and
even in some of your blood work, as I did.
My experience now shows me that I need to have some source of
non-vegetable carbs. I still seek to avoid nearly all grains, except for
rice and potatoes. I typically limit my total carbohydrate calories to
about 25 percent of total daily intake, and my protein to about 15
percent, with the additional 60 percent coming from healthful fats like
butter, egg yolks, avocados, coconut oil, nuts and animal fat.
However, that is what works for me. You must listen to YOUR body and
perform your own experiment. The bottom line is how your body responds,
and you're the ONLY one who can determine that.
So, if you are going to try eating some grain-based foods, which ones
are the least likely to cause a problem? How damaging is wheat versus
rice? Or potatoes? Before casting a vote on this, it is important to
understand how grains contain different amounts and types of natural
toxins that can create problems with your health.
Avoid Carbs that are Loaded with Toxins
Aside from providing excessive calories as carbohydrates, one of the
major adverse consequences of most grains is that they are loaded with
toxins. In fact, as you'll learn in the interview above, the average
person gets about 1.5 grams of natural food toxins daily, which makes up
more than 99.9 percent of all the toxins ingested. These are toxins made by plants, as opposed to manmade toxins, which serve to protect the plant from being eaten by mammals.
The one grain type that is virtually toxin free is white rice, which
has far fewer toxins than brown rice. The vast majority of toxins in
white rice are destroyed by cooking, which is why white rice is the only
grain Dr. Jaminet recommends. One of the grain toxins with which you
may be familiar is gluten.
"Gluten" comes from the Latin word for glue, so named because its
adhesive properties hold bread and other baked goods together. Gluten is
present in grains such as wheat, rye, and barley. The glue-like
properties interfere with the breakdown and absorption of nutrients,
including the nutrients from other foods in the same meal. The result is
a sticky, constipating lump in your gut, rather than a nutritious,
easily digested meal.
This undigested glutinous gut-bomb may trigger your immune system to
attack the lining of your small intestine, causing diarrhea or
constipation, nausea, and/or abdominal pain. Severe reactions are
classified as "celiac disease," and milder reactions fall under the
category of "gluten intolerance." Over time, your small intestine can
become increasingly damaged and less able to absorb nutrients, such as
iron and calcium. This in turn can lead to anemia, osteoporosis and
other health problems.
Modern wheat (and other grains) differs greatly from the wheat our
ancestors ate. The proportion of gluten protein in wheat has increased
enormously as a result of hybridization. Legumes are also loaded with
lectins, which is why most who follow a Paleo type diet avoid them.
Lectins: The Plant Kingdom's Weapon of Mass Destruction
Lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins that are
widespread in the plant kingdom. Plants produce lectins to ward off
their natural enemies, such as fungi and insects. However, lectins are
not just the nemesis of fungi and insects, but are also plaguing humans.
Please refer to the excellent video above by Chris Meletis, ND, who
discusses the many dangers posed by these glycoproteins.
There are many types of lectins.
Some lectins (including those in wheat) bind to specific receptor
sites on your intestinal mucosal cells and interfere with the absorption
of nutrients across your intestinal wall and into your blood. So, they
act as "antinutrients."
Lectins are proteins that are looking to hook up with carbohydrates
in your body. C-reactive protein, which is a marker of inflammation, is
one example of the many lectins you have circulating right now. Lectins
are also used to determine blood type. Lectins trigger inflammation,
stimulate a hyper-immune response, and increase your blood viscosity—all
conditions that can predispose you to disease.
Wheat Lectin (WGA) is Cytotoxic, Neurotoxic, Cardiotoxic and Immunotoxic
Wheat lectin, or "wheat germ agglutinin" (WGA), is largely
responsible for many of wheat's pervasive ill effects. WGA is highest in
whole wheat, especially sprouted whole wheat, but wheat isn't
the only grain with significant lectin. All seeds of the grass family
(rice, wheat, spelt, rye, etc.) are high in lectins.
WGA has the potential to damage your health by the following mechanisms (list is not all-inclusive):
- Pro-Inflammatory: WGA lectin stimulates the synthesis of pro-inflammatory chemical messengers, even at very small concentrations
- Immunotoxic: WGA lectin may bind to and activate white blood cells
- Neurotoxic: WGA lectin can pass through your
blood-brain barrier and attach to the protective coating on your nerves,
known as the myelin sheath. It is also capable of inhibiting nerve
growth factor, which is important for the growth, maintenance, and
survival of certain neurons
- Cardiotoxic: WGA lectin induces platelet
aggregation and has a potent disruptive effect on tissue regeneration
and removal of neutrophils from your blood vessels
- Cytotoxic (Toxic to cells): WGA lectin may induce programmed cell death (apoptosis)
Research also shows that WGA may disrupt endocrine and
gastrointestinal function, interfere with genetic expression, and share
similarities with certain viruses.
The following foods contain chitin-binding lectins, which are very similar to wheat lectin:
Chitins are the primary binding target of
wheat lectin; therefore, wheat lectin and chitin-binding lectin are
functionally identical. This could be important information if you are
struggling with celiac disease or other gastrointestinal issues. For a
complete understanding about chitin-binding lectins, please read
this article by Sayer Ji.
If You're Sugar Sensitive, Beware of the SWEET Potato
Although sweet potatoes have some excellent nutritional components
and are considered a "safe starch" by Dr. Jaminet, many people have
problems from eating them because of their high fructose content. Dr.
Jaminet actually recommends white potatoes over sweet potatoes. There
are many different varieties of sweet potato, all varying in sugar
content. An article on the Perfect Health Diet website discusses the difference between conventional sweet potatoes and other varieties.
The American sweet potato has been literally bred for sweetness. If
you are trying to tease out the nuances of your potential carbohydrate
foods, it's worth noting the differences in the varieties.
The American sweet potato has nearly half the sugar content (6.5g per
100g) of grapes (15.5g per 100g). They are sort of half fruit, half
starch! By contrast, yams are far less sweet, with only 0.5g of sugar
per 100g. White potatoes actually contain more sugar than yams, at 1.2
g.
The Bottom Line
My conclusion is that there is a certain minimum carbohydrate
threshold that you should not drop below. The sweet spot for most is 20
to 30 percent of your diet as carbs, but most likely 25 to 30 percent.
Most of those calories can come from non-starchy vegetables, but you'll
probably need some starchy carbs, such as white potatoes or white rice,
and starchy vegetables like carrots and squash.
Breast milk is considered by many to be the perfect food for infants.
Breast milk is 40 percent carbohydrate, which is great for babies
because they have an increased glucose demand related to their rapid
brain development. Adults simply need less.
Regardless of which starchy foods you put on your plate, make sure
they are as organic and unprocessed as possible, free of pesticides and
chemical additives and NOT genetically modified. I believe that low
toxicity, high quality nutrient-dense foods are the MOST important
consideration for you and your child's optimal health, as well as your
child's brain development.
Regardless of your dietary choices, please remember to ALWAYS listen
to your body, as it will give you feedback about whether or not the
approach you've chosen is right for your unique biochemistry and
genetics. Listen to that feedback and adjust your program accordingly.