AVOID CEREAL GRAINS By John Durant, Author and Advocate of the Grain-Free The Paleo Diet In His Book The Paleo Manifesto: Ancient Wisdom for Lifelong Health Cereal grains are the seeds of grasses. The top four--wheat, corn, rice and barley--account for nearly 70% of global agriculture crops by weight. Along with sorghum, oats, rye, and millet, these grains account for 56% of all calories eaten by humans. The seeds of cereal grains contain toxic proteins. Many of these toxic proteins are intended to make it difficult for a grazing mammal to digest the seed. From a seed’s perspective, it doesn’t “want” to get digested--it wants to make a new plant. The goal is to exit a mammal’s digestive tract still intact, dispersed and covered in the manure that will fertilize the seed’s growth. The toxic proteins are more heavily concentrated in the outer shell (also known as the “bran”), but are found throughout the entire kernel. Grains that contain the heavily toxic bran are described as “whole grains,” and are often mistakenly viewed as entirely healthy. In wheat, for example, gluten makes up the majority of wheat protein. Even though gluten is associated with the small percentage of people with celiac disease (about 0.4 to 0.8% in the United States), it causes gut inflammation in over 80% of people. The gut is the digestive tract, which plays a central role not only in digestion, but in metabolism and immune function as well. Persistent gut inflammation can damage the intestinal lining, and large molecules and bacteria can ooze into the bloodstream--which initiates a reaction from the immune system. Autoimmune disorders occur when the body chronically attacks itself, and a wide variety--lupus, type 1 diabetes, and multiple sclerosis--are associated with a leaky, inflamed gut and wheat consumption. Though gluten gets all the attention these days, it is far from the only toxic protein in wheat or other cereal grains. Wheat also contains opioid peptides and wheat germ agglutinin. Opioid peptides are opiates (in the same family as opium, morphine, and heroin) and make eating wheat enjoyable, addictive, and difficult to stop. Wheat germ agglutinin also damages the gut and has a tendency to bind with other molecules. The immune system identifies these clumpy molecules as invaders and attacks them--often damaging the gut and other parts in the process. Consumption of wheat has been associated with a vast number of chronic health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, and cancer. Corn contains many toxic proteins similar to those found in wheat and other cereal grains. Of all the cereal grains, white rice is the least toxic, largely consisting of pure carbohydrate. Therefore, depending on one’s level of carbohydrate intake, white rice is a good low-toxicity option.
Posted on: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 17:04:01 +0000
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