Healthy Whole Grains Are ANYTHING But Healthy

EDIT: Apologies for the gratuitous use of italics, my mind is foggy today.

I recently went on a gluten free diet due to health issues, and I experienced something most unexpected - actual physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms: anxiety attacks, inability to sleep. Well I did some research into the matter and found out that most grains as they exist today, especially what we call "wheat" is actually quite unhealthy for us. Here's basic summary of the downsides.

• Firstly, what you think of as wheat now bears little resemblance to what we called wheat even 50 years ago. It has been crossbred and engineered so many times since the 1960s - 10 years of which there was zero oversight (and therefore no public record for science to apply accountability) - that it is practically a wholly different organism. In the aim of making crops that survive pests and unpredictable climate, and that can increase yields (and profits) by up to ten times, America's "amber waves of grain" are now most commonly two foot high stalks of what is commonly called "dwarf wheat". Due to the cumulative nature of the effect of cross-species plant breeding on the number of chromosomes in offspring, each generation becomes more complex, building up chromosomes like a Pokemon collection, and creating grains that contain a staggering amount of novel genes that are coded to produce unproven proteins whose safety in the human body has never been verified.


• Wheat is actually higher on the glycemic index than table sugar. This means it's more likely to trigger quicker and higher blood glucose numbers than common table sugar. This is bad, but not just for diabetics, I'll explain why.


• Even in non-diabetics this is a problem, because when exposed to pepsin and hydrochloric acid in the stomach, the gluten degrades into a mix of polypeptides. These polypeptides have been shown to cross the blood-brain barrier and bind to the brain's morphine receptors. These polypeptides have been named "exorphins", short for exogenous morphine like compounds. Similar to endorphins, they create a high in the brain. (it should be noted that millet and flax do not contain gluten, and are therefore safe). Due to the opiate effect these exorphins have on the brain, we tend to crave more and more, hence the common tendency for constant snacking.


• Each time your blood glucose elevates, your body releases insulin to help the glucose enter the body's tissues to be used as fuel. However when this process is going on constantly due to the habit for snacking (usually on wheat or other grain containing products, it's in almost everything these days) that is created by the opiate high, it creates a constant cycle of high glucose, then high insulin, then more high glucose, etc.


• The constant repeating cycle of glucose/insulin reactivity eventually leads to a particular kind of fat storage in the body. Around the mid-section, this is called "visceral fat", and is the most dangerous kind. It wreaks havoc on your liver for one thing - being a major cause of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease - but it also greatly raises triglycerides, has negative effects on HDL/LDL cholesterol ratios, and is a major contributing factor (some would argue, THE major factor) in the most dangerous forms of heart disease. Visceral fat also increases one's risk of cancer, especially breast cancer - even in men - because estrogen-like compounds are produced in visceral fat tissues.

So , if you want to know why America is the fattest country in the world - why there seem to be so many people who can't seem to get in shape despite exercise and the "healthy diet" that the ludicrously simplistic food pyramid guidelines suggest - why there is such an epidemic of "wheat bellies" that sag over belts, "man boobs" (gynomastia) and lowering sperm counts in men, and increases of breast cancer in particular in women, but also across the board generally, you might want to take a second look at all those "healthy whole grains". And trust me, it's in pretty much every possible baked good (and almost every processed, non-baked "food"!) you can find, minus the gluten free kinds.

The kicker, and the #1 reason I decided to post this, is that up to 30% of those who cut these grains out of their diet will go through an opiate withdrawal syndrome - I did. Like I said, anxiety, depression, headaches, severe insomnia. Once I was off the grains for a few weeks I was feeling much better - more clear headed. Yesterday however, we were low on groceries, and out of practicality I chose to make myself a turkey burger, bun and all. It was great, but by the time my stomach was ready for its next meal, my brain was already panicking for its next fix, and I was having anxiety all evening, and got very little sleep last night due to insomnia that even my usual sleep medications could not resolve.

A panicked mind clouds one's judgement and focus, and now I feel I'll be spending the next few days just to normalize before I can properly resume my studies with any vigor. Do yourself a favor and don't make the same mistake I did; the gluten containing grains - and even their constituent parts such as wheat flour - are "bad juju" as they say. Most of us have been drug addicts our whole lives and have never even realized it. For further information, I suggest anyone interested read the "Wheat Belly" books by cardiologist Dr. William Davis.

Eat well, and may the Force be with you.

Would you mind sharing some of your sources please? I'd be interested to read them.

Edan wrote: Would you mind sharing some of your sources please? I'd be interested to read them.

Sure, aside from the books I mentioned, here are a couple of links. I'm a little slow and spacy today.

Info on visceral fat: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/body/visceral-fat.html

Information on gluten and casein (milk protein) exorphins (PDF): http://www.jbc.org/content/254/7/2446.full.pdf#page=1&view=FitH

EDIT: Here's some exorphin info and withdrawal info for the layperson: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/withdrawal-symptoms-of-going-wheatfree.html

Now Cryo, may I request you post some articles and sources about what IS good and healthy about whole wheat?

Proteus wrote: Now Cryo, may I request you post some articles and sources about what IS good and healthy about whole wheat?

Well perhaps I should have titled the thread "Healthy Whole Grains Hidden Dangers", because yes, there are known health benefits (though some of those touted seem to be contradictory). The only reason I didn't post a more balanced view is that there is already so much information available on the pro-wheat side that I honestly didn't think it needed to be amplified any more than it already is, but I'm fair game.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/10/whole-grains-health-benefits_n_5655022.html

http://wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/what-are-the-health-benefits

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/grains-why.html

Again, like I said, my mind is clouded today because of the withdrawal effect, if my message was imbalanced, that's probably a large part of why. My apologies.

EDIT: I might however note that much of the common assertions are based on outdated science that has come into question over the last half century.

It appears I have been unwittingly duped by fear mongers and charlatans.

I withdraw my case against whole grains.

https://blog.greatharvest.com/the-bread-business-blog/scientific-truths-about-modern-wheat-why-you-shouldnt-buy-the-hype

http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/nutrition/article/should-you-worry-about-wheat

I am humbled.

Actually this is a matter of some confusion to me, as the person who is anti-wheat is linking to scientific studies all through his articles, whereas most of the pro-wheat sources I see tend to come from trade industry groups or press sources with no links to resources and studie. I have often been a naive person in the face of pseudo-science claims, but it does seem to me that there are more studies being noted on the anti-wheat side of the debate.

http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2015/02/mean-wheat-healthy/

How does one tell what is objective truth in such matters? How does a Jedi make a sound judgement in the face of such conflicting information?

Your body isn't being lobbied, quit grains, go paleo, see the results for yourself. I don't regret switching wheat products for meat/veg/fruits at all.

ren wrote: Your body isn't being lobbied, quite grains, go paleo, see the results for yourself. I don't regret switching wheat products for meat/veg/fruits at all.

You are correct. Regardless of the causes, I have felt very noticeable quality of life improvements since I began avoiding such products. I suppose Proteus' challenge cast me into self doubt, and fear began ruling my judgement. If anything, I believe the real problem may not just be one of gluten, but rather of glyphosphate pesticides (AKA Roundup), which are used not just as pesticides, but in the case of wheat the non-GMO crops are drenched in stuff 3 to 7 days before harvest, because it kills the plants. This may seem contradictory, however as the plant is dying, it gives a last gasp so to speak, and releases more seeds that it naturally would have. Glyphosphate use on dessicated seeds causes the kernels to absorb the roundup as it would any moisture, with long term toxic effects.

With the budgetary constraints my family and I are under, buying organic isn't very practical. Regardless, I let fear of making the wrong choice affect my behavior. Thank you for helping me to see this.

I'm no expert at all the details of the effects of ingesting wheat (or most other types of foods), but it might be worth noting that most findings to do with nutrition and mal-health are time and time again seen to be subjective to the state and condition of any individual body. What is unhealthy for one is not always necessarily bad for another. Also, most "studies" of these kind tend to be aimed at the focus on "overweight epedimics" in a society, and so is very easy to assume that the focus assumes that whatever conclusions that are found are necessary for everyone. Sometimes, what is not healthy about it for one type of people can be quite equal to what is healthy for another type of people, making the whole situation a lot more dynamic than many studies would like to acknowledge.

Just something I wanted to put out there.

CryojenX wrote:

ren wrote: Your body isn't being lobbied, quite grains, go paleo, see the results for yourself. I don't regret switching wheat products for meat/veg/fruits at all.

You are correct. Regardless of the causes, I have felt very noticeable quality of life improvements since I began avoiding such products. I suppose Proteus' challenge cast me into self doubt, and fear began ruling my judgement. If anything, I believe the real problem may not just be one of gluten, but rather of glyphosphate pesticides (AKA Roundup), which are used not just as pesticides, but in the case of wheat the non-GMO crops are drenched in stuff 3 to 7 days before harvest, because it kills the plants. This may seem contradictory, however as the plant is dying, it gives a last gasp so to speak, and releases more seeds that it naturally would have. Glyphosphate use on dessicated seeds causes the kernels to absorb the roundup as it would any moisture, with long term toxic effects.

With the budgetary constraints my family and I are under, buying organic isn't very practical. Regardless, I let fear of making the wrong choice affect my behavior. Thank you for helping me to see this.

I think it may be down to nutrients per calorie. I don't eat organic, so the foods I eat instead of grain have just as likely been tampered with, especially fruits... When it comes to nutrients though, grains are mostly high calorie and don't contain much of anything else....

this is relevant

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/whole-grain-foods-not-always-healthful/

OB1Shinobi wrote: this is relevant

That really does give the whole topic another layer of "things that make you go hmmm...", doesn't it?

theres a lot of stuff to sort through

the gist of what ive found suggests that even if wheat is generally good for you (which is not that strong of a claim - its biggest PRO was that it was MORE healthy than processed and enriched alternatives - which could (loosely i admit) be kind of like saying that chewing tobacco is MORE healthy than smoking cigarettes) the term 'wheat" or "whole wheat" is basically a lie in many cases

"paleo diet" theory makes more sense to me than anything else

i dont think its reasonable to deny the value of eating the foods that we evolved with as a species, and eating them in basically the same way that we ate them as we evolved

i agree that there is constant hype in diet and nutrition campaigns - and its important not to just accept whatever anyone says

i would especially point out that as a general rule it is a bad idea to trust (in this case the grain) industry to tell you if a product they sell is healthy

it is proven by history time and again that industries lie blatantly and that they pay "scientists" to back them up

the ROUND UP connection you mentioned in a previous post is a huge factor imo

i dont recall if you posted link on that

http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/real-reason-for-toxic-wheat-its-not-gluten/

anything monsanto touches in any way should be considered poison imo

the difficult part is how to get away from them

Gluten definitely does cause serious problems for some people, I've seen it first hand with my partner. The medical establishment were clueless about it [medical condition], and some even denied it [gluten cause] 'after' the fact... to protect their incompetence/arrogance/business model which had otherwise not only failed but made things worse

Living is learning I guess, so don't assume (much), caution belief... and try not to be fooled :lol: :blink:

The only thing people have to say against the paleo diet is that we may very well have evolved to digest other foods... Which may be true, except it doesn't invalidate the paleo diet as a balanced healthy diet in any way... And we may as well enjoy it while it lasts, it's not like with all the pollution we'll be able to eat living things for much longer.
Just recently the EU had to relax their rules for toxins in fish as it's becoming increasingly difficult to get safe-enough specimens... Can't eat fish more than three times a week because of the levels of mercury in them, avoid it altogether if pregnant...

Hundreds of thousands of people grow to be 80-100 with all kinds of diets. One lady made it to 100 drinking 3 dr peppers a day. That's insane.

Each body is different.

But, there are some things we can see with trends:
1. No sugar = good for blood sugar levels. If blood sugar levels are spiking, we will have an imbalance in hormones: http://dtc.ucsf.edu/types-of-diabetes/type1/understanding-type-1-diabetes/how-the-body-processes-sugar/blood-sugar-other-hormones/

And, this imbalance can lead to all kinds of weird issues. Could make us irritable. Could make us lethargic. Lots of possibilities. Of course, it may also do none of those things. We all react to hormones differently.

2. Being Obese is never good. And, time and time again, we see that carb-rich foods will lead us to a gut. If you exercise for two hours a day, eat all the tacos you want. If you're like me and you lead a mostly sedentary life, I'd advise getting lettuce wraps. http://www.webmd.com/diet/20150105/study-debunks-notion-of-healthy-obesity?page=1

3. Fat is not bad. I don't understand where this "fat is bad" idea. My parents have it. This article lists some pros AND cons of fat: http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/111114p32.shtml

So, I've come to find that a good place to start is:
Moderate protein.
Moderate fat.
Few carbs.
Eat less than your BMR (what you burn just by being alive, calculators online) to lose weight.
Eat around your BMR to stay the same weight.
Eat more than your BMR if you are too skinny.

Now.. how you figure out how to do that... Oy. I've been roughing that for years.

there are good fats and bad fats....just like good sugars and bad sugars.. etc...

white bread is unhealthy because all of the nutrients are "bleached" out. i only eat wheat bread or whole grain....

at one point i was up to 264+ pounds...this wasn't because of any particular food, but due to limited activity and a lack of concern with what others think of me....i'm down to 187 pounds now...i still eat all the same things, i'm just a bit more active and changed the manner in which i prepared my foods, and the frequency i eat...i did this simply to prove to my sister and brother in law that i actually do know what i'm talking about with weight loss and fitness...

One thing that tends to make fat 'bad' is that it might accumulate chemicals, which means things like medicines might need to be at a higher level to achieve a similar target impact which then increases the work by the liver to process excessive amounts to achieve that impact at the target site - but also that if the fat cell's are accumulating chemicals, then they can be released at a later time causing unexpected influences and interactions which might lead obesity to having statistical connections to things which might not themselves be a result of the accumulation of fat cells (rather the overlap of the impact from whats inside them).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioaccumulation

So I tend to view fat as an evolutionary offshoot for hibernation/winter mode which can sort of mimic your normal summer healthy diet in both energetic terms but also perhaps other chemicals which one might have settled on as healthy..... except we don't starve ourselves as a replacement for food anymore so I tend to view fat as largely redundant in a modern/future life. Makes the Paleo diet seem logical, eat berries and fruits all day for the established balance of nutrients, and then eat a meaty dinner before sleep to capture it in fat cells overnight from the meat - as a mechanism to combat scarcity. Just thinking out loud, I aint no foodie or scientist!

Something I don't understand about wholegrain, is how it's healthier than processed ones? I mean, they contain pretty much the same things as the processed stuff, plus insoluble fibre. And insoluble fibre is useful for.... passing stools (It doesn't get digested). May cause irritable bowel syndrome. It's not all of them though, oats are fine for instance as they contain soluble fibres which apparently are good for the heart and cholesterol levels.