I know most of us have been told from infancy that whole grains are healthy, but it turns out we have all been lied to, although not necessarily intentionally. Your mother really thought she was doing you a favor by serving you oatmeal for breakfast, rather than eggs and bacon. Fortunately, you know better by now, right? If not, we’ll give you the inside scoop right here.
Paleo and Carbohydrates
Even whole grains are sufficiently high in carbohydrates to cause a spike in blood sugar. This spike inevitably leads to a crash, which results in that “hangry” feeling and makes us crave more carbs to get our blood sugar back up. It’s a vicious cycle that can be very hard to break.
Whole grains also come with all the antinutrients of refined grains – sometimes even more due to the inclusion of the bran. These include lectins, as well as gluten, both of which are known to increase gut permeability, leading to all sorts of toxins and undigested foods escaping into the bloodstream. When this happens, the body responds with an immune reaction to attack the invaders. An integral part of the immune reaction is inflammation, which is fine when used occasionally, but if allowed to become chronic, it can contribute to dangerous conditions, such as obesity and heart disease.
Science v. Pseudoscience
Unfortunately, the media continues to report on studies that supposedly show that consuming whole grains is good for you. These studies tend to come with numerous epidiomelogical errors that fail to take into account other factors. Denise Minger has done an excellent job of taking a closer look at these studies to determine just how reliable their information really is. She does so with one study promoting whole grains in this post.
