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Grains - Friend or Foe?

The topic of grain consumption is a hot one. There is a school that says we should eliminate them completely and another that says they should make up the backbone of our diet.

The no-grain school say's that our bodies have not the machinery to process them as our bodies are still similar to Fred Flintstones, and their diets mainly consisted of meat and vegetables. What they fail to address is that wild grains and seeds have been found to have been consumed by early man (Nourishing Traditions, page 474).

But grains were not consumed to the extent we do today nor prepared the same as today. In our desire to produce grains as quickly as possible we failed to address their shortcoming as our ancestors did. Grains are known to contain anti-nutrients, which if not neutralised leech the body of essential nutrients from the bones and muscles.

How did our ancestors solve this problem?

They allowed the grains to sprout ' soaking them overnight destroys many of the harmful anti-nutrients that cause havoc to the digestive system. This is the same as with legumes, which is still actually practised quite regularly for similar reasons.

One of the other problems with some grains is gluten.

Gluten and casein (milk protein) are two of the most difficult to digest.

How many people are affected with gluten or casein intolerance? According to the Journal of Paediatrics (January 2000, 136:86-90) previous studies have shown that about 1 in 250 people in Europe had the condition.

But a later study screened 1200 children aged 6 months to 20 years with blood tests and, in some cases, small intestinal biopsy.

The researchers reported that the prevalence of celiac disease in these patients ranged from 1 in 57 to 1 in 33.

Dr Joseph Mercola (Editor of the worlds most read natural health newsletter mercola.com) believes through his experience the number is closer to 1 in 10 people, and he goes on to say that the majority of people do not benefit from having wheat (mercola.com, issue no 143), as it contains other harmful indigestible substances like gliaden.

The best test is a self test by removing all grains except wild rice, millet, buckwheat and quinoa for 2 weeks.

If you feel a noticeable difference then you are probably gluten-intolerant.

If you are (I am- so welcome to the club), don't get too worried as there are plenty of alternatives around these days, including gluten-free breads, mueslis etc.

If you are not intolerant than I recommend you choose whole or even better sprouted grain products over the commercially processed grain products.

Your 3D Coach
Craig Burton