Warning: Read This BEFORE You stock-up on those bran muffins!
Do you remember being told what a good source of fibre bran muffins, whole grains, and cereals are?
Well…. That might be true, but it may not be the whole story.
According to a growing number of experts, including Dr. Loren Cordain, a professor at Colorado State University and an expert on Paleolithic lifestyles, humans are NOT designed to eat grains, and doing so may actually be damaging to our gut and our long-term health.
Dr. Cordain explains:
"There's no human requirement for grains. That's the problem with the USDA recommendations. They think we're hardwired as a species to eat grains.
You can get by just fine and meet every single nutrient requirement that humans have without eating grains. And grains are absolutely poor sources of vitamins and minerals compared to fruits and vegetables and meat and fish."
Ironically, the high-fiber bran portion of grain – a key part that makes it a whole grain and is meant to be so healthy for us – actually contains anti-nutrients.
Two of these anti-nutrients are protein substances called gliadin (it's what gives wheat bread it’s dough texture) and lectins (a built-in survival mechanism by which plants protect themselves from being eaten).
However, both these protein substances can interfere with our absorption and digestion processes and may alter the bacterial make-up in our gut, leading to gas, bloating, cramps and other chronic health issues, such as autoimmune diseases. (1)
So be your best judge. Do you feel bloated, gassy, suffer from abdominal cramps, headaches, aches and pains or just don’t feel yourself after eating your morning muffin or lunch-time bagel? If so, you may want to stop eating grains and seek guidance from a nutrition professional.
References
(1) http://scorecard.goodguide.com/health-effects/explanation.tcl?short_hazard_name=immun