Read It Starts With Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways Online
Authors: Melissa Hartwig,Dallas Hartwig
Wondering about the extra calories in our prototypical bad day? Two words: liquid calories. The coffees with skim milk and a teaspoon of sugar, the two soy lattes (one medium, one small), the 8-ounce glass of orange juice, and the 5-ounce glass of red wine contribute an extra 532 calories to the day—almost exactly making up the difference in calories between our good and bad days. Most of us don’t think the liquid calories (or sugar) we’re consuming “count,” but when almost 20 percent of your total daily calories come in a form that’s not even food … we’d say that
counts
.
Another way that a diet high in grains leads to suboptimal nutrition is in terms of opportunity cost: if there are more whole grains on your plate, then there’s probably less of some other food—like
vegetables—
on your plate. And that lowers the overall micronutrient density in your diet too. In summary:
Not a single vitamin. Not a single mineral.
Not even fiber.
Yes, the Whole Grain People will
insist
that you need your whole grains for fiber … but have they totally forgotten that there is
lots of fiber
in vegetables and fruit? As you can see from the chart below, whole grains do not have a monopoly on fiber:
Dietary Fiber Content of Foods
| GRAINS | Serving size | Fiber (g) |
| Whole-grain bread | 2 slices | 3.4 |
| Oatmeal, cooked | 1 cup | 4.0 |
| Rice, brown, cooked | 1 cup | 3.5 |
| VEGETABLES AND FRUIT | Serving size | Fiber (g) |
| Broccoli, raw | 1½ cups | 3.5 |
| Carrots, raw | 1 cup | 3.1 |
| Cauliflower, raw | 1½ cups | 3.8 |
| Green beans, cooked | 1 cup | 4.0 |
| Sweet potato, cooked without skin | ½ potato | 3.9 |
| Winter squash, cooked | 1 cup | 5.7 |
| Apple, with skin | 1 large | 3.3 |
| Banana | 1 | 3.1 |
| Blackberries | 1 cup | 7.6 |
| Orange | 1 small | 3.1 |
| Pear | 1 medium | 5.1 |
| Strawberries | 1 cup | 3.3 |
| Almonds | 1 oz. | 3.3 |
All of these veggies and fruits contain about as much fiber (or more!) as two slices of whole-grain bread, a cup of oatmeal, or a cup of brown rice. (We threw almonds in there just for kicks—there’s fiber in nuts and seeds too!) There’s no trickery here—the vegetable serving sizes are
modest
(so it’s not like you have to eat a pound of broccoli to get enough fiber).
Based just on our side-by-side comparisons, it’s clear that vegetables and fruit are far more nutrient-dense than even their whole-grain counterparts. We could rest our case. …
But there’s even
more
to this nutrition story.
But what of all the claims made by the Whole Grain People about the heart-healthiness of whole grains? Turns out those claims may be more fluff than substance, as studies show that whole grains may not prevent disease as well as you might think. According to one recent meta-analysis, there isn’t any substantial evidence to back up the “heart healthy” claim beyond what poorly conducted, grain-industry-funded research has yielded. The study concluded: “Despite the consistency of effects seen in trials of whole-grain oats, the positive findings should be interpreted cautiously. Many of the trials identified were short-term, of poor quality, and had insufficient power. Most of the trials were funded by companies with commercial interests in whole grains.” Enough said.
Grains contain a compound called phytic acid, or phytate, found mostly in the bran portion of the seed. These phytates, often referred to as “anti-nutrients,” grab hold of minerals like calcium, iron, zinc, and magnesium found in the whole grain, creating an insoluble and undigestible complex. This means that when these nutrients get to your small intestine, they are not in a usable form—and therefore, not absorbed into the body.
Selfish anti-nutrients.
So even though those minerals are technically present in some grains, since your body can’t actually make use of them, they might as well not be there at all. The takeaway? Not only are whole grains relatively nutrient-poor, but many of the minerals that are present are not actually available to you.
While other plant foods (like some vegetables) also contain phytates, the combination of relatively low concentrations plus a relatively high level of nutrients generally reduces the overall impact of the anti-nutrients. (Since there are more minerals in vegetables and not as many phytates to “bind” those minerals, a large percentage of those nutrients are still available to us.) In addition, many vegetable preparation techniques (like peeling starchy root vegetables) remove much of the phytate. Sure, if we “peeled” our whole grains (i.e., milled away the bran and germ), we’d be left with fewer phytates—but then we’d have refined grains, devoid of most of the nutrition and fiber but still containing
all
of the concentrated carbohydrate. Doesn’t seem like a very good tradeoff to us.
At this point, it’s tough to make the case for the regular inclusion of grains in your diet—and we haven’t even talked about gluten yet.
For us, the propensity to overconsume them and their lack of nutrient density alone are enough to push grains off our plate to make room for fruits and vegetables. But there’s even more to the story—which leads us to our third and fourth Good Food standards.
There are many different protein structures in grains that have been found to create transient increases in gut permeability, increasing exposure of “outside” stuff to the “inside.” In addition, these proteins can improperly cross through the gut barrier, triggering an immune reaction (inflammation!).
These problematic proteins are, as a whole, poorly digested. In addition, some can temporarily knock out the bouncer outside your club, allowing unsavory characters to sneak inside your (formerly secure) interior. Those same components, once inside, have to be chased down and dealt with by the security guards inside (your immune cells), since they don’t belong anywhere inside your body. One such class of profoundly problematic proteins belongs to a group called
prolamins.
These prolamins can damage your gut and other parts of your body through systemic inflammation.
While the word “prolamin” might not ring any bells, the word “gluten” should.
Gluten
is a protein found in the endosperm of wheat, rye, and barley, and is partly made up of prolamins. Gluten is the most infamous prolamin-containing protein because people with celiac disease have a specific intolerance to gluten.
Prolamins are especially troublesome because their particular structure makes them very difficult (often impossible) for our digestive enzymes to break down into individual amino acids.
In addition, these prolamins (including those from gluten) interact directly with some of the microscopic components of our intestinal barrier. By “interact,” we mean that they trigger changes in the barrier function of the gut, temporarily opening the doors of the “club.” This allows those undigested proteins to come directly into contact with immune cells
inside
the body.
That interaction between foreign proteins and immune cells triggers an inflammatory response, the severity of which depends on the individual. (There is considerable person-to-person variation, though the research on individual sensitivity is still fairly incomplete.)
One severe example of intolerance to grain proteins is found in those with celiac disease, an autoimmune disease which occurs when genetically susceptible individuals consume even miniscule amounts of gluten. Celiacs experience an enormous immune response in the gut and elsewhere in the body when exposed to gluten—it’s like dropping a nuclear bomb to kill a spider.
Celiac disease
(CD) is unique in that a
specific
food component, gluten, has been identified as the trigger in those genetically predisposed to that condition and that the mechanism is well understood. When individuals with CD eat gluten, the enterocytes (cells that line the small intestine) are damaged from the “nuclear blast” of a hyper-reactive immune system. Damaged enterocytes do not effectively absorb basic nutrients—proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and, in some cases, water and bile salts. If CD is left untreated, damage to the small intestine can be chronic and even life-threatening, increasing the risk of malnutrition and immune-related disorders. There is also a different condition called
gluten sensitivity
(GS). Those with GS don’t have the same change in intestinal permeability as celiacs (in fact, they don’t present with
any
detectable changes), but gluten still provokes a direct activation of their immune system. This response, neither an allergy nor an autoimmune response, can provoke similar gastrointestinal symptoms as is seen in celiacs. The research on GS is still really new, and no one knows what percentage of the population may be affected.
Just because you don’t have CD or GS doesn’t mean grains are good for you, whether they contain gluten or not. Corn and oats, for example, contain different prolamins and other compounds that may be similarly irritating, or worse. While these protein fractions and compounds have not yet been as well studied as gluten, it’s fair to say that they have the potential to create similar undesirable effects on your gut function and immune status.
That is how grains—even whole grains—fail our third and fourth Good Food standards.
When you regularly consume them (whether whole or refined), you expose your body to these potentially problematic proteins. This triggers localized inflammation in the gut, which (in the presence of intestinal permeability—an all-too-common condition) cascades into systemic inflammation, provoking an often silent immune response elsewhere in the body.
Or, more like
everywhere
in the body.
The inflammatory effects can show up anywhere, as anything: allergies, arthritis, asthma; autoimmune diseases like celiac, Crohn’s, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis; chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, psoriasis, eczema, rosacea, endometriosis; these effects can even be seen
in the brain
. (Inflammatory messengers in the brain are associated with depression, anxiety, and even conditions like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.) No two people’s symptoms look the same—the inflammatory consequences are virtually
unlimited
.
Gluten-free brownies, pancakes, cookies, and breads are all the rage these days, produced primarily for celiacs. But are these products healthy—or just more marketing hype?
Many of our clients and Whole30 participants report similar reactions to non-gluten grains, leading us to believe that there are bigger problems with grains than just gluten. Gluten-free grains and non-grains like quinoa in all likelihood still contain potentially inflammatory proteins and other compounds that can provoke inflammation in the gut and elsewhere.
Finally, bread is still bread (and a pancake still a pancake), regardless of the grains with which they are made—and gluten-free grains promote the same unhealthy psychological response as their gluten-containing counterparts. In summary, “gluten free” does not necessarily represent a healthy choice.
Ancient cultures reliant on grains for survival figured out ways to prepare them to mitigate some of the inflammatory and anti-nutrient downsides. Prolonged soaking, extended cooking, rinsing, sprouting, and fermenting have been shown to partly break down
some
of the phytates and
some
of the inflammatory proteins in certain grains. But note the words “partly” and “some.” These preparation methods don’t guarantee a safe food product in your gut. In today’s modern world, we think it’s an awful lot of effort to soak, rinse, sprout, and/or ferment a food just to make it somewhat less bad … especially when vegetables and fruit provide far more nutritious benefits with none of the downsides of grains.
But wait, you’re thinking, “This science isn’t bomb-proof! Maybe I’m sensitive to the compounds found in grains and maybe I’m not.”
You’re absolutely right. And we can’t answer that question for you.
But neither can you, until you’ve done our Whole30 program.
Remember, we can’t rely solely on science to guide our recommendations, because in some cases (like the effect of proteins in non-gluten grains) data simply isn’t available. But based on the research that is available, combined with the vast body of evidence we’ve gathered from our clients, we advise you to put the kibosh on grains, because: (a) they can be easy to overconsume and promote hormonal dysfunction, (b) they’re not a good source of nutrition compared with vegetables and fruits, and (c) proteins found in all grains may very well be disruptive to the body, just as we know for
sure
that gluten can be.