Grains: Not all bad?

As much as I hate to admit it, there are actually some good things in grains. Hold on: I’m not about to retract all the arguments I’ve made these past few years about the incredible health destruction that wheat and grains have wrought. No amount of good in grains, for instance, can negate the effects of gliadin-derived opiates that drive appetite, intact gliadin that triggers intestinal permeability and starts the process of autoimmune diseases, phytates that block almost all iron and zinc absorption from the diet, wheat germ agglutinin that is a potent gastrointestinal toxin and inflammatory factor, and amylopectin A responsible for sky-high blood sugars. In addition to the all the nastiness inherent to wheat and grains, there are a few things that are good. For instance, B vitamins can be found in “fortified” breads and cereals. Cellulose fiber that is indigestible to humans and indigestible to (most) bowel flora can help bowel regularity through a bulking effect. But there is indeed one group of components of wheat and grains that we lack when we eliminate from our diet: prebiotic fibers that nourish bowel flora. The prebiotic fibers in wheat and grains, such as arabinoxylan and amylose, are indeed beneficial for our bowel flora. The problem with sourcing prebiotic fibers from wheat and grains, of course, is that the good comes with a boatload of bad, including gastrointestinal irritants that disrupt bowel flora and push you towards dysbiosis. Preb...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Wheat Belly Lifestyle bowel flora corn fibers gluten grains low-carb microbiome prebiotic resistant starch Source Type: blogs