Diet without bread and grains. Suggestions?

[Vantage72]

I know my reaction to grains is not good so I am going to cut them out of my diet. As an experiment.

Since bread, rice, pasta and potatoes used to be a large part of my diet, I find it hard not getting hungry on this way of eating. Carbs were my way of 'filling up'.

This will be my diet.
Vegetables (raw, steamed, and soups)
Fruits
Nuts and seeds
Fish and meat
Eggs and dairy

Does anyone have some suggestions on what else I could eat?
Thanks in advance.

[bdp]

You forgot legumes.

[gettingskinny]

Why are grains bad?

[Vantage72]

Originally Posted by gettingskinny

Why are grains bad?

I notice that without grains I feel more alert and mentally clear. My energy is more stable. (this is what I have noticed in the first 3 days of trying it)

Lately I have also been reading some authors that claim some people may be better of trying a diet without grains. Dr. Mercola is one of them.

[gettingskinny]

What about sprouted grains? Grains are "the staff of life" IMO. However, there are different types of grains...

[Vantage72]

Originally Posted by gettingskinny

What about sprouted grains?

I don't know.

I think the Paleothic diet is also without grains.

[Matthew Shea]

Vantage, it sounds like you seriously need to do your homework on this. Just cutting something out because you think it's bad is not the answer, I guarantee. Read some respected nutrition books, then decide. Don't just go by hearsay or you'll end up short-changing your body.

[Vantage72]

Originally Posted by Matthew Shea

Vantage, it sounds like you seriously need to do your homework on this. Just cutting something out because you think it's bad is not the answer, I guarantee. Read some respected nutrition books, then decide. Don't just go by hearsay or you'll end up short-changing your body.

Thanks for the advice, maybe I gave the wrong impression.

I have studied several sources, among them Dr. Mercola's Total Health.

Most importantly i have studied my own reactions to certain foods, so that's why I defintly want to give this a serious try.

Ps. i now understand where you are coming from. I made a typo in the startpost. I forgot 'reaction to'.

[gettingskinny]

What reactions are you having?

[Vantage72]

Mental fogginess, energy dips, lethargy.

Here are some experiences of people who cut out grains:
Sharrhan Williamson: dietary bio
How I beat depression

[gettingskinny]

What kind of grains do you normally eat? Just curious.

[Vantage72]

I ate a lot of whole wheat bread. Sometimes white or brown rice, white or brown pasta.

I would get better results with sourdough bread.

[gettingskinny]

Have you ever looked into sprouted grains like Ezekiel products? Maybe that would help if you decide to keep some grains.

[Jennihul]

Grains are actually not a necessary part of life or diet. Humans survived for tens of thousands of years before the agricultural revolution. In fact, very few of us have physically adapted enough to tolerate them in the large quantities they are eaten in, in the modern world. Or at all, for some.

Gluten sensitivities are rising on a massive scale. I think 30 years ago or something the rate of celiac disease was 1 in 1000 people. Now it's like 1 in 30.

We've been brainwashed into thinking we are better off eating grains but in reality, most of us would be better off not eating them at all. Wheat is the worst villian.


I recommend the following books:

The Carbohydrate Addicts Lifespan Program, by Dr Richard F Heller and Dr Rachel F Heller

Life Without Bread, by Christian B Allan, PhD and Wolfgang Lutz, MD

The No-Grain Diet, by Joseph Mercola, MD

The Yeast Connection Handbook, by William G Crook, MD

Neanderthin, by Ray Audette and Troy Gilchrist

Eat Right 4 Your Type, by Peter D'Adamo, ND

Dr Atkins' New Diet Revolution, Robert C Atkins, MD

The Paleo Diet, by Loren Cordain

The Evolution Diet: What and How We Were Designed to Eat, by Joseph Steven Breese Morse

These books all helped me realize that just because it can be eaten and fits in one's mouth doesn't mean it should be eaten.


Jennifer

[Vantage72]

Thanks for the tips Jennifer.

I was hoping for some recommendations without me having to buy new books. (again )

PS. Great list bytheway. some of those books I have never heard of before.

[Jennihul]

I honestly don't think you need to buy anymore books. I read most of them before I knew Mercola or even D'adamo existed.

If you want reinforcement that you are doing the right thing, which I did need, you can get more books.

Just remembering that the carbs "filling you up" were giving you very few nutrients for the amount of calories and sugars they contain and were, in actuality, displacing higher density nutritional choices that you could have been taking in, in their place. That should make you feel a little better.

Having said that, you will need to consume more foods. Are you sure you are eating enough? You could increase your protein or fats slightly. Just make good choices. No bacon or hot dogs.

Jennifer

[beel]

I have a wheat intolerance. Cutting out all wheat products may provide the same results. I don't seem to have any problems including rice, it's the wheat and gluten that get me. Make sure to eat a lot of beans and legumes to fill up. You will crave the grains/wheat at first, but soon you will get used to it after you "detox". Oatmeal is another thing that I eat and it doesn't seem to cause a reaction.

[Vantage72]

Originally Posted by Jennihul

Having said that, you will need to consume more foods. Are you sure you are eating enough? You could increase your protein or fats slightly.

Yes I think I eat enough because I am not hungry. I eat more nuts, poultry and fish now. I also eat more fruit and vegetables.

[jtrikster]

Originally Posted by Matthew Shea

Vantage, it sounds like you seriously need to do your homework on this. Just cutting something out because you think it's bad is not the answer, I guarantee. Read some respected nutrition books, then decide. Don't just go by hearsay or you'll end up short-changing your body.

agreed. u just can't cut out a whole food group. there are nutrients in grains that you won't find anywhere else. You say you feel more alert when you don't eat carbs? One thing to keep in mind is whole grains are complex carbs. This means their polysaccharides. The more monosaccharides latched together, the more energy it takes to break it down into glucose and send it through the blood stream. The easiest carbs to digest are monosaccharides (glucose, fructose, galactose) because they are already broken up, but for health reasons you should be eating more complex carbs.

You can try to start eating foods with simpler carbs, while still eating complex carbs. Play around with the amounts. Keep in mind, it doesn't hurt to do a little more research or even go to a dietitian or nutritionist.

in response to what jennihul commented on: Through scientific experiments, scientists have found that there is a specific molecule found in plants that we can only get from plants. Through numerous other experiments they have found that this molecule is an essential part of our diet and good health. For the life of me I can't remember the name of the doctor, so I'll have to get back to you on that.

To get to the point, I mentioned the veggie experiment because there are still things we don't know about foods and that's why we continue to research. For the longest time doctors did not know about the 'special veggie molecule' and for all we know, grains could be the same way. I don't know if grains aren't an essential componenet of diet, but that'll be something I'll ask my nutrition professor.

[Vantage72]

Originally Posted by jtrikster

u just can't cut out a whole food group.

Are you sure? I am not.

Science says people have been living for ages without eating grains.

M.D's are releasing books with titles as "The No Grain diet" and "Life without bread".

The Paleo diet, a very well researched diet also advices no grains.

[gettingskinny]

Originally Posted by Vantage72

Are you sure? I am not.

Science says people have been living for ages without eating grains.

M.D's are releasing books with titles as "The No Grain diet" and "Life without bread".

The Paleo diet, a very well researched diet also advices no grains.

I guess you can find books on both sides of the argument, and you can find research on both sides as well. That's life. This is why we all have to do what's best for us. Personally, I think cutting out all grains is ridiculous. However, you may want to do it and feel great about it. I'd try sprouted and raw grains, beans and lentils before cutting any out!

[MarkA]

A few interesting on-line articles:

http://www.mercola.com/article/insulin.htm

Obesity in ancient Egypt | Health & Nutrition by Michael R. Eades, M.D.

The Protein Power LifePlan: By Michael R. Eades, M.D. and Mary Dan Eades, M.D.

Guts and Grease: Diet of Native Americans

[Wildside]

I'm very interested in the grains vs. no grains debate as well. For the last month or two I have been eating little to no grains...I went raw for 8 days during that time and the rest of the time I was probably 80-90% raw...I felt pretty good, but I got kind of tired of having to eat so many fruits and veggies all the time to keep away the hunger pains. (and I missed a lot of the foods you can't eat if you are not eating grains)

The last couple of weeks I have been experimenting with adding more protein (so far fish, eggs, hemp protein powder) to my diet and that has satiated my hunger much better than without it.

I get up a 6am and go for a run every morning and a couple of times a week I hit the weights in the evening. I find I often time don't seem to have the energy I would like when working out. So the last week or so I have been slowly introducing sprouted grain breads into my diet. Hoping for a more sustained release of energy promised by eating complex carbs. I'm not sure how they are working yet. I know I don't need to eat as often while eating the bread...which is a good thing. Before I used to get up and eat fruit until lunch (with a green smoothie for breakfast with some hemp protein powder) and I was eating all morning. This morning I had a grapefruit, green smoothie and two pieces of toast for breakfast and didn't get hungry until noon...that was sweet! I just have to try and determine if the grains are giving me more energy or just filling me up...

I am going to keep experimenting until I find what works best for me...I think that is the only way to go...There is so much nutritional advice out there, and everyone is convinced they are right....it can drive you crazy trying to decide on how to eat based on others research. I think you just have to experiment and go with what works and feels right to you.

[gettingskinny]

Originally Posted by Wildside

I am going to keep experimenting until I find what works best for me...I think that is the only way to go...There is so much nutritional advice out there, and everyone is convinced they are right....it can drive you crazy trying to decide on how to eat based on others research. I think you just have to experiment and go with what works and feels right to you.

I TOTALLY AGREE!

[jtrikster]

Originally Posted by Vantage72

Are you sure? I am not.

Science says people have been living for ages without eating grains.

M.D's are releasing books with titles as "The No Grain diet" and "Life without bread".

The Paleo diet, a very well researched diet also advices no grains.

I say that because, with what i said about veggies, there could be unknown health necessities that grains supply that we don't know about. I know that people live much healthier and vibrant lives being vegetarians, but I don't know what their grains intake was when those experiments were conducted.

Since there really isn't enough information, I believe, to make the healthiest decision possible, I've decided for now to just play it safe and keep on eating grains . I haven't found a need to cancel out a whole food group, but then again we come from different experiences and perspectives so do what you feel is best for you. Like I said, I don't feel there really is enough concrete evidence (there is much we still don't know), so do the best you can with what you've got.

I would like to hear updates though. I'm interested to see how no grains would effect someone. Keep me posted!! and good luck!!

[Jennihul]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by jtrikster

agreed. u just can't cut out a whole food group. there are nutrients in grains that you won't find anywhere else.

With all due respect, this is simply not true. If it were, we would not exist as a species. "Cavemen," that we are all decended from, never had an ounce of nutitional science, nor technology. Only instinct. My mom would not have survived her severe food allergies where she thrived for 20 years eating only 8-10 foods total. "Food groups" are an invention of modern day food wholesalers. Having nothing to do with how humans intuitively eat, or need to eat; based on season, locale, availability, drought, weather, nomadic activity, trade, animal migration, etc.

in response to what jennihul commented on: Through scientific experiments, scientists have found that there is a specific molecule found in plants that we can only get from plants. Through numerous other experiments they have found that this molecule is an essential part of our diet and good health. For the life of me I can't remember the name of the doctor, so I'll have to get back to you on that.

No one said to eliminate plants. Just grains. Though, humans have survived and thrived on experiments involving only meat for years at a time with no obvious ill effects. Pemmican, in fact.

To get to the point, I mentioned the veggie experiment because there are still things we don't know about foods and that's why we continue to research. For the longest time doctors did not know about the 'special veggie molecule' and for all we know, grains could be the same way. I don't know if grains aren't an essential componenet of diet, but that'll be something I'll ask my nutrition professor.

"Knowing" about foods and nutrition is fun and useful but human bodies just do what they do with what they find. The closer to nature, the better. As it's been for hundreds of thousands of years. In fact, the more we know about food and nutrition, the sicker we seem to get as a species. Grains as we know them are hybridized and genetically modified and completely unnatural in the state we use them. Cavemen had no grains because the technology required to grow a significant grain harvest wasn't invented yet. But they lived to pass their DNA to all of us. DNA which hasn't significantly changed since then. Research and understanding shouldn't require a change in one's ancestral diet one iota.

Jennifer

[pharmboy]

Originally Posted by Jennihul

Grains are actually not a necessary part of life or diet. Humans survived for tens of thousands of years before the agricultural revolution. In fact, very few of us have physically adapted enough to tolerate them in the large quantities they are eaten in, in the modern world. Or at all, for some.

Gluten sensitivities are rising on a massive scale. I think 30 years ago or something the rate of celiac disease was 1 in 1000 people. Now it's like 1 in 30.

We've been brainwashed into thinking we are better off eating grains but in reality, most of us would be better off not eating them at all. Wheat is the worst villian.


I recommend the following books:

The Carbohydrate Addicts Lifespan Program, by Dr Richard F Heller and Dr Rachel F Heller

Life Without Bread, by Christian B Allan, PhD and Wolfgang Lutz, MD

The No-Grain Diet, by Joseph Mercola, MD

The Yeast Connection Handbook, by William G Crook, MD

Neanderthin, by Ray Audette and Troy Gilchrist

Eat Right 4 Your Type, by Peter D'Adamo, ND

Dr Atkins' New Diet Revolution, Robert C Atkins, MD

The Paleo Diet, by Loren Cordain

The Evolution Diet: What and How We Were Designed to Eat, by Joseph Steven Breese Morse

These books all helped me realize that just because it can be eaten and fits in one's mouth doesn't mean it should be eaten.


Jennifer

We do read the same books! It is true that people have eaten grains for hundreds of years, but the amount of wheat that we eat today is huge compared to even a hundred years ago. Wheat is in everything from gravies to canned soup. If we did evolve to eat wheat, it was in small amounts. It's hard to imagine hunter gatherers grazing in a wheat field or having the means to mill large amounts of grains. It wasn't until modern food processing came along that wheat made up a large portion of people's diets.

[Vantage72]

Originally Posted by Wildside

The last couple of weeks I have been experimenting with adding more protein (so far fish, eggs, hemp protein powder) to my diet and that has satiated my hunger much better than without it.

Same experience here. Proteins and also fats are great for satisfying hunger.

Another thing I do is eating many small snacks during the day, like nuts.

[jtrikster]

Ignorance is a killer and if you can tell me that we know our bodies and food 100%, then well I guess we're in better shape than I thought.

I was using my veggie monologue as an analogy to grains.

If we knew everything than we wouldn't still be doing experiments and revamping dietary recommendations now would we?

[Jennihul]

I recently read where modern franken-wheat has something like 15% protein compared to wheat from the Paleo days which was 3% and didn't grow in fields, just sparsely here and there. Certainly not enough for any kind of harvest.

The amount of protein in the wheat is mainly responsible for the massive increase in Celiac disease and allergies to wheat we see today. True allergic reactions depend on a protein component.

Our bodies just weren't meant for this product.


Jennifer