Mark's Definitive Guide to Grains

Remember the old USDA food pyramid with which we all grew up?

We were supposed to eat tons of grains (cereal, bread, pasta, etc.), lots of veggies and fruits, a little meat and dairy and a teensy, weensy little bit of fat and sweets.

It's a load of crap, except for the sweets.

Mark Sisson, of Mark's Daily Apple, explains why.

When I say humans didn’t evolve eating grains, I mean our digestive processes didn’t evolve to maximize the effectiveness of grain consumption. Just because you can tolerate grains to a certain degree, as just about all of us can (thanks to those earlier folks hitting the end of the genetic line), doesn’t mean your body was designed for them or that they’re truly healthy for you or – especially – that you can achieve optimum health through them. We’re not talking about what will allow you to hobble along. We’re talking about the foods that offer effective and efficient digestion and nutrient absorption in the body.

There's much more at the link above, but basically, it comes down to these factors:

1. Grains' glycemic load is too high.  They cause spikes in blood sugar.  The body responds by producing insulin, which removes sugar from the blood and causes the body to store fat.
2. Grains have very little nutritional value when compared to meat, vegetables, fruits and nuts.
3. What little nutritional value grains have is negated by phytate, which prevents the body from absorbing those nutrients.
4. We don't need them.  Whatever nutrition we might receive from grains, if not for the phytate, we can get from vegetables and fruits without the negative effects of grains, and far more benefits, like antioxidants and natural anti-inflammatories. 

Bottom line; avoid grains and replace them with meat, veggies and fruit.