Are You Over-eating Grains?

Wellcure

Wellcure

11:00 AM | 04-01-2021

Are you having grains three times a day – Breakfast, lunch and dinner? Are your meals mainly wheat or rice based? Grains are hard on digestion and being acidic in nature, they can cause health issues in the long run. Overeating grains means we are eating less of fruits and vegetables. Read on to know all about grains and how you can bring diversity to your diet.

What are grains?

Technically, cereals or grains as we commonly know it are seeds of the grass family. Grains are grown in huge quantities all over the world and are the primary source of calories today. Unlike fresh produce like fruits or vegetables, grains can be harvested, dried and stored for a long period. Grains are also high on the list of import/export in every country of the world leading to high availability of grains even in the remote areas where they weren’t traditionally grown.This has led to changing of traditional dietary patterns of populations across the globe.

When did humans start eating grains?

It is thought that humans only started eating grains when the hunter-gatherer lifestyle gave way to agriculture – maybe only for the past 10,000 years or so. This means that for most of human history, wedid not consume grains. Now grains are a staple food in almost every country of the world and the main source of calories worldwide. The human body is not adapted to eat grains in the quantities we are eating today. The green revolution which started during the middle of the 20th century and brought in high yielding varieties of grains and mechanized agriculture has changed the food habits of people.

Mono grain based diets of today

The easy availability of grains has made the use of grains ubiquitous. As a result, most of us are eating grains three times a day. A typical south Indian meal pattern could be dosa or idlis for breakfast, followed by rice-sambar for lunch and rotis or rice - sambar for dinner. A north Indian may have paranthas or bread for breakfast, followed by rotis or rice for lunch and dinner.

Also we are primarily eating one or two grains only. For eg: Do you know which grain you consume when you eat these - roti, naan, bhature, biscuits, bread, pasta, cake, muffin? The answer is wheat. It is used as the base for these products in the form of aata, maida or sooji.

Thus, our diets have a high proportion of grains & low proportion of fresh foods consisting of fruits or vegetables.



Grains are heavy on the digestive system

It takes more energy from the body to digest grains as compared to digesting fruits, vegetables, nuts & seeds, sprouts. Hence, if the number of grain based meals are reduced to one or two from the existing three most people eat, one is likely to feel more energetic.

Also, digestion of grains leads to an acidic residue in our body. We remain healthy & illness free when the body’s optimum acid-alkaline balance is maintained. Most grains are acidic in nature, there are a few such as millets & amaranth that are known to be alkaline.

Grains are primarily consumed for their starch element. But our requirement for starches can be met by consuming tubers – potatoes, yams, tapioca too. They are easier on the body compared to grains.

Refining of grains

Rice and wheat can be easily polished and hence stored for a long time since even insects do not want to eat them in refined form. A grain consists of 3 main parts:

  1. Bran – rich in fibre
  2. Endosperm – rich in protein (gluten), vitamins, starch
  3. Germ – rich in protein, fat, vitamin B, vitamin E

The refining process of grains removes the bran and the germ leaving only the endosperm. This results in a loss of nutrition and fibre. A refined grain is starchier than the whole grain and results in fluctuation of sugar levels, weight gain and mood swings.

Modern day wheat – what is wrong with it?

The wheat we eat today is hybridized to be pest resistant and have more starch and gluten in it compared to its ancestor. This genetic change makes modern wheat much harder to break down and digest which can lead to immune reactions and inflammation.

Wheat is usually ground into flour before consumption. In ancient times, wheat grains were crushed between 2 large stones to make flour. The value of stone grinding is that the grain is ground slowly & it remains unheated, hence preserves the nutritive value lost on exposure to high heat in modern refining methods. Also, all parts of the wheat grain are ground into the flour, thus retaining all nutritive value.

In modern refining methods, steel roller mills have superseded stone grinding. These mills grind wheat many times faster. But they remove the bran & germ from the grain, leading to loss in wheat’s nutritive value. Bran and germ are removed as they are high in oil content, which reduces the shelf life of flour.

So, not only the wheat grain but the way we consume it today is a problem.

Nature’s variety

Nature provided us a wide variety of grains to choose from – millets like jowar, bajra, ragi etc which were local to a region. Millets need less water for growing. Since there are many varieties of millets grown regionally, they are hardy and resistant to pest attacks. They are less refined and have a superior nutritional profile. However, nowadays millets have been replaced by rice or wheat in most households. Have you tried any of your favourite recipes like rotis, dosa biryani, khichdi with millets? By heavily eating only one or two varieties of grains viz rice and wheat, we are denying our body the nutrition from other types of grains.

So, what is the right way to consume grains?

Here are a few things you can take care of to eat grains in the most healthful manner:

  • Reduction in quantity: Stick to eating grains not more than once or twice a day. You can also eat a fresh big veggie salad before your meal thereby decreasing the amount of grain consumed.
  • Eating mindfully: Since it is hard on digestion, it is better to chew the grain thoroughly before swallowing. This reduces the load on the stomach. .
  • Try to be grain-free when you are unwell. Grains are acidic in nature, when unwell body needs to restore the acid-alkaline balance. Grains take more time & energy by the body to digest, when unwell you should save energy for body to focus on healing rather than digestion.
  • Stick to unpolished whole grains: Avoid using refined grains since they are devoid of nutrition and also cause you to over eat.
  • Whole grain flours: Keep intake of grain flours to the minimum. Prefer whole wheat flour to refined flour...prefer whole wheat bread to white bread. Look for an atta chakki to source your flour, look for options to procure whole wheat bread.
  • Learn ways to make your favourite grain recipes using millets. Ragi can be used to make delicious dosas and idlis, jowar and bajra can be used to make rotis. Millets can be used in baking too.
  • Avoid mixing grains. A multigrain bread or roti takes more time to digest than a single grain roti.
  • Learn to make grain free alternatives like a besan chilla, amaranth upma etc
  • Sprouting: Grains can be soaked overnight and sprouted. This not only improves digestibility but also improves the nutrient availability. Try sprouted ragi.

Conclusion:

Grains have come to occupy a prominent part in our daily diet. We must focus on including more variety in our food in terms of easy-to-digest foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts & seeds, sprouts. Within grains also, we should add more variety to the grains we eat instead of overly consuming wheat & rice only.

Recommended read:

  1. Wheat belly – by William Davis
  2. The Real Problem with Grains - https://wellnessmama.com/575/problem-with-grains/
  3. 7 Takeaways about Grains from My Book Food: What the Heck Should I Eat? - https://drhyman.com/blog/2018/02/14/7-takeaways-grains-book-food-heck-eat/
  4. Dangerous Grains – by James Braly & Ron Hoggan
  5. Is Wheat Killing You? - byIshi Khosla
  6. 7 Surprising Reasons to Give Up Wheat - byLeah Zerbe

Help Vote (25)
Comments (2)


Disclaimer: The health journeys, blogs, videos and all other content on Wellcure is for educational purposes only and is not to be considered a ‘medical advice’ ‘prescription’ or a ‘cure’ for diseases. Any specific changes by users, in medication, food & lifestyle, must be done under the guidance of licensed health practitioners. The views expressed by the users are their personal views and Wellcure claims no responsibility for them.


Brijesh Mandavi

10:12 PM | 05-01-2021

Thabk you

Reply
Dr.Bhuvneshwari

03:15 PM | 20-06-2019

A great article . Thankyou for sharing .

Reply

Related Post

Which Is The Best Salt For Your Family's Heal...

Do you know how much salt you are consuming? Pickle, papads, baked ite...

Do You 'Really' Need Dairy?

Most of us have grown up consuming dairy in some form or the other bel...

Food Combinations For Weight Loss & Better He...

Ever felt bloated and uncomfortable after a meal? Wonder why you are g...

Best Natural Foods For A Plant-based Diet

Nature has already provided foods intended to keep us in perfect healt...

This is Why You Should Eat Raw For Better Hea...

Raw food is food cooked by the Sun and not by us! Eating fruits, veggi...

Fruits

Which is the most important food you can eat when you are sick? Lookin...

Do You Need To Eat Oil To Get Oil?

Are refined oils like sunflower, rice bran oils etc actually as health...

Do You Know White Sugar Is Not A Natural Food...

Our body needs sugar to fuel us but the processed white sugar food fou...

Are You Over-eating Grains?

Are you having grains three times a day – Breakfast, lunch and d...

Are You Eating Water Or Drinking It?

Water constituents 70% of our body. Having a diet high in water conten...

Do You Love Non-veg Food?

There is a lot of confusion about non vegetarian food ; whether it is ...

Do You Know The Why & How Of Sprouting?

Sprouts are alive, whole, living foods. Easy to digest and bursting wi...

White sugar – A quick roundup through FAQs

Everyone takes sugar in their tea, milk, biscuits, dessert, sweets, ch...

Jaggery – A quick roundup through FAQs

Jaggery is commonly recommended as a healthy alternative to white suga...

Curious about millets? - Here's why you shoul...

Are you wondering what all the recent buzz about millets is about? Or ...

Healthy and Fun Snacking

Snacking is a very emotional habit of our living and eating. When we s...

Choose The Best Salt For Your Family's Health

Sendha namak, sea salt, kala namak, kosher salt, low sodium salt and m...

How To Buy The Best Fruits & Vegetables for Y...

I began shopping for fruits and veggies for the house only a few years...

How to Simplify Eating Vegetable Salads In Bu...

Yes, we all know salads are good for health. However well intentioned ...

Your guide to buying and storing greens

Greens are bursting with nutrition. Add greens to your everyday regime...

How To Add A Variety Leafy Greens To Your Die...

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you know they are wonderful for your...

The Nutty Dilemma - How to Eat Nuts to Get Th...

Are you nuts about nuts? Love munching on them but not sure if they ca...

4 Ways To Make Your Child Love Green Vegetabl...

Does your child turn up his nose at the sight of greens? Are mealtimes...

How To Select Fruits, Vegetables & Grains For...

Though there is a lot of food produce available to us at many places a...

This is How Much Fruit Your Kids' Breakfast S...

As per the circadian rhythm of the body, having fruits till noon time ...

How Aesthetics of Food Impact Our Eating Habi...

A transition of any kind is not easy and when it comes to changing you...

How To Get The Best From Pulses, Beans & Legu...

Pulses and beans form a significant portion of plant-based nutrition. ...

Chop, steam, cook oil free – Learn 3 kitche...

Whether you are looking to save some money, or improve your overall he...

'Green your life' program - Coming soon!! (25...

Join our 'Green your life' program - Let us help you add more ...

Introduction to greens - Green your life prog...

Introduction to greens The edible leaves of various plants like spi...

Your guide to buying, storing and preparing g...

Your guide to buying, storing and preparing greens The trick to yum...

How To Make Healthy “Fat” Choices?

For decades, “fat” was the most shunned word in the dietar...

Microgreens - Add these wonderful little vegg...

What are microgreens? Microgreens, tiny versions of leafy vegetable...

Processed foods – Are they our natural food...

We all know that processed foods are not good for us. However, still, ...

Raisins - Nature's Powerhouse of Nutrients & ...

If we were to think of a food which is nature"s storehouse of energy, ...

Salt can be addictive

USE LESS SALT; BE KIND TO YOURSELF. What does excess salt do? ...

Roots: Our Saviour From Ancient Times

Roots have been part of our ancient diet since a very long time; they ...

Eat RAW food to HEAL!

Are we DESIGNED to eat raw LIVING FOOD? I mean, think about it, cou...

They are tiny, sometimes even smaller than a fingernail, but they pack...

Seeds - Interesting Ways to Add them to Your ...

In Part 1 of our blog on seeds, you learnt about what are seeds, the d...

आहार

Vegetable Juices - A New Way to have Raw Vege...

Recently, juicing has gained increased attention. For many of us, it m...

Boost your health with this season of citrus ...

Oranges, lemon, grapes! It is the time of the year where we get to eat...

30 Ways to Revamp Your Evening Snacks

In this article, we discuss the healthy alternatives that you can choo...

Eating raw in the winter giving you the chill...

So you spent the summer eating a high raw diet and feel pretty good &n...

All about Tea

In most households, drinking tea first thing in the morning and later ...

The basic rhythm of our glands

Hormones, yes hormones we always blame on it. That one thing which tak...

To Gluten or Not?

The number of gluten-free products is steadily increasing in the marke...

Water – Alkalize and increase its vibration...

We all consume water but without paying a conscious attention to the p...

De-JUNK the kids (Online group program, 29th ...

What kids eat today determines their tomorrow Learn to make health...

Summer is different this year, isn"t it? We all are staying at home, w...

Healthy Vegan Indian Cooking Course (E-learni...

Did you know that humans are closest to frugivores? Our natural diet i...

Is Your Cookware Toxic?

We choose our food carefully to stay healthy but do we give equal atte...

3 GOOD REASONS TO QUIT MILK & DAIRY

Despite so much scientific evidence and globally acknowledged changes ...

Mono-Fruit Breakfast | The Healthiest Way to ...

Eating one fruit for breakfast, is a perfect way to start your day. Do...

COCONUT - THE WONDER FOOD

Call it a nut, or a fruit, coconut is one of the most versatile fruits...

Ways To Prevent Obesity & Diabetes In Kids

India is home to about 97,700 children with type 1 diabetes mellitu...

Fibromyalgia - Fibromyalgia cure

FIBROMYALGIA If you are someone feeling body pain all the time yet ...

How to cure Psoriasis naturally?

Psoriasis – everyone says that it is uncurable. But I believe na...

Cure Diabetes Naturally

It is said that once you have diabetes it is for a lifetime, but Diabe...

This is Why Plant-Based Proteins Are a Health...

Have you been skeptical about switching to a plant-based diet for the ...

7 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Eat Eggs

Universally, eggs are one of the world"s most consumed breakfast items...

Do's and Don'ts of Healthy Karva Chauth Fasti...

The much-awaited, much celebrated day is almost here. Every year many ...

Organic Fruits & Veggies Tokri is back! Doors...

100% Organic Foods Available At The Price Of Non-Organic Foods Heal...

Free Masterclass - Healthy Cooking with Nutri...

Learn All About Millets And How To Use Them In Daily Cooking Fee: I...

Bake with Wellness - Vegan & Gluten-Free Baki...

Make Your Baking Healthier & Tastier No Gluten | No Dairy | No Ref...

The Best Thing You Can Do For EARTH & YOUR HE...

There"s only one place to be - our dear Earth. And there"s only one tr...

Do you need curd for probioctics?

Curd has long been a staple in the Indian diet. Whether it is used as ...

Is Fish Good For Health?

India is blessed with an extensive shoreline. Seafood has been a part ...

Untold Truths About A2 Milk That You Must Kno...

There's a lot of talk around A2 milk nowadays. Are these facts or ...

Best Foods To Boost Your Brain Power & Memory

Our Brain is what makes us human. We are the most evolved species on t...

Cook With Plant-based Chef Priya Vijan | Mast...

Priya Vijan, the only Plant-based & Vegan chef in MasterChef India 202...

Free Download! Navratri Falahari Millet Recip...

🎉 ₹199/- FREE DOWNLOAD! Use Code WELLCURE100 Celebrate Na...