Choosing to go grain-free is a great option, both for people with and without allergies to various grains. The health benefits make considering a grain-free diet, or at least cutting back on grains, worth trying.
Improves Your Digestion
For the most part, grains are derived from the seeds of various wild grasses. When incorporated into food, they are used as either whole-grain or refined. Refined grains are the worse of the two variations, because it has undergone a process that removes essentially all the nutritional parts of the grain from the final product.
Both refined and whole-grain foods are rough on the digestion system, though. The outer part of the seeds is not easily processed by our bodies. This is a different issue than individuals who can’t eat gluten or have a celiac disease. Grains contain high amounts of carbs that convert into sugar, which is especially rough on our stomachs.
Grains also hold Phytic acids and enzyme inhibitors; these both prevent your digestive system from doing its job and efficiently breaking down and processing the food that you consume.
As an added bonus from improved digestion, you will also notice that bloating in your stomach will begin to subside. This is due to a combination of an inflammatory response and bloating caused by an imbalance in gut bacteria.
Clearer Skin
The vast majority of grains contain zonulin, which is a chemical that, although not dangerous or toxic, causes proteins to no be properly digested. When this occurs, it results in the excess proteins traveling through your system and causing your body to lower certain aspects of its immune system as well as promote inflammation.
When inflammatory substances are present in your blood, it makes your skin much more likely to break out in bumps, acne, or rashes.
The same issue can result from gluten, which is found in other grains besides just wheat. Again, these won’t kill you unless you have some sort of severe allergy, but it certainly isn’t helping your overall state of health.
It is worth mentioning that these substances are also partially behind what is causing the previously stated digestive issues. It makes you wonder if our bodies are trying to tell us that they don’t want us to consume such a large amount of grains.
Mental Alertness and Energy
Carb crashes are persistent in diets consisting mainly in grains. The carbohydrates, which are sugars, give us a great deal or energy, but then quickly burns off and leaves us feeling drained, tired, and mentally groggy.
Vegetables, beans, legumes and many other types of plant-based foods have a variation of carbs that are “slow-burning” and provide you with a consistent stream of energy throughout the day. Refined grains give you a quick glucose spike and drop, which is very dangerous for your insulin levels and can even lead to becoming diabetic.
For a clear mind, stronger stomach, and improved health overall, try cutting down on grains; you’ll certainly notice the difference in a few days.
