No grains?

[Stella Green]

Because I don't have a dehydrator, I rarely eat grains at all. Do you think I am missing something healthwise? Isn't true that grains + amino acids = complete protein? Should I make more of an effort to eat sprouted grains? How much grains do y'all eat?

[klomasius]

Nah, I don't think you're missing out on anything at all that you cannot get from fruits, veg, greens, nuts, seeds etc.

I rarely eat grains, the only time I use them nowadays is for rejuvelac, and even then I don't make it that much.

I have a theory about grains, this is supported by what I observe around me.

We've only begun eating the amount of grains mainstream eaters do in the last ten thousand years (since the advent of widespread agriculture), and it's only been on the last 200 years that we've been eating them for almost every meal (since the start of the industrial revolution).

We've evolved for millions of years without grains, and they aren't something that sits in many people's digestive systems well (most of us are intolerant to grains to some extent, it's just that some immediate symptoms are so mild as not to be associated with grains in people's minds).

And even though many of these symptoms are exacerbated by cooking grains, some symptoms are still experienced by many with soaked, sprouted grains. Not to say you should avoid these things if you want to eat them (and if the immediate symptoms are not too bad), but that they are not necessary for a healthy diet and that grains should probably be best eaten in moderate to small amounts. :)

[sport]

Read the book "Grain Damage" and you will learn that grains are not good for your health.
I would not touch them myself.

[Tea]

I know gluten grains and wheat have been shown to be damaging, but what about grains such as quinoa, amaranth, millet and buckwheat (technically not a grain I think)? These seem so healthy when they are prepared correctly.

[Stina]

I don't agree with the chiropracter and health guru Doug Graham on several points. He insists that eating grains is the same as eating glass. Glass? I don't like extreme exaggerations like that. The healthiest cultures in the world consume grains, albeit usually fermented.
After an extended period of not eating grains, I experimented with including them again and quickly realized my system does better with occasional small amounts than none. I mainly run on fruit calories but my experience doesn't validate the 811 dogma that we should run on fruit only, not fast or grain. Also in the four years I've been raw I've seen people research and successfully implement grains in their diet to actresses specific conditions such as neuropathy and hypoglycemia after not eating grains. So, I'm a big believer in individualizing your diet!