Grain Damage -

[being]

Looking back over the past few months, I have been happily eating about 90% raw - the 10% give or take, has always been grains. Popcorn, rice, sometimes bread or crackers, cereal... or maybe it's more starches than grains?

Anyway. I'm looking for any and all information about grains/starches - why we are better off not eating them- (I know Doug Graham has a book entitled Grain Damage, which I've never read or had the opportunity to look at) Some convincing stuff, some information for my brain to mull upon and good reminders or something. I don't know. It's like an addiction really, I feel like an addict, or that awful commerical Once you pop you can't stop. How true, except I've never liked those particular chips ;)

I do make crackers, and sprouted buckwheat onion bread and pizza crusts and that kind of thing in the dehydrator, and even these, when I make, end up being consumed all in one day or 2 at most (which wreaks havoc on the ol' digestive system )

Any ideas on beating this one? It's silly in a way, because the choices I do make are pretty healthy comparatively speaking.. whole grains, barely processed usually, mostly organic... and I feel "bad" eating these "bad" cooked foods. This is the one food group I haven't been able to lose the label for... yet! Maybe it's all just psychological

Thanks.

[Rawkinlocs]

Being,

In keeping in the theme of the forum which is Alissa's Living on Live Food approach to raw which does includes SPROUTED grains, perhaps it be best to do this particular research on your own or perhaps from raw message boards that "preach" the approach that grains in any form (including sprouted) are not part of their diet.

Cooked grains do have a different, more negative effect on digestion than raw, sprouted grains and I am a witness to this personally. But there are some people who have celiac who cannot tolerate grains in any form, even sprouted.

So, perhaps look into trying some sprouted grain recipes that are raw and see how those do you and if they bother you, then eliminate them...if they do not bother you, then keep them in your diet. But we don't want to get into telling people that grains aren't good, PERIOD because how they affect one doesn't mean they will affect everyone the same way.

It's just like with anything else...someone can and WILL tell you that almost anything you can think of is "bad" for our consumtion - almond skins, uncooked tomatoes, nightshades such as peppers, mushrooms, garlic, onions, nuts, etc. etc. You have to follow your OWN body and intuition because there are always going to be negatives and postives being stated about a thing. One "expert" will tell you grains are bad...another "expert" will tell you grains are good. Whose report are you gonna believe? How about your own body?

[being]

Thanks & of course, I totally understand. And am snorting to myself that I forgot the recent reminders re: this forum.. My bad.

Feel free to just delete my post!

[Bridle]

Dear Rawkinlocs

I am really curious to learn more -- you stated:
"Cooked grains do have a different, more negative effect on digestion than raw, sprouted grains and I am a witness to this personally. But there are some people who have celiac who cannot tolerate grains in any form, even sprouted".

Would you kindly elaborate on the celiac who cannot tolerate grains in any form...

Best regards

[Rawkinlocs]

Dear Rawkinlocs

I am really curious to learn more -- you stated:
"Cooked grains do have a different, more negative effect on digestion than raw, sprouted grains and I am a witness to this personally. But there are some people who have celiac who cannot tolerate grains in any form, even sprouted".

Would you kindly elaborate on the celiac who cannot tolerate grains in any form...

Best regards

Here is a link to a website I just came across in a quick search: http://www.celiac.com/index.html I don't know much about celiac disease as I don't experience it personally. But I've only heard the term used since having gone raw by a few people here on RFT and other forums.

I thought that perhaps those with celiac could at least tolerate grains that were sprouted, but someone told me on another forum that they cannot. So, the website link I gave you (and any other websites you may wish to search out) should be able to provide you with more information than I could.

[juliebove]

Just to clear something up about celiacs. It is not true that they can not consume grains of any kind. They just can not consume any grains that contain gluten, such as wheat, rye, spelt and barley. Rice and corn are both grains and fine for celiacs unless they have an allergy to these things. Oats are a grain and technically gluten free but in this country, most of them are cross contaminated with gluten containing grains such as wheat. However there is one farmer who has a farm dedicated to making gluten free oats. This is a fairly new product. There are plenty of other grains that are gluten free such as wild rice, amaranth, millet, milo, and teff.

Now we do not know if my daughter is celiac or not. She may well be. We do know that she has a gluten allergy. The naturopath who diagnosed her as well as the woman who runs our local health food store told me that she could have sprouted grains such as spelt because once sprouted they become a "live" food and are no longer a grain. While this may be technically correct, it does not seem to eliminate the protein in the gluten that celiacs or people with allergies react to and she reacted just as badly to that sprouted spelt tortilla as she would have had I given her a regular piece of bread.