Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Hi, Sorry if this has been asked here, I searched, I really did. :)

I came to a Paleo-style of living after learning about nutrition through the Weston A. Price Foundation way of things. I see many similarities, one major exception of course being grains.

While I don't eat them anyway, I really do want to understand why fermenting/soaking/sprouting grains doesn't take the whole problem away. I know that soaking reduces lectin content, and phytic acid content. So why are they still shunned?

Not running back to them, just want to understand. Thanks!

flag	asked Jan 9 2011 at 16:05 sunshinestarr 696●3●9

mari · Accepted Answer · 2011-01-09 16:30:21Z UTC

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Soaking and sprouting will neutralize some of the toxins, but not all. Also, grains are very nutrient poor and there is no good (nutritional) reason to include them in your diet.

I liked this article by Kurt Harris on the topic: http://www.paleonu.com/panu-weblog/2009/12/28/avoid-poison-or-neutralize-it.html

answered Jan 9 2011 at 16:30

mari
7,469●2●8●24

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im from a five year WAP background before starting paleo one year ago. I usually just think in terms of Harris: why eat something less than optimal? given that you're in the US with food options of course. Also, even through all those WAP years of eating only properly treated grains and nuts, they never sat as well. I still feel kind of...bloated (though I still don't really fully understand the meaning of this term) when i eat grains, even properly treated. Simply less than optimal food. Now that i know that, i eat veg and meat. – ben61820 Jan 9 2011 at 16:37

Just want to thank everyone for these great answers! I really appreciate it! – sunshinestarr Jan 10 2011 at 19:39

Resurgent · Answer 2 · 2011-01-09 17:02:42Z UTC

Even after partial removal of the poisons

They still individually have incomplete proteins
The proteins come with a substantial carbohydrate load
Most grains come post process - hulled/polished/split etc.
Some have substantial Gluten
Require much higher effort to prepare to make edible than other foods like vegetables/meat/fruit/dairy and offer little in return.

Aaron Curl · Answer 3 · 2011-01-09 17:32:08Z UTC

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The way I see it is......why would people take so much time to prepare a food that hardly compares in micronutrients to meat in the first place. With meat all you have to do is cook it, and you don't even have to do that! Thats just me though....I'm about simplicity, which coincidently, is how our ancestors would have behaved anyway.

answered Jan 9 2011 at 17:32

Aaron Curl
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The reason I used to do it was taste--a bowl of spicy lentils over white rice with lots of chile and curry powder...I can't renounce the fact that this used to be a very enjoyable dish for me. – wjones3044 Jan 9 2011 at 21:05

Stancel · Answer 4 · 2011-01-09 22:34:42Z UTC

I think it's just that they are not nutritionally important or relevant to most of our evolutionary history.

Is that a reason to avoid them completely? That's a personal choice. You can still lower your grain consumption and still be close to paleo ideas. Maybe you won't really feel as paleo as the 100% but the important thing is, you will be creating a new alternative diet for you.

Soaking and Fermenting Grains

4 Answers