I watched Mat LaLonde's talk at AHS via video. I then watched an interview with him on youtube just a few days ago. He seems like one very smart dude. He takes what he says seriously.

The baseline diet for all humans is meat, veggies and tubers. One needs to experiment from there.

About wheat... he believes that there is a small percentage of the human population that can and will do just fine with wheat without suffering any major side effects. Eating it for every single meal like the government has been recommending is complete nonsense. Would any of us paleo folks eat eggs for every meal every single day? No.

Maybe you are one of the few lucky ones that can handle wheat just fine.

I think its best if you made the decision yourself. I guess realize that its not true that wheat in very small amounts is as detrimental as most paleo folks want you to believe for 100% of the population. Perhaps as much as 99%.

If its convenient for you, you enjoy it and you are certain you suffer no ill effects from consuming wheat then I say eat it. Just not daily.

Cooking does destroy some of the harmful effects. I've always reasoned that bread is better than say whole wheat pasta.

Just my 2 cents. Anyone else?

Since several readers have already cited the book Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis, I felt an added motivation to include a link to Chris Masterjohn's review of that book. I think Masterjohn effectively covers (and debunks) a number of the proposed health detriments of eating wheat mentioned in the book. I'll elaborate on his post and try to answer your first question regarding some of the problems with eating wheat:

-Certainly refined wheat products are nutrient poor and this could contribute to nutrient deficiencies (the likelihood of this goes down when eating whole grain), but if they represent a small addition to your nutrient rich diet this probably isn't a concern.

-Gluten definitely poses a problem to a lot of people, but this is probably more likely to occur in those predisposed by genetics, nutrient deficiencies, and problems with gut bacteria. Even then, digestion of gluten peptides would prevent an immune response responsible for much of the problems of gluten intolerance. If you aren't predisposed and you're able to digest gluten, then you're much more likely to not have problems with gluten.

-As stated in the conclusion of Masterjohn's post, refined wheat products are often bleached or treated with chlorine dioxide or potassium bromide. They're also usually supplemented with synthetic folic acid. I think these chemicals are potentially harmful and worth avoiding.

-Cereal fiber and fructans found in wheat can be problematic, especially to gut health. This could be why you found yourself feeling better on refined wheat products.

-WGA or Wheat Germ Agglutinin is a lectin which may also cause a number of health problems. Though research is limited, I'm very curious about what we continue to learn about WGA and it's effects on health; it may prove to be very a very problematic substance. Due to it's concentration in the germ, this is another possible explanation for your better handling of refined wheat.

Personally, I think if you want to enjoy a some wheat and you feel pretty confident you handle it fine, go for it. If you want to be careful, traditionally prepared and/or fermented wheat will probably be your best bet. And keep in mind that you may not have lifetime immunity; many people develop problems with wheat after never having any prior problems with it.

Just because you don't feel the effects now doesn't mean your health is not being affected in a negative way.

The gluten, phytic acid and lectins are probably affecting your health.

http://nourishedkitchen.com/against-the-grain-10-reasons-to-give-up-grains/

Dr. William Davis insists that wheat has its own mortality rate, but I cannot find his reference at the moment. Mark Sisson said that after almost a year without wheat, his arthritis disappeared. It's certainly your choice to consume wheat or not, I noticed tons of benefits to not eating it, including IBS symptoms going away, skin rashes disappearing, weight loss, etc. On the other hand, there really is no compelling reason to eat wheat, as most of its benefits are from being fortified, and all the nutrients it contains can be gotten elsewhere.

Wheat doesn't seem to "bother" me either....but I don't eat it for the most part for all the other reasons that it's probably bad for me. Occasionally I will have a piece of bread for an off paleo meal for the sheer fact I enjoy it. Perhaps a celebration, or hot date. I think mental enjoyment of food is just as important as physical...but I don't dig too deep into the whole "is food reward bad or not theories"...I've got better stuff to keep me up at night. I say, and this is just how I function, if it's a tiny portion of what you eat and the rest of your eating is unprocessed and it's ok with you then don't worry about it. Worry makes cortisol and we all know that IS bad. :)

The answer to your main question is NO it doesn't make sense to eat wheat just because you can tolerate it. It's not Paleo in any form. I have yet to find a Paleo site that has said wheat is ok to eat. Eating wheat and saying you're doing Paleo would be like a vegan saying they eat meat and saying they are a vegan. It just wouldn't happen. This is a Paleo site correct? I'm just making sure because I'm starting to get confused with all these non-paleo questions these days.

Read the book Wheat Belly by William Davis

A renowned cardiologist explains how eliminating wheat from our diets can prevent fat storage, shrink unsightly bulges, and reverse myriad health problems. Every day, over 200 million Americans consume food products made of wheat. As a result, over 100 million of them experience some form of adverse health effect, ranging from minor rashes and high blood sugar to the unattractive stomach bulges that preventive cardiologist William Davis calls “wheat bellies.” According to Davis, that excess fat has nothing to do with gluttony, sloth, or too much butter: It’s due to the whole grain wraps we eat for lunch. After witnessing over 2,000 patients regain their health after giving up wheat, Davis reached the disturbing conclusion that wheat is the single largest contributor to the nationwide obesity epidemic— and its elimination is key to dramatic weight loss and optimal health. In Wheat Belly, Davis exposes the harmful effects of what is actually a product of genetic tinkering and agribusiness being sold to the American public as “wheat”—and provides readers with a user-friendly, step-by-step plan to navigate a new, wheat-free lifestyle. Informed by cutting-edge science and nutrition, along with case studies from men and women who have experienced life-changing transformations in their health after waving goodbye to wheat, Wheat Belly is an illuminating look at what is truly making Americans sick and an action plan to clear our plates of this seemingly benign ingredient.

I don't know enough about wheat to wade into this debate - I know it bloats me so that's why I avoid it - HOWEVER, if you do decide to incorporate some into your diet, I'd recommend sourdough since it's a fermented food and possibly that makes it easier to digest and gives you the benefit of probiotics. I know I've seen stuff on this somewhere... maybe someone more educated than me could elaborate.

wheat contains a lot of starch. starch is basically a string of sugar. its energy dense almost too dense for man to eat without triggering an insulin rush and subsequent glucose crash at every mealtime. next thing you know your on your way to metabolic syndrome. i love bread but i wont be going back unless i have nothing to eat. maybe if we had to grind it between rocks and gather firewood to cook it we wouldn't get fat. at least honey is guarded by bees.grains are just made indigestible in the raw state so we couldn't eat then.

Hi I want to know is it dangerous to go on eating grains, oats and cereals. I dont have any side-effects although I am allergic to it.

Speaking from a completely unscientific place, personally I don't feel as affected by wheat as I do by dairy or sugar — but the fact that it's not nutritionally dense and COULD contribute to health problems like arthritis in the future for me (I'm 25) it's just not worth the risk for me to consume on a regular basis. Also would like to add I'm half Turkish (according to LaLonde the middle east would be the an area where you'd be most likely to find some sort of grain adaptation) but still won't risk it. Prevention is better than a cure, right?

Plus, pasta isn't all that tasty. If it was a matter of steaks I might roll the dice. :)

"1." Nothing is proven in nutrition really. Theres anti-nutrients in there that will reduce the nutrients you get and possibly mess with your health in other ways. Its also an acellular carb, which may have implications for gut flora (and the fructans ontop of that):

http://www.dovepress.com/articles.php?article_id=10339

Its not a food we are evolved to eat, clearly as well.

And the china study found a link between wheat and heart disease (if you like correlation studies). Also with obesity.

If you want a convenient source of carbs, try a peice of fruit. Or some nuts (some are quite high in starch, and thus pretty equivilant starch wise to other sources). They are both pretty convenient.

If you like, of course you can eat bread if you prefer. Its you life!

"2." Crude wheat is inedible. Only birds can eat it.

Processed bread in your supermarket is not free of gunk (like anti-nutrients). Grains need either soaking, or sprouting to remove the anti-nutrients.

In fact theres more gunk, most(all) commercial breads rely on fun stuff like soy, and processed vegetable oils, instead of the older traditional ingredients. Read the packets!

You agreed avoiding vegetable oils seems smart. Just try and find some commercial bread without it in...

Anyway, I agree with one thing: Whole grains are a special nightmare to digest. All that fibre feels like eating a bunch of steel wool. I kinda wonder if all those people who love fibre and wholegrains also scrub their skin with steel wool in the shower sometimes....

It's funny that you mention how wheat makes you feel "better". This could be the byproduct of the addictive properties of gliadin which is found in wheat. The book "wheat belly" is a good source of info.

this article at mark's daily apple dives into the topic as well

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/is-wheat-addictive/#axzz2DT2I28VT

Hey, some people don't have any negative symptoms on cocaine and heroine too, but that doesn't mean it's good for them either.

As usual, everyone's free to decide what they want to do, and if you really want to eat bread, that's between you and your conscience.

As far as I know, I'm either very lucky because when I eat anything with grains in it, even "barley malt extract" that I found in of all things, a "Blueberry" tea, I immediately get negative symptoms such as cold intolerance, acid reflux, and diarrhea. Or, perhaps, I'm not so lucky because I can't "enjoy" what "normal" people eat and so I'm "weird."

But I'd rather know when I eat something that's bad for me than not.

There's two more aspects of wheat/grains to this that relate to immune function. The first is that grains open up the lining of our guts causing leaky gut and, long term various autoimmune diseases from arthritis to even MS. It takes about a month of ZERO exposure to all sources of gluten/gliadin and their analogues from other grains to heal the gut, and in some cases longer. L-Glutamine, gelatin/bone broths can help with this. The second aspect is that it takes something like 6 months of zero exposure to the stuff before our immune system starts to forget its antibodies to gluten, and shuts down the autoimmune damage.

So if you're still exposing yourself to wheat, but have taken out other things, you're not going to heal, and you're not going to see the huge improvements in health, energy, and the removal of brain fog.

There is a reason, beyond just hyperbole, that I mentioned cocaine and heroine. It turns out that grains, especially modern wheat, contain exorphins, that is, compounds similar to morphine which are very addictive. If you're still not convinced, pick up or borrow a copy of Wheat Belly and skip all the personal stories and other fluff but take a look at the negative effects it has, or Paleo Solution and read the chapter on grains.

Your resistance to removing these foods from your diet is probably just a symptom of this addictive property.

What about the French or Italians (or Bosnians, which is what I am)? Most Europeans consume bread and/or pasta on a daily basis and have far less cases of obesity than Americans do. Bread is a part of almost every Bosnian meal, I can assure you, and rarely do people discuss extreme forms of dieting, yet they are much slimmer than the average American. I do know that most Europeans (especially the ones who live in large cities) walk a lot throughout the day, rarely eat a huge breakfast (no egg omelets or fruit shakes, but mostly coffee, tea, jam, butter, and toast), eat a big lunch consisting of meat, fresh vegetables, and either bread, rice or pasta, and a fairly small dinner consisting of some leftovers or cheese, smoked meat and, you guessed it, bread! I was in Paris recently and observed how the French women (who are known to be the skinniest in the world) eat...plenty of baguettes, cheese, smoked meat, and a dessert or two. The biggest difference was the portion size. I myself have tried to go Paleo and gave up all the non-paleo foods cold turkey for a week and a half and almost passed out on several occasions, got a migraine almost daily, and was feeling weak and lethargic. At first I thought it was just bc of the fact that "wheat is like cocaine" as everyone claims, and I was going through withdrawl, but when it became so serious that I could not function nor exercise effectively for that matter, I went back to eating beans, bread, pasta, and dairy (but in much smaller amounts than I used to). Why can't I enjoy bread and such but limit my portion size, kind of like we do in Europe? I'm pretty slim myself and exercise 5 days out of the week (intensely!) and I'm just confused why cutting a whole food group is a healthy decision. And yes, I have read the Paleo Solution and find it to be a bit of sale pitch and not really a scientifically backed method of "healthy weight loss."

Eat a bag of flour with a spoon, without additives or enhancements for flavoring. Not so great now is it? Do the same thing with a bag of pure sugar. Kind of hard to do. Mix them together into a cake or cookie, now we're cooking to the real problem here. The rules of First Contact apply. Mingle with it, learn from it, enjoy it when you want to. Just be aware of the possible outcomes when your body does have a reaction to it.