Approximately one month ago I read a post by Robb Wolf (on Tim Ferriss's blog) about what is commonly referred to as the Paleo diet. While the full Paleo diet means cutting grains, legumes, dairy, and alcohol from one's diet, the article mostly centered on the assertion that grains (yes, all grains) are unfit for human digestion.
Though it seemed like a pretty revolutionary proposal, Robb was not unconvincing in his deployment of citations and references. Rather than stroke my chin and stare out the window as I normally do when pondering an interesting conjecture, something in me decided turn this article into an experiment.
And so Grain and Suffering was born. For 30 days I would completely give up grains. If grains are as harmful as Robb suggests, then by the end of this experiment I should notice some pretty stark changes. To be clear - this was not a test of the full-on Paleo diet. This was a test of changing one, single variable: grains.
It has been 30 days since I have eaten a meal containing any sort of grain. I would have never imagined how utterly unfulfilling dining could be. I have been hungry, tired, bored, frustrated, and disgusted; but I made it. And I have come to one inescapable conclusion:
GRAINS ARE FINE
I'll qualify that a bit: grains do not cause my digestive tract any noticeable harm. I feel exactly the same as I did one month ago. I do not have more energy. I do not have fewer aches and pains. I still get an upset stomach from time to time. I still have allergies. And so on...
In fact, after 30 days the only changes that I have noticed are negative. I am hungry far more often than before. I am completely unenthusiastic about dining. I crave bread, cookies, pasta, cakes, beer, etc.
Though I'm now convinced that grains are not inherently harmful, I will not go as far as to completely condemn the Paleo diet. As I already mentioned, doing Paleo involves dropping dairy, legumes, alcohol, and probably a few more things. It seems plausible to me that dropping all of those items could make you live longer. Or perhaps it would just feel that way. Regardless, with winter coming on, I've had enough self-deprivation for now. Some other intrepid blogger can take up that cross. As for me, I think I'm going to have pancakes tomorrow.
What Is This?
If you're reading this, you may have read Tim Ferriss's lifestyle post about completely cutting grains from your diet. I did. I found it on Hacker News, and I thought it sounded interesting.
I was intrigued about the diet, for no other reason than that it satisfies my "what would monkeys do" rule of thumb. That is, the lifestyle choices that were available to our primate ancestors are, by way of evolution, quite often the circumstances we're best evolved for.
The simple truth is that grains are probably not a food that you'd find paleolithic man eating. The advent of agriculture was actually quite recent on an evolutionary time scale. Before that, we were mostly toiling away in the wild eating whatever sustenance we could get our hands on - fruits, nuts, vegetables, leafs, bugs, tubers, meat, etc. That 6 billion of us have transitioned to a diet of mostly grains in a few thousand years is not only amazing, it seems to me there's a reasonable chance that it's less than ideal.
Anyway, enough background. I found this on Hacker News and, at heart, I am a hacker (as in one that tinkers and experiments). To that end, I am going to take Tim Ferriss's challenge.
For 30 days, I will completely remove all grains from my diet. No foods containing wheat, corn, oats, barley, etc.
Now the dietary elitists among you will probably exude various protestations: "no alcohol - that irritates your stomach lining" or "no dairy - that rankles your colon" or "no simple sugars - that messes with your blood sugar". Forget that noise, I'm not a monk. This is a test of one variable alone - what happens when you *completely* remove grains from your diet. We can do dairy or cheese or meat some other time...
I suppose a litlle detail about where I'm starting from is probably in order. I am a 33 year old male. I am 5'11" and weight 171 pounds. I exercise regularly, though not particularly intensely. I'm mostly in pretty good health, though I do get the occasional stomach ache, back pain, and am bothered by a bit of chronic environmental allergies. But nothing particularly serious.
Okay, enough talk. Let's see how this thing shakes out.
Thanks for doing this, so we all don't have to!
ReplyDeleteBeen following this experiment with great interest, thanks for doing it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great write-up!
ReplyDeleteCan't handle sticking to real food, eh?
ReplyDeleteI'm about 30 years old. I noticed about 90 days after strickening wheat/gluten grains from my diet that my very strong spring & fall allergies have almost completely disappeared.
They came on strong about 6-7 years ago, and now they are completely gone... That alone is enough to convince me.
Just yesterday, my business partner told me that one of his daughters was diagnosed as a celiac. Supposedly 1% of the population is celiac and 97% of _those_ people don't know it.
Anyways, his ex-wife called him up and explained that it is hereditary and she doesn't have the halotype, or whatever it's called, so the celiac gene must be from him.
That got him to thinking that maybe he had some wheat allergy. He is about twice my age and had serious shoulder pain and fatigue. He read up on celiac disease and found that some of his symptoms match. The first month off wheat, he found that his shoulder pain and fagtigue are gone, they come back when he eats lots of wheat/similar proteins (like that psyllum husk fiber crap)
Glad it worked out for you, hopefully too many people don't confuse what you did with a Paleo diet. You cut out one thing which may or may irritate some people, yet reading your meal list you are still eating terribly. Way too much sugar and simple starches, which is why you are hungry all the time. I wouldn't be surprised if you gained weight with this diet you put yourself on.
ReplyDeleteSo for everyone else reading, he was not on a Paleo diet, this should be extremely clear from what he states he ate. Some fruit is ok, but he ate way too much. And too many other things with high sugar, simple carbs.
As another option, go Primal. As in the "Primal Blueprint". I started the 30 day no grain thing suggested by Timmothy Ferris and ended strong. While no one person's body is the same, I recomend the "Primal Blueprint" book why. It explains more and helps with people that may have different behaviors (i.e. excessive cardio exercise).
ReplyDeleteMy response to the no grain 30 day challenge was a loss of 8 lbs (I wasn't looking to lose weight) and significant increase in energy levels. Including no 2pm crash like I received every day prior to the challenge.
So anyone that reads this post and thinks it is not worth trying the 30 day challenge. I suggest you try the Primal Blueprint way. It still eliminates grains and it is better explained than Paleo.
Primal Blueprint:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/
This is stupid.
ReplyDeleteYou didn't go by Tim Ferriss' rules at all and loaded yourself up with fructose.
FAIL.
I think you might have set yourself up for failure here. Robb Wolf's advice specifically puts grains AND legumes in the same category as harmful. I noticed in your writing you ate legumes throughout the diet (peanut butter). To get the results Robb talks about, it only makes sense that you would have to follow the diet exactly.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, your efforts were certainly not a waste of time. You have shown us all that the diet must be followed exactly as Robb Wolf recommends to be effective. It's is unfortunate you suffered for 30 days with no results!
Honestly thanks! I was given a put up to the task of cutting out grains from my diet. And for the past 2 days I have been straving. Although I eat much better than you did, I still feel your pain brother!
ReplyDeleteYou seem to have mixed up the paleolithic diet and someone who is a celiac. I've been on the paleo diet now for 3 weeks and Ive never felt better (Im a 44 yr old male). No more bloating, no more hours of indigestion or heartburn, no more dihorrea, and tons more energy.
ReplyDeleteThe paleo diet doesnt just exclude grains, it excludes carbs. Paleolithic man ate meat, fish, nuts, fruit and veggies, but, largely fruit and veggies that grew above the ground where they could be easily forragesd, so berries, asparagus etc. And absolutely no sugar - sugar is modern day invention.
I read through your 'diet' and you have been eating stuff like fries, potatoes, ice cream, carrots and bananas by the bucket load! Those foods are all carb bombs. All you have done is sent your insulin levels in your blood spiraling. Insulin converts carbs into blood sugar and any that your body cant utilise is turned into fat - usually around your belly.
Go on a low carb diet and you'll never look back. The food isnt boring - make things like chicken curry but serve it with green veggies. Beef stew with veggies. Have a cheese and ham omlette for breakfast. And the trick of not feeling hungry is to eat around 4 times a day and snack on healthy stuff like nuts - not 3 big meals and a gallon of coke.
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