I am a believer that a well honed digestive system should be able to digest clean whole foods. This would include organic wheat and grains. And I know that at a time when gluten-free is the buzz word in nutrition, this may seen counter-intuitive. But anyone who has worked with me knows that this is my belief.
This does not however preclude the need for elimination diets under certain circumstances. Food sensitivities, dysbiosis and other conditions may warrant the need to remove some foods for a period of time with the intention being to remedy the underlying issue. Once remedied however, eliminated foods should be reintroduced and tolerated. You see food, and I mean whole food, is not the cause of health issues. Rather a food that not tolerated is a symptom of an underlying condition that needs to be identified and rectified.
But back to wheat and grains. As we come to understand more about our microbiome, we understand the growing need for fiber in our diet not only to aid elimination but to nourish our gut microbiota. Grains are a very healthy source of fiber. Added to this, grains contain trace minerals, protein and vitamins.
I am sharing with you an article written by Dr. Mercola entitled:
“How to Safely Bring Wheat Back into Your Diet”.
In this Dr. Mercola himself states:
“…my current position on grains has become more refined over the years.”
His piece centres on a book by John Douillard entitled:
“Eat Wheat: A Scientific and Clinically-Proven Approach to Safely Bringing Wheat and Dairy Back Into Your Diet”.
Mercola writes:
“According to Douillard, the primary reason people feel ill when eating wheat is not because there’s something inherently bad about wheat, but rather because it’s hard to digest, and part of the problem relates to an impaired ability to digest foods in the first place.
He believes that if all you do is avoid wheat, you’ll continue experiencing problems down the road related to this impaired digestive ability, even if you initially feel better. The reason for this is because you’ve still not addressed the underlying problem, which is poor digestion.”
You can click here to read Dr. Mercola’s article.
