Gluten is Not a Food Group

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Gluten isn't a food group- and why you might not want to eat it
Wellness Mama » Blog » Health » Gluten is Not a Food Group

One of my more controversial posts is how grains are killing you slowly and despite the continually emerging evidence about the potential problems associated with consumption of modern grains, many people are still unsure.

While I personally know that I feel better when I don’t eat grains (especially gluten) and that my kids do better without them, I’m not in the business of trying to force a particular diet on anyone. At the same time, I wanted to address one common objection I get, especially from people in the nutrition field- (I’ve heard this twice this week):

“Unless you have Celiac disease, it is dangerous to avoid an entire food group and this puts you at risk for nutrient deficiencies.”

To clarify:

Gluten is not a Food Group!

Though grains did form the base of the outdated “food pyramid,” even the food pyramid did not define gluten as a “food group” by itself. Additionally, there are not any nutrients in gluten that can’t be found in higher amounts in other foods.

What exactly is gluten? (definition from Chris Kresser):

“Wheat contains several different classes of proteins. Gliadins and glutenins are the two main components of the gluten fraction of the wheat seed. (They’re essential for giving bread the ability to rise properly during baking.) Within the gliadin class, there are four different epitopes (i.e. types): alpha-, beta-, gamma- and omega-gliadin. Wheat also contains agglutinins (proteins that bind to sugar) and prodynorphins (proteins involved with cellular communication). Once wheat is consumed, enzymes in the digestive tract called tissue transglutaminases (tTG) help to break down the wheat compound. In this process, additional proteins are formed, including deamidated gliadin and gliadorphins (aka gluteomorphins).”

In other words,  gluten is a small part of a small group of foods, and it doesn’t provide any specific health advantages by itself.

Gluten is found in grains including wheat, rye and barley (as well as some others). Whole grains, including those with gluten, are often considered part of a healthy diet even though the same nutrients found in whole grains can be found in equal or larger amounts in foods like vegetables, fruits, and meat or organ meat. It frustrates me to hear things like this from the Scientific American:

“For most other people, a gluten-free diet won’t provide a benefit, said Katherine Tallmadge, a dietitian and the author of “Diet Simple” . What’s more, people who unnecessarily shun gluten may do so at the expense of their health, Tallmadge said.

That’s because whole grains, which contain gluten, are a good source of fiber, vitamins and minerals, Tallmadge said. Gluten-free products are often made with refined grains, and are low in nutrients.”

You know what else is a good source of fiber, vitamins and minerals? Vegetables.

You know what also has MORE fiber, vitamins and minerals? Vegetables.

You know what also doesn’t have the potential to cause gut damage (in most cases)? Vegetables.

If we are feeling really brave, we can even add in foods like liver, broth, fermented vegetables and eggs (if tolerated) and blow the nutrition profile of grains completely out of the water.

Do We Need Grains?

Let’s break down the reasons that we are often told that we need grains: fiber, vitamins and minerals. Do grains really have spectacular amounts of these substances that are hard to find elsewhere?

Fiber

I think Mark Sisson summed this up perfectly in this post when responding to the assertion that “You need the fiber!”:

“Okay, for one: no, I don’t. If you’re referring to its oft-touted ability to move things along in the inner sanctum, fiber has some unintended consequences. A few years back, scientists found that high-fiber foods “bang up against the cells lining the gastrointestinal tract, rupturing their outer covering” which “increases the level of lubricating mucus.” Err, that sounds positively awful. Banging and tearing? Rupturing? These are not the words I like to hear. But wait! The study’s authors say, “It’s a good thing.” Fantastic! So when all those sticks and twigs rub up against my fleshy interior and literally rupture my intestinal lining, I’ve got nothing to worry about. It’s all part of the plan, right?

Somehow, I’m not convinced that a massive daily infusion of insoluble grain fiber is all that essential. And that “lubricating mucus” sounds an awful like the mucus people with irritable bowel syndrome complain about. From personal experience I can tell you that once I completed my exodus from grains, the IBS completely stopped. If you’re not yet convinced on the fiber issue I’ll refer you to Konstantin Monastyrsky’s Fiber Menace. Anyway, there’s plenty of fiber in the vegetables and fruit I eat.”

In other words- you can get fiber from fruits and vegetables without the potential harm to your digestive system.

Vitamins and Minerals

Grains are often suggested for their vitamin and mineral content, specifically for B-vitamins and Magnesium. Just as with fiber, thees things can be easily found in other foods. Health Habits takes on the assertion that grains are a great source of these nutrients:

“Hmmmm…why don’t we take a look at the nutrition info again and see if that’s true.

  • Thiamin … And the winner is fruits, vegetables and once again…bran.
  • Riboflavin … veggies win again
  • Niacin … and again
  • Folate … and again
  • Iron … and again
  • Magnesium … and again
  • Selenium …and last but not least, it’s a tie between veggies and grains!!!

So, except for the fine showing in the selenium category…

Fruits & vegetables are the best source of vitamins and minerals.

The Bottom Line

Gluten is not a food group.

Grains do contain some nutrients, but these nutrients can be found in larger amounts in fruits, vegetables and meats/fats.

I will agree with many nutritionists that going gluten free isn’t going to do much good if you just replace the gluten with gluten free processed foods. These gluten free processed alternatives often have more sugar and chemical substances to balance out the lack of gluten.

If, however, you replace the gluten containing foods (and all grains) with vegetables, fruits, fermented probiotic-rich foods, homemade broths, organ meats and humanely raised animal meats, you will not be missing out on vitamins and minerals. In fact, according to the latest statistics I’ve seen for food consumption in the US, you’ll be head and shoulders above the rest of the population on vitamin and mineral intake.

Since grains are often fortified with additional nutrients, it is important to make sure that you are eating a varied and nutrient rich diet when you go grain free. I’ve also found that rubbing magnesium oil (here is the recipe) on my feet at night is an easier way to absorb magnesium and replace the magnesium that is often added to grains.

Additional Reading

Chris Kresser on the Gluten Thyroid Connection

Mark Sisson on Fiber, Vitamins and Minerals

Chris Kresser on Toxins in Grains

SCD Lifestyle on the Problems with Gluten Free  Food

Sarah Ballantyne on Gluten Cross Sensitivity

The Paleo Parents on Gluten Sensitivity and Gall Bladder Disease 

Where do you stand on the gluten/grain issue? Share below!

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

96 responses to “Gluten is Not a Food Group”

  1. Sophi Avatar

    I have noticed that certain grains have a negative affect on my system but not all of them. I’ve switched to eating gluten-free cereal and grains like quinoa and amaranth. When I do have a non-gluten free food, I make sure to just enjoy a small portion because going overboard is what can cause and upset. I am usually fine eating pasta but I am slowing make the switch to gluten-free.

  2. Olivia Avatar

    Hey you used to have a replacement recipe for all purpose flour somewhere and I cannot seem to find it anywhere! Could you please send me a link or the article? Thank you! 🙂

  3. Michelle Avatar

    re: Selenium … 2 Brazil Nuts gives you your daily recommended allowance of Selenium !! (So grain is not needed … AGAIN). Excellend article .. thanks !

  4. Jackie Avatar

    I always find your articles very interesting but I wonder what the global effects of this diet would be. In addition to nutrients, food needs to provide enough calories for someone to get through the day. We have a weird problem in this country where many of our poor are both malnourished and obese at the same time due to the consumption of cheap nutrient poor food.

    However, I also know someone who is a native of the Philippines and lived there during a famine. Calorie dense foods, such as rice and other grains, are lifesavers in these conditions. Another benefit to grains is that they are easy to store and more portable where refrigeration and access to fresh foods is a problem. Certain grains and dried beans also can provide adequate protein in these situations where clean drinking water is limited. Vegetables and meats require a large amount of water to raise. I know what my puny vegetable garden looks like with no rain for a week. If I couldn’t turn on the hose to water it, it wouldn’t take long for my plants to die. Without grass and other vegetation to graze on, livestock will not last long either.

    I recently watched a news story about India that discussed the problem of rice. Older heirloom varieties could grow in very adverse conditions, specifically in areas contaminated by salt water, where newer varieties would fail. However, the older varieties were lower yield and would not produce the yield needed to sustain the huge populations in this part of the world.

    I do think that eliminating grains can help very many people and is worth trying and would not be harmful. There are replacements for every food. Whenever someone eliminated an entire food group (grains are a food group, not gluten which is absent in many grains) nutritional needs can be met in other ways. I do think that when it comes to a choice of whether or not to eat any grains, much of the world would see this as a “rich people problem.”

  5. Megan Avatar

    so if you cut out processed wheat flour then what do you make for your kids school lunches if you cant made sandwiches – that is as convenient? wouldn’t serving a processed Corn Thin, be the same evil? any lunch box ideas? 🙂

  6. Julia Avatar

    I was grain free for some time but I reintroduced buckwheat and oats.
    I believe that you need to listen to your body, try to go grain free. If you like it stick to it. Listen to your body. My opinion is that you need to satisfy all your food cravings except sugar and easy carbs cravings.
    I tried raw diet for a month (vegetable, some fruits, nuts and olive oil), too much fiber even with ample amounts of olive oil, made my bowls very irritated.

  7. Adrianne Avatar

    Thank you for this article! My son is turning 6 months on Thursday and I’ve decided that he will be on a grain free diet. Hopefully I will not receive to many opinions from family & friends. I am worried about him eventually going to parties and being offered snacks at pre-school that are not gluten-free. Do you have any suggestions about how you deal with this with your children?

    Thanks!

    1. Julia Avatar

      I decided the same, and it was easy until the age of 1, then kid starts to develop his personality, and become pickier and pickier. He’s 22 months now and I can count on fingers. He eats only home-made farmer’s cheese, sour cream, yogurt, fruits (loves berries), nuts and in terms of vegetables the only thing he agrees to eat that cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, sour krout and pickled tomatoes, that’ s it.
      He’s still breastfed, so probably he gets everything he needs, but I concerned about iron, cause he spit out meat in any form. And I’m starting to think about fortified foods with iron.
      So good luck with yours little one. Hope you can do it, cause I feel that we could end up eating cereals as much as he wants

  8. Misti Avatar

    I have recently switched to a gluten-free diet after being a vegan for a year and a half and eating too many whole grains which resulted in a leaky gut and acne. The acupuncturist/homeopathic doctor I see now had me take a blood test and sure enough, gluten was one of my main problems. After taking gluten and soy out of my diet for a month (while adding in salmon), my skin has cleared up. I did slip up this week and eat pizza, and I did break out. Not as bad as I once was, but definitely it is part of my problem.

  9. Kayla Baker Avatar
    Kayla Baker

    I am a complete bread addict. I’ve always eaten toast when I’m not feeling well. To this day, when my stomach is upset for whatever reason (usually when taking medications) the only thing that I can tolerate is bread. Do you have any suggestions for other easy-on-the-stomach foods?

  10. Rachael Avatar

    You go girl!!! I don’t have true Celiac, but my bloating is gone, skin issues, and a lot of other symptoms since quitting gluten and a whollllle lot of other things 8 months ago. I love your site and all of the work you do… keep up the excellent work!

  11. Marisa Avatar

    I think we have to remember that all real, whole, properly prepared food has a place. I did the GAPS diet for two years, and once my digestive issues were healed, I found myself feeling the need for more carbs, specifically from grains. I slowly introduced them, sticking to properly prepared (soaked and fermented grains) and I feel great! I think we all have to do what is best for our individual body.

  12. Onelia Timmons Avatar
    Onelia Timmons

    One of my sons has autism. After I found out about the GFCF diet I immediately implemented it. Both my boys are now on the Gluten free and Dairy free diet. After only a few days there was a dramatic change. My son said a few words and began following directions. He was 3 at the time and in the 10th percentile for weight. He had loose bowels and red circles under his eyes. Now a full year later, he is a different kid. He is still very non verbal, but he makes the attempt to talk. He has normal bowel movements. He eats much better now!!!! There are no more red circles under his eyes. When he gets sick, he gets over it within days, instead of weeks. He is now in the 38th percentile for weight. His younger brother has no autism symptoms. The lack of dairy and wheat has had ABSOLUTELY NO ILL EFFECT! There are multitudes of replacements out there for gluten! My son a ton of food sensitivities, but he still eats a healthy diet. Gluten is certainly not a food group. Wellness Mama, you are my hero! I love you girl!

  13. Corey Avatar

    Katie,
    I changed my family to almost completely grain free last spring in an attempt to help my youngest son who had reflux for which he was on proton pump inhibitors since age nine months. As well as chronic croup for which he had received multiple doses of steroids (16 times in two years) and had a overnight hospital stay for double procedures and testing (worst night of my life).
    After my sons GI doc listened to me (a pediatric nurse) tell her how positive the changes were in him, she looked me in the eye and told me she wanted me to have a nutrition consult with him because I had him on such a “restricted” diet. I turned around and said, ” This kid eats green smoothies, soups made with homemade bone broth, a wide variety of grass fed meats, raw dairy, fermented foods, and a rainbow of fruits and veggies. Do you ask the moms who’s children eat a diet consisting of chicken nuggets and French fries to go for a nutrition consult? Isn’t the fact that he is growing and developing a sign that he is doing well nutritionally?” She then told me that he could get enough macronutrients and still be micronutrient deficient. What!? How micronutrient rich are Oreos and fruit by the foot?
    She had helped me through such an incredibly scary and difficult time with my son and I will always be grateful for her compassion and care when he was really sick but his doctors only gave me the prospect of more meds and more procedures. While with dietary change and some enzyme and FCLO supplementation my son has been croup free since last spring and off all meds since October. Not to mention the fact that his colds over the winter have been minor annoyances, when last year they were scary, emergency room trip inducing nightmares! I have seen the power of grain free which has helped not only my youngest. My entire family has felt the benefits. Some people will never be convinced. But I for one am a believer.

    1. Susan P Avatar

      Keep in mind that classes in nutrition are rarely required in medical school and when they are it is a single 3 hour class. Doctors are notorious for knowing absolutely NOTHING about nutrition. I read 40 years ago that any woman who had ever been on a weight loss diet had a better education in nutrition than 99% of doctors. Keep doing what you know works for your family.

  14. Shilo Avatar

    We took our family off gluten 2 years ago and we noticed a difference right away. A year ago we went mostly paleo and had much better energy and digestion! Some people poke fun at our gluten free and now paleo diet but we know our bodies are much happier – so we don’t let the criticism get to us much! Thanks for the post.

  15. Megan M. Avatar

    Katie, you mentioned something about the effects of “modern grains”. Would you eat grains if you were assured they were ancient ones that people had been consuming at least since biblical times? I just wonder if maybe everyone could switch to a strain of einkorn that had been around for hundreds of years and maybe gluten sensitivity numbers would drop off. I’m sure it’s no coincidence that gluten sensitivity has risen along with widespread contamination by GMOs.

  16. Carol Avatar

    I really can’t argue with your research, and for the most part, agree. I have reduced by far, my intake of flour/grain products, and don’t really see much difference, but my daughter is gluten intolerant. My concern, if it can be stated that strongly, is Biblical. God has, via the Bible, mentioned grains and products containing grains as suitable, and indeed, lifesaving foods. I am aware that the grains in Biblical time were much different, and am looking into obtaining some of these ‘ancient grains’. I wonder, how do you (if you do at all) mesh Biblical stands regarding the health and suitability of consuming grains with your thoughts here?

  17. Bill Siebrandt Avatar
    Bill Siebrandt

    Well with all the hype about cutting grains increasing meats adding this eliminating that…I cut pasta out completely,red cargo rice is used with sweet potato over the Winter.I pre- soak beans and legumes,enjoy barley twice a week,limit myself to one probiotic loaf of bread a week and have eliminated meat and poultry.I do eat certain sea foods and eggs.Yup and I like a piece of chocolate now and then.Drink only water or green tea and I feel great.Just wanted to share.

  18. Sandy Avatar

    I don’t eat gluten any more, maybe 8 years or more. About 6 months ago I stopped grains. Due to allergies I can’t eat nuts including coconut, eggs, conventional apples, tuna, oh I could go on and on. Since eliminating all those things, I have never been in better health than now. Every time somebody says eliminating gluten is not healthy, I just ignore it. Some relatives have gluten intolerance issues, but they refuse to even have a gluten free trial period. I think they will have bad results down the road. Some of us just refuse to see the truth.

  19. Diane Huffman Avatar
    Diane Huffman

    Thank you so much for your website and your continued research and sharing on and about nutrition. I am beginning to lose weight for the first time in my life without even trying. I am so relieved and of course feeling better as each day passes being grain and sugar free. I wish I would have known about this when I was raising my kids! What are your thoughts on Einkorn? I have studied it in the past and was encouraged by the differences between it and modern grains. Thank you.

  20. Cristina Ledesma-Jimenez Avatar
    Cristina Ledesma-Jimenez

    Thank you so much for all of your research and information you continue to share. We can all better ourselves and our life with better choices in keeping ourselves healthy and happy. I continue to check back with your recipes and natural solutions to what our bodies need. I love everything you posts that benefits the body. Keep up the great work and I have become a fan!! Xoxo

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