I argue that if you replace good quality foods like lean meats, fruits, nuts, and veggies and you replace them with grain products, you will decrease the relative nutrient content of your diet. Calorie for calorie, eating a paleo diet is superior to any other diet in every way. I don’t need to argue this, Loren Cordain wrote a paper on it already. One of the most common objections I get from people is “how will I get fiber in my diet if don’t eat grains?” Sure you do get fiber from grains but if you eat grains at the expense of vegetables, you’re losing out on many vital vitamins and minerals and irritating your gut, creating, inflammation, hyper-insulinism, and auto-immune diseases all at the same time. The following is a list of the most fiber-rich foods.
Grains/Legumes g of fiber per 100 calories
Barley, cooked 3.1g
Navy beans, boiled 7.5g
Oats, plain, cooked 2.9g
Whole wheat bread 3.0g
Brown rice, cooked 1.6g
Whole wheat spaghetti 2.2g
Vegetables/Fruits g of fiber per 100 calories
Broccoli, boiled 9.4g
Raspberries 12.4g
Asian pears 8.6g
Artichokes, raw 11.3g
Brussel sprouts, boiled, drained 7.2g
Avocado, raw 4.6g
• source: www.calorieking.com
The take home message is this: Sure, grain products are a good source of fiber, but that’s it. They contain more sugar and sodium as well as gluten, saponins, and other lectins which are anti-nutrients and are bad. They also jack up your blood sugar and insulin levels, the underlying cause to many diseases. Fruits and vegetables contain more fiber per calorie, copious amounts of vitamins and minerals, and are less calorie dense.
I’m not a Nazi, I do eat grains. I have pasta, bread, and rice here and there. However, I’m a lot more carb-tolerant than many people and I am also not overweight nor sick. If you are either of those, you should be more careful.