Should I eliminate grains?

Your best bet is to try cutting them out entirely for a month or so, and see if you feel any better. If you do, then decide if it's worth sticking to it.

Everyone has a different level of tolerance when it comes to grains, and gluten. So you may not feel any difference.

Personally, I try to avoid them where I can, because I feel way better when I do. But, I give in to temptations all too often, and the way I feel after always reminds why I shouldn't.

It's amazing how your body will get used to something that isn't good for it over the years, so you don't realize anything is wrong until you cut it out entirely. Then when you try eating it again, for some people it makes them physically sick. This is how I am with dairy. Grains just make me feel bloated, foggy and sometimes lethargic now.

Good luck with your decision.

grains are only bad for you if they make you ill (like celiacs, for example). Why are you looking for reasons to further restrict your diet? Being vegan is already challenging.

I'm definitely not celiac and I don't really have any kind of unpleasant symptoms when I eat grains, which is a good thing. Vegan is only restrictive if you let it be I'm not really looking to restrict it necessarily, but I just couldn't help but read those studies about how grains are dangerous and wonder if I should change my diet further.

I've yet to see any studies that support grains being bad for people who don't have medical issues with them. Just some "documentaries" and people selling books. The main such book is Wheat Belly-- here's an article studying the claims from the book that I found interesting:

http://www.aaccnet.org/publications/plexus/cfw/pastissues/2012/OpenDocuments/CFW-57-4-0177.pdf

Being vegan is challenging enough-- I wouldn't add further complications, especially if you don't feel like grains are negatively affecting you.

There is evidence that a low-carb diet (as opposed to a low-fat diet) does more to improve various health problems, but no, I wouldn't cut out any food group entirely unless there's a medical reason (as others have already given examples of).

Here are some studies comparing low fat & low carb.
No, this site itself isn't a good source of info, but the article provides summaries of the data and links to the published studies in reputable sources.
http://authoritynutrition.com/23-studies-on-low-carb-and-low-fat-diets/

Good evening!

This isn't really a question about eliminating food for weight loss, since it's all about calories in and calories out. But studies and books keep popping up about how bad grains are for you, how they are a product of an unnatural arigcultural environment and how they aren't digested that well by our stomachs and things like that.

I'm a vegan so I do eat grains from time to time. Mostly though, it's just 3/4 of a cup of brown rice and occasionally Skinnypop. I very rarely eat bread (it's been two months since the last time) and when I do it's Ezekiel bread. I'm wondering if I should stop eating grains all together, or reduce my amount of rice to 1/2 of a cup at the very least.

What is your stance on grains?

You are descended from hunter-gatherers. Grains have been a part of your species' diet for ages. Worry about getting the proper amount, and in the whole form insofar as is possible. The current focus of your concern is a waste of energy & time.....

I am intolerant to some grains, and since I have mostly cut out bread, cereal, pasta and the like..I have no more acid reflux.

You may well be intolerant to grains but have built a tolerance over time. Best way to determine this, is to go without grains for 30 days, reintroduce after 30 days, if you don't have any bloating, inflammation, acid reflux or any other gut/bowel issues...good to go.

But studies and books keep popping up about how bad grains are for you, how they are a product of an unnatural arigcultural environment and how they aren't digested that well by our stomachs and things like that.

No, they don't. We evolved eating grains and have done so for hundreds of thousands of years.

Good evening!

This isn't really a question about eliminating food for weight loss, since it's all about calories in and calories out. But studies and books keep popping up about how bad grains are for you, how they are a product of an unnatural arigcultural environment and how they aren't digested that well by our stomachs and things like that.

I'm a vegan so I do eat grains from time to time. Mostly though, it's just 3/4 of a cup of brown rice and occasionally Skinnypop. I very rarely eat bread (it's been two months since the last time) and when I do it's Ezekiel bread. I'm wondering if I should stop eating grains all together, or reduce my amount of rice to 1/2 of a cup at the very least.

What is your stance on grains?

OP- - -my stance on grains is they are part of a balanced diet. Since you do IF and some days do not eat til 2:30PM and you weigh 111 pounds I'd suggest cutting yet another food group from your intake isn't not a healthy choice. Best of luck.

There is this thing called the nocebo effect, combine that with people trying to sell books and products, and you get the anti-grain movement. There is a percentage of the population that has an intolerance or issue with grain, and this really has nothing to do with how natural it is for humans to consume it. Just like with a low-carb diet, are the benefits from eliminating evil-item X or from eliminating the junk that food is in from your diet (cakes, donuts, pies, etc.)

Generally the this-food-is-evil people point at wheat, not grains in general.

A great deal of the "studies" involving agriculture being an unnatrual food for humans are based more on conjecture than scientific evidence. Man has been eating bread and grains since the Paleolithic era. Unless you have celiac, grains are perfectly fine for you. For a vegan, you NEED to eat grains since you are not eating protein from meat.

Gluten is Protein. Man ate bread when he couldn't eat meat and it kept him alive- because it has protein.

What is your stance on grains?

If it spikes the blood sugar and thus insulin production, then I tend to avoid them. I may allow a cheat once in a great while though.

Correction: I should have added, I tend to avoid them IF they aren't considered nutrient dense. For instance, I almost never eat things made of white refined flour and/or sugar. But I will have a baked potato occasionally because they have lots of good stuff in them, even though they are high on the index. I just make it a habit to eat something with them - like chicken - to counteract the spike.

Most of the literature about grains not being good is misguided....lumping together many peoples intolerance to grains with the history of agriculture really overlooks just how messed up the last 100 years of agriculture have been. Most grains (excepting gluten) are okay for most people, especially when prepated as indigenous people did for tens of thousands of years-soaking then slow cooking. The phytic acid in grains can be removed by soaking them, rinsing off the soaking water, and then slow cooking them. Which is also a way of reducing phytic acid for nuts and seeds as well. Except instead of cooking the nuts/seeds you dry them at a low temp. Lots of the problems with grains come from contemporary agriculture treatment of topsoil and GMO seeds. Depleted soil in constant tillage with super short roots (GMOs are bred to be short and also have super short roots) doesn't make for nourishing food. Some people (myself included) say its not even really food at all. Grains can be grown in a way that builds soil and nourishes both land and people; I've met a few organic grain farmers who have great practices.
I think soaked/slow cooked organic grains are healthy for most people and the soaked sprouted breads like Ezekial brand. For a vegan elu.imaging grains would make it difficult to get complete proteins.
You should try the soaking/slow cooking!

I have cut out all grains since I have gone Paleo and it has been really good for me! You'd be surprised how easy it is to get good carbs through vegetables and sweet potato. I had been completely paleo for 2 weeks and went out for lunch with my family on the weekend and had a salad that had a bit of cous cous in it and my body was like no! I know I perform better in my daily life and during running and crossfit without the grains

That being said its what works for you! try cutting them out for a week and see how you feel.

When I was in college I worked at a veg restaurant and stopped eating meat for a couple of years. When I started again I got very sick -- it was like my stomach had completely forgotten how to digest it. In fact, that's exactly what happened. You have certain bacteria, enzymes, etc in your gut that are balanced with your typical diet. When you eliminate certain foods, over time your body stops producing those bacteria etc. When you reintroduce those foods of course your digestive system is going to rebel. Hence you get nonsense like "grain sensitivity" and people write books about how this or that macro is toxic and whole new multimillion dollar diets are created. Unless you actually have celiac disease, grains are fine. So is meat, dairy, fat, carbs, sugar, and so on...everything in moderation.

^^^ Yes! A Million times yes!