last couple of years, youre probably aware of the controversy surrounding grains. On one hand, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) adhere to their long- standing argument that whole grains should be the major staple in a healthy diet. On the other hand, you have the Paleo diet, arguing against all grains, as well as the gluten-free diet, which aims to keep some grains in while avoiding wheat and its primary protein, gluten. There are strong arguments in favor of both extremes, but can there be a happy middle ground? For healthy individuals, would there be a health benet to removing or minimizing grains in the diet? Or posed differently, would a lack of grains cause a deciency of necessary nutrients? This topic may be viewed from a perspective similar to a vegetarian versus carnivorous diet. You can choose, for reasons of personal preference, health or ethics, not to eat animal products and still get protein and most nutrients. This article aims to present the information and let you make a realistic, healthy choice that ts you and your familys health and lifestyle. What Nutrients Do Grains Provide? First, let's look at the benehts of eating whole grains. At ChooseNyPlate.gov, it states that grains provide many nutrients that are vital for the health and maintenance of our bodies." What nutrients do grains provide? Let's take a look. The site mentions dietary hber and four B vitamins including thiamin, ribohavin, niacin and folate (folic acid). Also included are three minerals: iron, magnesium and selenium. !n addition to the above vitamins and minerals, grains are a quick, convenient energy source, densely packed with carbohydrates. This makes it an Making SENSE of GRAINS When it comes to grains, should you go gluten free, try Paleo or follow FDA recommendations? We aim to simplify it all for you here. 37 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 WWW.MAXMUSCLE.COM easy choice for athletes wishing to fuel workouts and aid in recovery through glycogen replenishment. Now that we know what nutrients are provided by consuming whole grains, along with the function of these nutrients, we can hnd out whether there are other food sources that contain these nutrients. The answer to that is, yes! Just as one who chooses to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle, if you decide to limit or eliminate grains from your diet, measures must be taken to ensure you dont develop nutrient dehciencies. Amy Burkhart, MD, RD, also known as The Celiac MD, advises, Grains are a signihcant source of calories, carbohydrate, hber, B vitamins and minerals such as iron, magnesium and selenium. Eliminating grains may put a person at risk for dehciencies in these nutrients. Supplementing with foods such as legumes, nuts, seeds and vegetables will help avoid these dehciencies. Working with a registered dietitian is recommended if these changes will be long term in order to assure optimal nutritional health. Dietary hber is found in many whole, natural foods such as fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Liver, red meat, salmon, yellow hn tuna and chickpeas, along with eggs, hsh and dairy, are the richest sources of the B vitamin group. Leafy greens, beans, lentils, peas and some nuts are the best vegetarian sources of vitamins B1, B2, B6 and folate. There are two types of iron: heme and non-heme. Heme iron is derived from meat sources including hsh, poultry and red meat. Non-heme iron comes from plant sources and is added to enriched and fortihed foods, such as breads and cereals, and is much less absorbable than heme iron. Good sources include lentils, beans, broccoli, tofu and enriched cereals. Black beans, kidney beans, hgs and almonds are excellent sources of magnesium, while selenium can be obtained by eating Brazil nuts, halibut, pork tenderloin, salmon and couscous. How Grains Help You Exercise But what about quality complex carbohydrates to fuel workouts and aid in recovery? A complex carbohydrate, by dehnition, simply means a carbohydrate that consists of two or more monosaccharide units. Complex carbohydrates are present in fruit, vegetables, starches and nuts. The biggest concern an athlete will have in reducing or omitting grains will be macronutrient displacement if measures arent taken to ensure other energy-dense carb sources are part of the diet. For example, if youre a recreational bodybuilder typically consuming 200g carbs daily, nixing grains will drastically reduce that amount unless you exchange the grains for an equal amount of carbs from a starch, vegetable, fruit or nuts. An exchange of carbohydrate-rich foods looks like this, with each item listed containing 15g of carbohydrates. Rice (white or brown), 1/3 cup Sweet Potato, 1/2 cup Corn, 1/2 cup Green Peas, 1/2 cup Baked Potato, 3 oz. Black Beans, 1/2 cup Max Muscle Petaluma owner and NESTA Certihed Sports Nutritionist James Burchell knows a thing or two about the need to fuel workouts and recover properly. A former rock climber and martial artist, James now focuses on weight lifting as his primary form of exercise, divided among 4-6 sessions per week lasting 1-1 hours. He offered some tips on including carbohydrate-dense foods in a diet with little to no grains. Great sources of carbs that are grain and gluten free are starchy roots including sweet potatoes, taro, beets, carrots, parsnips, turnips and potatoes, says James. He also lists fruit, peas and beans among his top choices. The Great Grain Problem Why might someone wish to cut grains from their diet? While screenings for Celiac Disease are pretty straightforward, only about 1 percent of Americans are Celiac positive. Others might experience Non- Celiac Gluten Sensitivity or digestive problems when consuming grains. If you suspect an issue with grains, Dr. Burkhart offers this recommendation: First and foremost, if someone thinks they are experiencing symptoms when ingesting gluten they must be screened for celiac disease and wheat allergy with appropriate medical tests. This must be done on a gluten-containing diet for the results to be accurate. If those tests are negative, an evaluation for other causes of gluten sensitivity, such as fructose malabsorption, should Quinoa is considered an ancient grain and it is packed with tons of great nutrients including magnesium, ber, folate, zinc, whole protein, iron, manganese and phosphorus. There are more than 100 types of quinoa. Did You Know? 38 WWW.MAXMUSCLE.COM SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 be undertaken. There is no specihc validated lab test for non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Gluten sensitivity appears to be caused by several different factors - all of which are being vigorously researched. At this time, there is not one single test to determine whether or not someone has non-celiac gluten sensitivity." !ngredients in grains that may present problems include the well-known protein gluten, which can be marked as an invader in up to 29 percent of non-celiac individuals. Grains also contain anti-nutrients lectin and phytic acid. Potential issues include poor digestion, nutrient malabsorption, allergy symptoms and more. The controversies surrounding these ingredients have led to the great debates proposed today, and the rise in popularity of the gluten-free diet and anti- grain books such as "Grain Brain" and "Wheat Belly." Making Grains Great !f you like the idea of grains but can't seem to stomach them, you can try keeping a few grains in your diet that will give the most bang for your buck. The best" grains are dehned here as those with the most nutrient content and the easiest to digest. Harvard Family Health Guide contributor Belinda Dennis states the super six" grains as amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa, millet, teff and sorghum. These six are particularly high in vitamins and hber. While it's true that some people have difhculty digesting grains, there are ways to make them easier to digest while enhancing nutrient bioavailability. Soaking, fermenting and sprouting are three ways to accomplish this. Overnight soaked oats is probably the most common example of this. The result is a soft, quick-cooking grain ready to eat in hve minutes! Bottom line if you suspect intolerance to wheat or grains is to check with a healthcare provider about getting tested to determine what, if any, sensitivities or allergies may be present. Then you can work with a specialist or Registered Dietitian to develop a well-rounded nutrition plan that ensures you are getting all the necessary nutrients. Replacing grains with carbohydrate-dense starches, fruits and vegetables is an easy way to evade potential grain issues. Preparing grains for easier digestion and maximum nutrient bioavailability is a great way to get the most out of your food for both performance and health benehts. MS&F ESSENTIAL FATTY ACID COMPLEX RICH IN OMEGA 3, 6 AND 9