Rice, Wheat, what's best for the body in the long run??

By arvindashok on 18 May 2012

With all this talk about the right things to eat, what's best for the body in the long run, how to approach sustainable weight loss etc. on my blog, I get a repeated question from clients and readers - Why do you prescribe rice in your diet plan and ask me to refrain from my oh-so-nutritious whole wheat bread? Well, let me explain my stance, and you can make up your own mind after that.

Hello, brown bread "This weird brown lump is bread!?"

My first introduction to "healthy" foods was back when I was 11. I am sitting down for breakfast, and there's a oddly-coloured lump of bread. It might be normal today, but after years of seeing white-coloured bread, brown bread looked very alien. I inquire about this new thing, and my dad proclaims that this is way healthier. Listed some of the same reasons we list today - more nutrients, whole grain, less processed etc. So, I ate it, and it tasted awful, when compared to the oh-so-delicious regular bread. But as any 11-year old would do, I piled on the jam, and everything was fine. And ever since then, continuing into my gym, I was indoctrinated into "Wheat is better than rice". Am sure you have a similar story!

Is wheat nutritionally superior?

We are wheat and whole-grain crazy today. Let's just look at whether that's a good place to be or not. Let's start by comparing rice and wheat, nutritionally. The data is from Wikipedia.

Looks to be a no-contest, huh!? Wheat is nutritionally superior. Maybe my dad was right all along.......... Not so fast. What about 'em anti-nutrients?

Anti-nutrients - blowing up your small intestine

"Anti-nutrients? Does that even exist? Or are you clutching at straws? Is this like that anti-matter thing that everyone says exists but we cant see?!"

Oh no, anti-nutrients definitely exist. According to Wikipedia, they are natural (or synthetic, but we dont care about this yet) compounds that interfere with the absorption of nutrients. But before we talk about them, let's talk about evolution. All living organisms want to reproduce, and spread their seed, so to speak. They do not want to be eaten, coz that kinda puts a wrench in the works. So, they develop survival and defense mechanisms. Chameleons can camouflage themselves, zebras have stripes, possums play dead, skunks spray a foul smell, heightened senses to detect predators - just to name a few. Plants are more passive but retain the same goal - they do not want to be eaten. A rose bush has prickles (thorns) to prevent being eaten.

"Bro, you going anywhere with this (while tapping your watch vigourously"

Almost there. Take fruits - monkeys eat the delicious fruit and spit/poop out the seed. Which is exactly what the tree wants! The tree gives the animal something (nutrition), in return for the animal spreading its seed (which is inedible, especially compared to the fruit). And finally, we come to grains. Grains are the seed! Why would the plant design its seed to be consumed? It would cease to exist, right? Seeds have their own defense mechanism (Did you know apple seeds contain cyanide?), and thus we arrive at anti-nutrients in grains. Almost all grains have their fair share of anti-nutrients, but we are here to talk about wheat, and the infamous gluten!

"Uhhh, so, is this all coz that Djokovic dude went on a gluten-free diet? Is that seriously what all this fuss is about?!"

Yes - Djokovic went gluten-free, and it is no coincidence that he is feeling sharper and fitter. But just like I told you about one fat guy losing weight by eating Subway not being enough evidence, neither is Djokovic! Let's see this gluten thing in detail. Coz, like I said already, wheat is high in gluten.

How Does Gluten Affect People

The core of the post, and why I think you should reduce/avoid wheat. It all has to do with digestion, and the gut. Gluten damages your gut lining

Your Gastro-Intestinal (GI) track is the part of your body that absorbs nutrients from food. It does by using tiny hairs called villi.

You are always hungry, coz you are not getting enough nutrients out of the food you are eating.

By basically rupturing your GI tract, it allows particles to sneak into your blood stream. This sets off your immune system, which goes to destroy these alien particles. It leads to

a leaky gut
your body turning on itself, via molecular mimicry - these alien bodies into the blood stream have a similar pattern to regular tissue. When your immune system attacks it, it could potentially lead to attacking healthy tissue later.
It can potentially lead to autoimmune disorders as well.

So what if I have a leaky gut, and it leads to these autoimmune responses? From Robb Wolf's awesome book - The Paleo Solution:

Infertility

Type I diabetes

Multiple sclerosis

Rheumatoid arthritis

Lupus

Vitiligo

Narcolepsy

Autism

Depression

Huntington's

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Hypothyroidism

Poryphyria

But I don't have any of these diseases Almost everyone is sensitive to gluten though. While only 1% of people are diagnosed with celiac disease, The degree of how bad gluten sensitivity affects a person depends on the individual. Think of people you know who've had trouble conceiving a kid, or had their gall bladder removed, or suffer from digestion issues, or depression - they get treated for the symptom, rather than the cause. Likewise, there are could be certain symptoms you are suffering from. For example,

If you have trouble poo-ing, or say you've had diarrhea, or any digestive issues
If you suffer from chronic fatigue - when you have to sneak in that nap without which you cannot function
If you suffer from Depression, schizophrenia - or plain fogginess in the head From Charles Poliquin's site, "The gliadin in wheat gluten causes crossover activation and again leads to decreased cortex and midbrain activation, leading to eventual neurodegenerative diseases." Another article, about inflammation, from his site "We’re also finding that a lot of inflammation can be traced to the consumption of wheat, corn and soy and possibly dairy. Gluten is a major problem, because gluten contains a protein to which 1 in 100 people are outright allergic, and for which about 40 percent of the population show antibodies."

It could be coz of gluten sensitivity! Stephan Guyenet, at Whole Health Source, conducted an awesome survey - where a bunch of people tried out a gluten-free diet, and reported back with answers to several questions, like "Did you note a weight change at the end of gluten free January?" and "did you have a problem with tiredness/lethargy? If so, did your symptoms change during the month of January?". It is a very quick read, with simple graphs. I highly recommend that you check it out.

Yay, or Nay

Dude, am quitting your blog. I cannot deal with "no wheat"

Please don't! While I certainly do believe you will do better without wheat, the point of a sustainable lifestyle hinges on it being sustainable. So, if wheat is something that cannot be removed, here are a few things you can do

Dont make it a staple
Use methods to properly prepare it, or if you want a really detailed post from the Weston A Price Foundation.

Am game. I will give it a go.

That's awesome! Good for you. Avoid wheat for 30 days, and reintroduce it after. See how you feel. You might have withdrawal symptoms though!

Withdrawal symptoms!? What? It is not like am giving up heroin

Actually, it is. Grains activate the same receptors in your brain as opiates. No wonder we want to cling to our bagels eh! Reinforces your want to give it up, doesn't it? Update: You should check out Raj's awesome questions, and my subsequent reply (in the comments section) for more on this topic!

"Rice over wheat - you *$*@#&*% south Indians"

Ah c'mon! I love (present tense) my wheat as well. But it conflicts with my goals, and my health. From chocolate croissants, to donuts, to brownies - there's just so many things to miss out on. But missing out on them on a regular basis = much better health. And it also means when you occasionally indulge, every few weeks, it makes it even better!

On to rice then

Most of the toxins in white rice is in the bran - that's why white rice is better than brown rice as well. Cooking white rice renders it toxin free. So, while it is not a good source of nutrients, it doesn't do any harm.

Sweeeeeeeet, so I can eat a kilo of rice a day?

The best source of carbs are starchy vegetables. Rice is a great source of quick carbs. And like I already mentioned, cooked white rice does not do anything "bad" for you, but at the same time is not a great source of nutrients. Eat rice as a filler. A quick 4-step checklist

Did I eat enough vegetables?
Did I eat enough protein?
Did I eat enough starches?
Did I cook in coconut oil (or butter or ghee)

If you answered yes to all, then eat rice. That's what I mean as a filler. Traditionally, rice (and grains) forms a staple - the center of attention. And that is a problem.

While you're at it, can you talk about lentils, pulses, and legumes? Do they also have anti-nutrients?

Similar deal. Stick around for another post! But basic idea remains the same - they do contain anti-nutrients, but properly preparing them, and eating them in reasonable quantities, and not as a replacement of grains. In fact, consuming them in reasonable quantities is totally fine, and the next version of the nutrition template will reflect that.

A note about other grains, and pseudo-grains

From oats, barley etc. to quinoa, buckwheat, and the rest. Apart from rice, buckwheat is the other grain that can be recommended. I will put up a recipe for buckwheat pancakes, over at Eat Real Food soon. The rest of them contain one anti-nutrient or the other. If any of the problems mentioned here, from simple to severe, match some of yours, and you've already given up wheat - well, you could try cutting out all grains, and see if it does something for the better. Worth a shot!

To summarize

Humans are not adapted to eating grains
Grains contain anti-nutrients And wheat has the worst of them - gluten.
Gluten sensitivity and intolerance leads to leaky gut, inflammation, autoimmune disorders - a myriad of issues!
If you are going to avoid, or reduce consumption, of a grain - it should be wheat. And if you are going to eat a grain - it should be rice.
Grains being staple = undernourished.
Your primary source of carbs = starchy veggies.
Eat veggies, starchy veggies, protein, and add some grain. not the other way around
Properly prepare grains, if you are gonna eat them. To reduce the anti-nutrients in grains, you can employ several methods, like soaking, fermenting etc. - check out this post from Whole Health Source, and this one from the Weston A Price foundation.
Don't eat anything that is "gluten-free" and expect it to be healthy. The gluten-free food industry removes gluten, but adds in other stuff, which will end up making you fat and diabetic.
Post-workout meal tip: 1 cup Rice + paneer/chicken tikka = awesome!

Share this post please! And give it a try! What do you have to lose by giving yourself a shot at getting healthier? If you still are not convinced, let's talk. Make your argument - that's what the comments are for.