Cara Comini - 30 Days Grain-Free: A Day-by-Day Guide and Meal Plan for Beginning a Grain-Free Diet—Improve Your Digestion, Heal Your Gut, Increase Your Energy, Lose Weight, and More!

Most of us grew up with the food pyramid, where grains were supposed to be the base of our diet. How has that gone? With obesity, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, infertility, digestive troubles, autism spectrum disorders, and more. Something doesnt add up. But what, exactly, is the problem with grain? For starters, most of the grain people consume is highly processed, which strips out the naturally occurring vitamins and minerals. Whole grains, on the other hand, have not been processed but are often difficult to digest unless the gut is in tip-top shape and the grains are prepared using traditional methods such as soaking (as with corn soaked in lime), fermenting (as with traditional sourdough bread), or sprouting. When were looking to heal health issues, or even just lose a little weight, going grain-free for a trial period is a great way to kick-start the process and reduce or reverse symptoms.

WHY IS THE GUT SO IMPORTANT? Our gut isnt just for removing waste from the body and digesting food so it can be used by the body, it also houses 70 percent of our immune system and contains brain-like tissue that affects our mood and wellbeing. If the gut is not functioning well, we are unable to do the following: Remove waste from metabolic processes Detoxify Fight infections Absorb macro and micronutrients such as protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals we need Regulate our mood and more The gut is home to an ecosystem of gut flora. These beneficial microorganisms reside in our gut and help us digest food, plug holes in our guts lining to prevent undigested food particles from getting through the wall and into the bloodstream, and are an active part of our overall immune system. When the balance of good to bad flora is off, pathogenic bacteria can send chemicals into the bloodstream that make their way to the brain and other parts of the body, causing physical or mood-related symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue, and, even, mood imbalances such as depression or anxiety. Food particles leaking through the gut wall into the bloodstream, without being digested down to parts the body can use, cause food allergies and other autoimmune responses. The immune system attacks these large particles as something it doesnt recognize.

Turns out our gut feeling deserves more credit than we normally give it. When the gut is in balance, the body is in balance. As Hippocrates said centuries ago, All disease begins in the gut.