With all of the seemingly contradictory information out there on grains I’m confused. Are they good or bad for health?
The area of grain consumption can be confusing. In general, I believe that eating too many grains may not be as beneficial to a person's health as suggested by the last 25 years of public health recommendations that argue for a dietary balance based heavily on grain consumption.
That's not because there is anything inherently problematic about whole grains. Whole grains are natural foods. They are also natural foods with a long history of consumption, and in many cultures they form a staple part of the daily diet. When you look at the bran and germ portions of a whole grain, you also find a fairly impressive variety of nutrients.
At the same time, from a historical point of view, grains have required extensive cultivation in order to become a major dietary component. Diets like the "Paleolithic Diet" don't include many grains, because in Paleolithic times, grains were not a dietary staple. Cultivated foods like grains were simply not a feature of man's earliest eating patterns. Those patterns pushed more in the direction of non-cultivated plant foods like nuts, seeds, roots, and berries, as well as wild game and fish.
In terms of their nutrient composition, it's clear that whole grains can provide many, but not all, necessary nutrients. As a group, grains are fairly low in many important phytonutrients, including flavonoids and carotenoids. They are also fairly low as a group in protein when compared to legumes, nuts, or seeds. As long as they are 100% whole grains, however, they can be good sources of several minerals, many B vitamins, the amino acid tryptophan, and other nutrients. Grains are also fairly low in the amino acid lysine, which is one reason they make such a great complement to beans (which are high in lysine). By varying your grain variety and including grains like millet or quinoa or spelt alongside of the familiar wheat and oats, or by including several different varieties of the same grain (like brown, red, black, and purple rice) you can increase the contribution that grains make to your nourishment.
I believe that most individuals can benefit from the inclusion of some whole grains in their Healthiest Way of Eating. I doubt that a diet in which 50-60% of all calories come from whole grains can be optimal for most people, and I know that for some individuals fairly limited consumption of whole grains may work best. In fact, you might want to experiment and substantially reduce your grain intake while still keeping your Healthiest Way of Eating nutritionally rich, and see how that type of balance works for you.
Additionally, I encourage consumption of a variety of grains and not simply (or even predominantly) wheat. Whole grains such as quinoa, amaranth, millet, oats, barley, rye, buckwheat, kamut, and spelt can provide a variety of nutrients in concentrations different than wheat. Plus, they'll add great variety to your Healthiest Way of Eating.
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