The No Grain Diet
The No-Grain Diet was developed by osteopathic physician Joseph Mercola. He claims that overconsumption of grains and sugars is the cause of many degenerative diseases, such as diabetes and cancer as well as obesity. The purpose of the diet is mainly for optimum health, and is claimed by its adherants to improve or heal those diseases. Recently, he is calling this diet the "Total Health Program" including a 3-stage "Nutrition Plan".
The No-Grain Diet emphasizes organic vegetables with limited fruits, quality meats, eggs and oils such as virgin coconut oil and virgin olive oil. It discourages the eating of any grain-products, sugars, most fish, most polyunsaturated oils and processed foods. It is controversial, in that it calls eating grains an "addiction", and goes against the recommendation of mainstream nutritionists, who advise multiple servings of grains per day.
"Metabolic Typing" is seen as essential, which provides adjustments of the diet depending on each person's metabolic needs. Metabolic Typing is based on the assumption that each person has a unique way in which food is metabolized in the body, making it impossible to find one diet which works for all people. Three metabolic types are distinguished as Carb, Protein or Mixed Type, depending on the ratio of carbohydrates, proteins and fats each type of person is supposed to require in his daily diet. The diet is then adjusted to those metabolic types. This part of Mercola's diet appears to be identical to the Metabolic Typing Diet by William L. Wolcott.
More About the No Grain Diet
Criticism, Debate, Discussion
While the elimination of refined sugars can be seen as a positive step for
one who relies solely upon such products to the point of nutritional
deficiency (easily fixed by a multivitamin supplement), for one who receives
plenty of nutrition, sugar is a source of simple carbohydrates that many may
wish to use as an energy burst for intellectual or physical activity.
There is still much to benefit though, as it's likely that we do not use
most of this, and should lower (not eliminate) the levels of sugars to a
level where we will fully utilize them. Any in excess of that would just be
stored as fat, eating fats is better for gaining fat if that is desired
since it is a more efficient conversion. The issue of insulin spiking is
also a good one. Generally, you don't need to eliminate sugars to manage
insulin levels though. Small amounts of high GI foods can be consumed
without vastly increasing insulin secretion, just as large amounts of
low-to-mid GI foods can still spike them higher. Food is too generalized in
this regard.
The elimination of grains is a far more serious matter. Grains offer a
unique blend of nutrients that, while possibly obtainable from vegetables,
may be on an unrealistic level that, unmonitored, may lead to deficiencies.
Thiamin and Fiber, for example, could be deficient by eliminating grain.
Grain is also a very cheap source of energy and can be very high in
nutrients (especially with the ever-growing popularity of whole grain
products) and is recommended by the IDA. While some claim the Dietetic
associations have bias (funding from grain product manufacturers for
example), this is something to be taken up separately.
However, since surveys show that most people with a sensitivity to gluten go
undiagnosed, this is maybe the reason why some people find they benefit from
cutting out barley, oats, rye, wheat and any processed food products that
may contain gluten from these grains. They may indeed have atypical celiac
disease and should see their doctor.