Why you ask? Well, just because. Yeah, that’s not really the best answer, I know. A friend of mine appoached me with this question today, and while I usually have an answer (truth or wit) for everything, I couldn’t think of a way to explain this one to her. She wanted to embark on a Paleo-ish diet…gluten free…healthy…so she grilled me for an hour on it. I didn’t mind. :c)
I did some research…I found this on one site, “… the goal of the paleo diet is to eat nutrient rich food (which grains are not) and stay low glycemic index, which is easily achieved with veggies and complete proteins.” I also thought another statement I read was helpful to the explanation, “Better than wheat, worse than rice.” I’ve read that eating something like oats will put your body into ketosis, but anyone who is Paleo won’t really have their body go into ketosis, but I can’t really explain why (perhaps you can, Noah?). I like eating now based not so much on the actual definition of Paleo, but how my body will react to things I eat.
So why are oats so not Paleo? Well, for one, during processing, oats can be contaminated with other gluten grains. They are also high in carbs, high in fiber, and high in phytic acid. Some vegetables have phytic acid, but it mostly exists in the skin (which is usually removed or thoroughly washed) before consuming. What is phytic acid you ask, well, it stores the phosphorous in plants (grains, nuts, legumes). Humans can’t digest phytic acid, so we cannot release the phosphorous and in short, phytic acid can bind to, and cause certain important minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc to be unabsorbable my our bodies. In one article the author wrote, “…as a reduction in the activity of these enzymes, it could lead to a reduction in post-prandial glucose absorption, which, in their eyes, could be a preventative and/or management strategy for diabetes.” It could lower how powerful some of our digestive enzymes are. That’s just bad news all around. For all my science nerd friends, read this article, Living with Phytic Acid.
“I can’t reiterate this enough: The fate of your health, including that of the brain, is a choice–not a destiny, dictated by your genes.”
-David Perlmutter, MD-
It is virtually impossible to reach ketosis while eating oats in fact if you are eating more than a tablespoon it is impossible. Ketosis is essentially reached with a carb level per day under 30 grams. There are othe ways outlined in perfect Heath diet by jaminet but they do not include grains. I encourage every body to go gluten free but it is not paleo yet it is a huge step. As for oats if you choose to eat. They should be gluten free soaked for 24 hours with a table spoon of Apple cider vinegar. Weston price style.