The No Grain Diet

The No Grain Diet by Dr Mercola explains why removing carbohydrates such as grains, starch and sugar contributes to weight loss and improves health. A grain free diet will overcome your carb addiction that you probably don't even realise that you have.

Dr Mercola is a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine or DO for short. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago. The No Grain Diet was published back in 2003. Central to Dr Mercola’s belief is that by eating certain carbohydrates, you will pack on those pounds. He believes this is what is causing the obesity epidemic, carbohydrates, not fats. Dr Mercola questions the advice that most people receive to follow a high carbohydrate low fat diet.

The No Grain Diet Foods

As most people do not realise, products that contain grain or starch, along with sugar, once consumed, will rapidly turn to glucose in our body.

The No-Grain Diet: Conquer Carbohydrate Addiction and Stay Slim for Life

This upsets our hormonal balance, gives us a sugar rush, and makes us feel hungry again very quickly. Now it needs to be understood that not all carbohydrates are bad. Vegetables, for example, are full of nutrients and very good for you. However, starchy vegetables, for example potatoes, should be avoided if you are overweight. Sweeteners are also bad.

Dr Mercola wants you to remove from your diet, for a limited time, all products that contain bad carbohydrates, sugar and starch. He believes his plan improves on the Atkins Diet as it’s more sustainable and does not involve as much meat, but more varied sources of protein.

The No Grain Diet Plan

Dr Mercola claims that diets generally fail as you crave sugar and cannot get over it. So he has structured his plan with this in mind. It comes in 3 sections, start up, stabilize and sustain.

Phase 1. The initial phase sees you stopping all foods that turn to glucose in your body, so grains, vegetables that contain starch, sweets and fruit. You need to eat very regularly, about every 2 hours. This phase lasts for just 3 days.

Phase 2. The next phase sees you move to three main meals per day with 3 snacks permitted. You need to continue this phase until you reach your target weight. This phase then continues for several weeks to stabilize your new weight. Additionally, regular exercise is recommended.

Phase 3. Finally, the last stage sees some of the carbohydrates that were removed at the outset re-introduced, and which continues on.

The book comes with a food plan, a recipe and menu directory and what is called a ‘cravings eraser’, and claims to teach you how to overcome those sugar cravings.

The No Grain Diet book can be purchased at discounted price from amazon.

On a similar theme, another interesting book written a year earlier in 2002 by Melissa Smith, a nutrition counsellor and health journalist is Going Against The Grain which tells of a real life weight loss journey.

Melissa was a healthy US size 6, but ballooned in weight. After a lengthy struggle, she found what had caused her weight gain – grains! As soon as she stopped eating them her weight dropped. And if she started again, her weight immediately increased.

If this sounds like you, her book is a fascinating journey of how she overcame her problems and how a gluten free diet plan maybe for you. Gluten is a protein found after processing grains such as wheat. Grains such as wheat are everywhere: pizza, pasta, cereals, bread, cakes etc.

Author: Lana Soko

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