“im a bit baffled if we ate bread for thousands of years and suddenly its a problem.. seems like something really went wrong in the past hundred years or so?”
I’m amazed that you are on a forum primarily dedicated to discussing Ray Peat’s work, and how you don’t even appear to be familiar with his basic core principles. Yes, something most certainly “went wrong” within the past hundred years, in regards to grains (maybe several somethings). One of the biggest is the fortification of grains with iron. From Peat’s article on “Iron’s Dangers”-
“Some researchers are concerned that the iron added to cereals is contributing to the incidence of leukemia and cancers of the lymphatic tissues in children. [Goodfield, 1984.] During the time of rapid growth, children are less likely than adults to store too much iron. At birth, they have a large amount of stored iron, and this decreases as they “grow into it.” It is after puberty, when growth slows and the sex hormones are high, that the storage of iron increases. [Blood, Sept., 1976.] In a study of the “malnourished” children of migrant fruit pickers in California, these children who were “seriously anemic” were actually more resistant to infectious diseases than were the “well nourished” middle class children in the same region.”
“Flour, pasta, etc., almost always contain iron which has been artificially added as ferrous sulfate, because of a federal law. Meats, grains, eggs, and vegetables naturally contain large amounts of iron. A few years ago, someone demonstrated that they could pick up a certain breakfast cereal with a magnet, because of the added iron. Black olives contain iron, which is used as a coloring material. You should look for “ferrous” or “ferric” or “iron” on the label, and avoid foods with any added iron. Many labels list “reduced iron,” meaning that iron is added in the ferrous form, which is very reactive and easily absorbed.”
It’s also bizarre to recommend “whole grains” to someone with digestive issues, as whole grains (like whole wheat and brown rice) are always harder to digest than refined grains (like refined flour and white rice, assuming no added iron). Many people find eliminating ALL grains as beneficial to their digestive system (see not only followers of Ray Peat, but Low Carbers, Paleo diets, Gluten Free diets, Carnivore, and many other “Ancestral Health” diets). Of note, these diets aren’t as popular in countries like France, that don’t fortify grains with iron.
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