Grains or sugar - is one the lesser of two evils? page 2

[JoanieL]

IMO only from what I've read:

Added sugar is crap.

Whole grains aren't great.

Grains that have been processed, like white rice, are pretty null (neither positive nor negative).

[Zach]

White rice is basically empty calories and 100% glucose so if you dont have a problem with that then no need to avoid it. You didnt say what you meant by sugar, that could be a wide range of stuff. Fruit is as primal as it gets so go nuts. Maple syrup and honey are great sweeteners as well.

[heatseeker]

If I had to choose between a spoonful of table sugar and a slice of bread, I'd go with the sugar. Wheat has all sorts of other crap going on besides just the fast carbs.

Wheat is really the only grain I avoid 100%. I eat corn once a week or so, and white rice a few times a week with sushi. I time it with my workouts. Not very primal, I guess, but it works for me.

[jammies]

Depends on your goals, in my opinion.

In the beginning, I think it is best to go grain free and very low sugar. Particularly if you have weight issues. I am 2.5 years in to primal eating and I now consume rice a few times a week and sugar a few times a week. But I was much more strict in the beginning. I do have to be very careful with the sugar as I can become a raging addict very quickly.

I suggest being strict in the beginning for a couple weeks or a month to see how you feel. If you don't have an major health issues then experiment a bit. Add in some white rice in the occasional meal and see how you feel. After a couple of weeks try adding in some sugar here and there and see what happens.

The primal blueprint allows for a great deal of flexibility in your eating. It's just about what works best for you.

[Dirlot]

Grains and sugar react differently in the body.
Rice is a fairly benign source of glucose if you are training extremely hard.
Sugar is made of glucose and fructose. Fructose is processed differently in the body than glucose.

[primal_alex]

I know that all grains and sugar should also go

The Primal Blueprint is not about zero-carbs, which Mark seems to be pretty much against. It is a high-fat/low-carb diet and sugars are welcome, but only as long as they come with some other interesting nutrients (vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, etc): check the pyramid and you'll see a lot of vegetables and fruits. PB is against refined sugars which are just empty calories (a teaspoon of pure C6H12O6...).

Grains are bad for a number of reasons other than the high glycemic index and the gluten you already mentioned, check the definitive guide to grains for more information.

[Knifegill]

Mark himself has nothing against normal table sugar in small quantities. Has a spoon in his coffee every morning.

[Bron]

I started this journey sugar free. Found PB and went wheat free and very low grains (as in, an occasional addition). My middle two were FTT because of their wheat allergy. So for us, wheat is definitely the nastiest. They're allowed sugar occasionally.

[Derpamix]

Mark himself has nothing against normal table sugar in small quantities. Has a spoon in his coffee every morning.

There you have it. Mark Sisson, author of The Primal Blueprint says there is nothing wrong with refined sugar.

[oxide]

I think its best to just stick to the book, and don't worry about asking for advice on here just yet, as it can be very confusing.
There are lots of people on here who are not actually primal, and like to confuse the new people.

Ayla, is this starting to worry you too? It appears that the Perfect Health Diet followers are now pushing it on all the newbies, without telling the newbies that it's not quite Primal. I believe that a carefully monitored PHD is probably okay for an active person who has already been Primal for a while. However, it should NOT be suggested to newbies whose metabolisms that are still sugar adapted.