In 1990, all that changed when I released my 12-year project called, The Fat Burning Diet, which was a book that outlined a way of eating that limited carbohydrates and advocated eating more protein and fat. I didn't start the low carb diet or low-carb lifestyle. All I did, in 1990, was re-spark the interest in it after it had been long forgotten about.

Almost overnight, many other nutritionists and doctors jumped on the low-carb bandwagon, including the low-carb-king himself, Dr. Robert Atkins. Dr. Atkins did not invent low carb dieting either, even though he made it become very popular in 1972 with his first book and extremely popular with the revised edition of that same book in the mid '90s. Low carb eating was popular among bodybuilders of the '60s and other diets such as the Stillman Diet and the Drinking Man's Diet were basic carb controlled diets that were out long before Dr. Atkins' original book.

When I came on the scene in 1990 I was very much opposed because the '80s was the decade of the high carbohydrate, low-fat diets with Pritikin and Dr. Robert Haas leading the pack. Atkins was long forgotten about and Barry Sears and the Eads were about five years away from writing their books. It took about six years for that concept to catch on but by 1996, Dr. Barry Sears released, "The Zone", which also suggested that carbohydrates be limited and his book instantly became a national number-one best- seller.

Within a few years, weight conscious Americans were carb-phobic and the supermarket shelves were lined with low-carb bars, cookies, drinks and snacks loaded with aspartame, chemical no carb sweeteners and fractionated oils. Has America gone too far with carb-restriction?  I say yes… and I'm the guy that sparked the low-carb diet revolution. Let me explain…

Have you ever noticed that when you start to diet for a show or to get in shape, the first thing you lose is your patience? Why is that?

First and foremost you are calorie depleting, and secondly, if you are on a carb restricted diet, your brain may be running out of glucose and then you get a bit grumpy.

But, many people do not realize that they get grouchy because they have stopped consuming foods they are allergic to.

Once those foods are removed, the body screams out and the brain begins crying out "I want my carbs!" Your body doesn't want just any carbs. Noooo! It wants specific carbs and one of those specific carbohydrates it craves is in a class called grains.

Grains are in the cereal grass family and share that category with bamboo, barley, corn, millet, oats, rice, rye, sorghum, sugar cane, wheat and wild rice.

Of all carbohydrate sources that America consumes, the cereal family of GRAINS is by far the leader and wheat is the hands down grain of choice.

Americans start their morning with cold cereal, a hot cereal such as oatmeal, a bagel, toast or doughnut all of which are usually made with wheat and other grains. Lunch may contain bread (wheat) in the form of a sandwich or bun. Snacks can be cookies or pastries that are made with grains and wheat. Dinner can contain rice, pasta, bread or all three.

Bodybuilders can often fall into the grain-trap, as I call it. Egg whites and oatmeal for breakfast, chicken and rice for lunch, and fish and pasta for dinner. So what's the problem?

Grains! When cattle are ready to go to market they are fed a diet rich in whole grains. Why whole grains? To fatten them up. And many of these grain-fed bodybuilders fail to figure out why they can't get cut.

My friend, it's those grains with a capital G and that rhymes with P which stands for Pudgy!

By now you are thinking I am a bit crazy. Whole grains are a staple food. Wrong! Bread is not the staff of life it is the stuff that makes us fat. Wheat is one of the most highly allergenic foods in America, which is why some bodybuilders avoid it.

All the athletes I have trained in my career have been immediately yanked off of wheat and all its brothers and sisters. Wheat is everywhere. Gravy usually contains wheat flour. Breading on meat also contains wheat flour.

Corn chips are a grain. Tortilla chips are a grain. Everywhere you turn there are grains, and here lies the problem…

Grains are a unique carbohydrate food that are starchy by nature and must be sprouted or cooked before the human body can digest the food correctly. Heat and sprouting destroys the enzyme inhibitors that block us from digesting the grain.

Once the enzyme inhibitor is neutralized we can break down this form of complex carbohydrate and convert it into the simple sugar glucose, which the body recognizes as a useful form of energy.

Grains are a very concentrated form of carbohydrates, so a little can make a lot of glucose. And that's when the trouble begins…

Glucose, when it reaches a concentration in the bloodstream, following a meal high in grains, signals the body to secrete insulin so your muscles can make use of the extra glucose. Insulin is a hormone secreted by your pancreas that immediately stops you from burning fat and actually can help you store fat.
 

Insulin is an anabolic hormone for both muscle and fat building. But this is only the first of many problems.

Grains are an acid forming food, meaning their mineral content contains more phosphorous and less calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium (the four main alkaline minerals.)

Meat and protein are also acid forming, so when you eat the two together, you get an acid reaction in the body. Your body likes to be slightly alkaline, so your pancreas scrambles to secrete bicarbonates to help buffer the extra acid, just like it does following a hard workout.

If you continue to consume grains and protein, then you risk depleting your alkaline reserves. And the harder you train, the worse it gets. But there is more…

Grains are starchy by nature and do not digest well when consumed with protein foods. Grains like a more alkaline stomach and meat likes it acidic, so the two can clash and the end result is poor digestion and undigested starch and protein that can irritate the human body as an allergen would.
 

Joint aches are one of the common symptoms of undigested starch and protein in the system. Acidosis can also be another contributor to joint aches.

Wheat and most grains, except millet and rice, contain a unique protein called gluten that irritates the intestines of millions of Americans. Gluten intolerance can cause gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, stomach cramps, poor digestion and hyperactivity in many individuals.

With wheat being everywhere in the American diet, a person with a gluten intolerance just lives with the symptoms and takes antacids, laxatives, and aspirin for the pain.

The only way out of misery is to eliminate wheat from your life and also all grains containing gluten.

I speak adamantly about this subject because I too am gluten intolerant and had suffered for years with gas, bloating and poor digestion until grains were eliminated.

So what's the simple solution? AVOID ALL GRAINS. Instead of eating grains, eat vegetables and fresh fruit, both of which are very alkaline by nature and make the perfect counter-balance to hard training and a high protein diet. Sweet Potatoes and Yams are also an excellent glycogen loading alternative on my way of life..

Should you ever desire to eat grains, eat them alone as a grain only meal in the evening for the purpose of re-filling your glycogen levels (muscle starch) after a period of carb depletion or long duration exercise.

The rule to remember is to not eat meat or protein with grains.

Rice and millet are the best grains to eat because they are gluten free. Bananas may be eaten with grains, and so can dried fruits, however you will need to see if you are sensitive to these higher sugar fruits. You can also eat vegetables with grains and they will digest very well. The rule to remember is to not eat meat or protein with grains.

Here is a one day eating plan that is grain free and guaranteed to improve your digestion and enhance your athletic performance
while melting away excess body fat.

Articles by Jay

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