Can someone explain the medical or biophysical components of avoiding sugars/grains?

[Andreabrie]

Hello wise members,

I totally understand avoiding sugars and processed foods.  The part I'm struggling with is the lengths we should be going to avoid these things...can someone explain the medical/biophysical changes in my body that I would be getting from having 1/8 of a teaspoon of added sugar or gluten?  For example, my work had a lovely salad available during a meeting yesterday - veggies, poached salmon, avocado...and then what looked to be a sprinkling of quinoa.  I didn't eat it, but kept wondering how that tiny bit of quinoa would've affected me?  Is the idea that this bit of quinoa is going to put me into a carb craze?

thanks!

[Tom Denham]

There are two places to find answers to your question. One is by reading It Starts with Food by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig. The book offers a full explanation. The other place is to browse through old posts on the Whole30 and Whole9 blogs to see how the Hartwigs explained things in years past. 

 

The short answer is that the Whole30 allows no amount of added sugar at all because the Whole30 is a strict elimination diet. If even a little of something is allowed, then your self-experiment is corrupted and results are distorted. There are lots of programs that encourage you to eat better by reducing some foods and increasing others. The Whole30 requires eliminating some foods completely for 30 days so you can experience a body that has not suffered their effects for a long-enough period to make a big difference in how you feel. Whether you keep those foods out after 30 days is up to you, but at least you will have a fair test basis for making your decisions. 

[MeadowLily]

The why is nice but it's the doing...taking action today...that makes everything wonderful.  

 

I know the why but the why doesn't move some people to take it to heart and follow through. True grit.