Wholefood writer Jude Blereau explains the real goodness of grains.

Bad carbs, good carbs, low carbs, high glycemic carbs, gluten free, wheat free - goodness me, it can all get a touch confusing. Grain is such an important part of a good, wholesome diet that it's worth just taking a good look at just what is what. Yes, grains are carbohydrates, but they are a whole lot more.

Within this wondrous package, nature has provided vitamins (especially B vitamins and E), minerals, proteins (though not complete), good fats (including essential fatty acids and unsaturated fats, and don't forget that vitamin E just noted), phytonutrients and phytochemicals, fibre and, last but not at all least, carbohydrate in the form of starch, which breaks down to one of the body's most basic fuel sources, sugar. A grain, carbohydrate and all, in its whole state, is a good thing. I would consider a whole grain that which has had only its inedible husk removed - all the bran and germ are intact, and it's in that bran and germ that most of the goodies lie.

Herein lies the nub and core of the problem. Removing that bran and germ removes just about all of the nutrients, and changes the way that food will work in your body. Nature hasn't put all those bits there because it was having a bad hair day, and the brain wasn't quite working. No, they are actually there for a reason.

Anytime a carb or grain gets a bad name (bad carb, low carb, high glycemic carb) it's generally because stripping away the germ and fibre leaves the endosperm exposed - this is the largest portion of the kernel. The endosperm contains the valuable starch, which is the main source of food for the seed to be. Without the fats, fibre and proteins to slow things down, this starch is broken down to sugar rapidly - hence the high glycemic response from the body. Worse still, it has no density and we are left undernourished, and unsatiated; it is a major root cause of our obesity/diabetes epidemic.

It was never a story of the good grain that turned bad, determined to unleash this sorrow upon us, but rather the matter of business knowing that when the bran and germ are removed (thus removing the fat that goes rancid) shelf life is extended and profits are increased. As an example, in relation to wheat, the bran and germ contain 28 per cent of the grain's protein, 94 per cent of the vitamin B6, 97 per cent of the thiamine and 58 per cent of the riboflavin. The bran contains 86 per cent of the niacin and the germ has all of the vitamin E.

Jane Brody (an American nutritionist) calls the refining of wheat "the rape of the wheat berry", but this rape can easily be seen in most other grains. Eating this refined grain is causing big problems, yet the answer is not to eat "low carb" manipulated flour products, but rather, quality whole grains (and one could include good bread here) as part of a whole diet, rich in a wide range of wholefoods - including saturated fats please. Your reliance on carbohydrate to fill you up will then immediately be reduced. Pick up those low carb breads, muffins, cakes and pasta and throw them in the bin. Don't become terrified of grains and the carbohydrate within. Include good whole grains and their whole flours in your day but, importantly, eat more protein, more vegetables, more nuts and seeds, and especially more good quality saturated fats. Fats are an important nutrient source and they help you fill satiated.

Let's turn to the issue of wheat free/gluten free. There are an awful lot of intolerances to wheat going on out there and before we even go into the issue of gluten, I want to put forward this case that we are eating wheat today in ways it's never been eaten before. It used to be:

* Eaten whole (see above), and * Soaked to remove the phytic acid on all whole grains that interferes with absorption of minerals, especially calcium, magnesium and zinc but which also breaks down gluten.

It doesn't help that we also spray the life out of it. Wheat would be the most heavily sprayed grain, in all stages of its life and through to storage. These fungicides, pesticides, herbicides are not remotely body compatible: they are, in effect, designed to kill. It also doesn't help that we then refine what's left down to just the starch, making the end result extremely difficult to digest.

Thus we come to gluten. Gluten is a protein, and the one in wheat is exceptionally difficult to digest - even harder when the grain is refined. As noted above, soaking grain (and, traditionally, it has been) can help to break down that gluten. Also, a sourdough bread is much, much more easily digested than one made with baker's yeast. It's not always the wheat itself per se that you may be reacting to, but the inappropriate preparation and cooking of that wheat. For example, a generic wheat bread may result in bloating and digestive woes, but a lovely wholegrain, long sourdough fermentation one won't. Wheat berries (kernels) and their flours will always be more digestible when soaked with some acid (lemon, vinegar) or my favourite, yoghurt, whey or buttermilk. Again, this not only helps break down the phytic acids, but also the gluten.

Many grains contain gluten, yet while you might not be able to tolerate wheat, you might be able to tolerate spelt, kamut, rye, barley or oats (though many would argue oats have no gluten). So you might not necessarily need to be gluten-free, merely wheat-free. This is an issue of much confusion for many people. For some, gluten in any form is difficult to digest, and the term commonly used here is Coeliac. For Coeliacs, all gluten grains will need to be avoided. Gluten-free grains include amaranth, buckwheat, corn (maize), millet, buckwheat, quinoa and rice.

If you do find yourself unable to tolerate wheat, firstly, give spelt a try. While it does contain gluten, it seems to be much more easily tolerated than wheat for many, and will behave in pretty much the exact same manner to wheat when you are cooking. Secondly, use only good quality sourdough bread and, if you can, soak your grain and flour before use. If you can't tolerate that, give oats and barley (and their flours) a try before turning to gluten free grains - unless of course, you are diagnosed with a true gluten intolerance.