The Evolving Role of Cereal Grains in the Modern Diet

With obesity and degenerative diseases on the rise, the role of grains in human nutrition has come into question.  Some people suggest that grains have no place in a healthful diet, arguing that their consumption can lead to weight gain and inflammation, which has itself been linked to conditions including type 2 diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.  Grains were rarely if ever consumed by human beings before the agricultural revolution that began ten thousand years ago, and this fact is sometimes cited as evidence that they should be eliminated from modern diets.