Grains are the fruits or seeds of grasses (family Poaceae or Gramineae), and are not included on the Paleo Diet due to their prolamin and agglutinin content (see Are all lectins bad? (and what are lectins, anyway?) and Why Grains Are Bad–Part 1, Lectins and the Gut) and because they are nutritionally inferior to either meat or vegetables (see Gluten-Free Diets Can Be Healthy for Kids and The Importance of Nutrient Density).
Grains include:
- barley
- corn (aka maize)
- fonio
- job’s tears
- kamut
- millet
- oat
- rice
- rye
- sorghum
- spelt
- teff
- triticale
- wheat (all varieties, including einkorn, durum, semolina)
- wild rice
Pseudograins are also not included on the Paleo Diet due to their saponin content (see How Do Grains, Legumes and Dairy Cause a Leaky Gut? Part 2: Saponins and Protease Inhibitors). These are the starchy seeds of broad-leafed plants, and include:
- amaranth
- buckwheat
- chia
- quinoa