Go for the Whole Grains

Why in the world would someone take whole wheat grain, crack the grain, pulverize it with rollers, and separate the endosperm from the dark, fibrous bran and the wheat embryo?  Why would they take out important nutrients, vitamins, unsaturated fats, fiber and magnesium?  And if intact grains are so healthy, why did we stop eating them and shift to highly refined grains? Especially when study after study has shown the ill effects of white, refined grains on our health?

Whole grains protect against diabetes

According to two large ongoing studies, people who consume whole grains are 30% less likely to develop diabetes.  Because whole grains take longer to digest, you don’t get repeated insulin spikes, which lead to type 2diabetes.

Intact grains mean less heart disease

According to a large study, women who consume more whole grains were 30% less likely to develop heart disease than those who consumed refined grains.

Less refined grains mean better GI health

The fiber in whole grains helps keep the stool soft and bulky.  This prevents constipation, which is the number one gastrointestinal complaint in the United States.  725 million dollars is spent annually on over-the-counter laxatives. Whole grains also help to prevent diverticulitis and diverticulosis.

Whole grains may prevent cancer

A recent overview of 40 control studies indicated that whole-grain consumption reduced the chances of developing mouth, stomach, colon, gallbladder and ovarian cancer.

Be sure the products you are buying are truly whole-grain.  Often, breads are brown in color, but are made with white processed flour.  Check the ingredients carefully to be sure.  If the taste of a whole-grain food like pasta or brown rice isn’t palatable to you, begin by mixing it with the white refined version and slowly increasing the ratio of intact grains to refined grains.  Speak to people who have made the switch.  Once they reacquire their taste-buds and get used to whole grain products, it is difficult to return to the white flour products and some even refer to the taste and texture similar of the white stuff like eating cardboard.  Remember – the more any food is processed, the more nutrients, minerals and vitamins are lost. 

Whereas at one time, you could only find whole wheat, whole rye, brown rice and whole grain pasta in health food stores, now they are available just about everywhere.  According to the USDA, only 1% of ingested food in the United States is unrefined as opposed to 20% for refined grains.  Studies suggest that the more this ratio changes in favor of whole grains, the less disease there will be.  Once you make the change, you will realize how much natural flavor and taste are in whole grains and you may never want that piece of white bread again.

Whether it is pasta, bread, rice, couscous or any other grain, eating whole, unrefined grains is another way to “add hours to your day, days to your year and years to your life.”