Whole grains

[Trent]

Why are whole grain foods so much better for you?

[glwanabe]

Originally Posted by Trent

Why are whole grain foods so much better for you?

So much better for you is a relative statement.

Whole grain is not the health food that the media leads you to believe.
It is only better than processed stipped grains for the bulk fiber that it provides. As a nutrient food source it lacks in many ways.

[gaspers04]

Just my two cents, I feel whole grains are beneficial. My digestive track was a wreck when I first went High Pro Moderate Fat, I now incorporate 1c oats divided by two meals. That little change help me a lot. Not bashing anyone's opinion, just my experience.

[gaspers04]

The theory behind whole grains is that the grain is altered by stripping and bleaching therefore altering the properties of the grain and effecting the way the body digests it. Whole grains are slow digesting making it a low glycemic food (steady blood sugar), White processed grains are fast digesting (high glycemic) which cause an insulin spike then a rapid crash.

Im no nutrition scholar and feel free to correct my errors.

[5kgLifter]

Originally Posted by glwanabe

So much better for you is a relative statement.

Whole grain is not the health food that the media leads you to believe.
It is only better than processed stripped grains for the bulk fiber that it provides. As a nutrient food source it lacks in many ways.

Originally Posted by gaspers04

The theory behind whole grains is that the grain is altered by stripping and bleaching therefore altering the properties of the grain and effecting the way the body digests it. Whole grains are slow digesting making it a low glycemic food (steady blood sugar), White processed grains are fast digesting (high glycemic) which cause an insulin spike then a rapid crash.

Im no nutrition scholar and feel free to correct my errors.

Both statements are correct; with white bread, for example, in some countries (I don't think it's every country's policy), has to contain added vitamins by law...whereas, it's wholemeal equivalent does not have to contain any extras of that nature and seldom does...in effect, this makes the white bread better for you, even though it shouldn't be.

The GI tables, after having doen some research, vary quite a bit in their results; I believe, carrots has been rated as 4 very different and extreme values making the tables probelmatical in themselves. That doesn't mean the tables are not of use though but they also have people avoiding basic food because it is higher than a pack of chips GI wise, which makes no sense.

It all boils down to, eat basic food and in as unprocessed manner as you can but also remember that to gain from some foods they need to be broken down initially anyway, so eating them in their raw state may be of less use than processing them prior to eating (but they are a minimal quantity amongst the vast choice of foods out there).