The ?whole grains? you may be paying for, may actually not make a difference in your health! Even though the recent study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, says that in combination with other healthy behavior, whole grain cereal may lower your risk for heart failure, it still does not sound convincing. And here is why.
This article, as well as other articles about using whole grain cereals ( like JAMA article about whole grains and risk of stroke ), was done on the group of people, who are adherent to a healthy life style, which includes not only eating whole grain cereals, but also exercising, refraining from smoking, maintaining low body mass index, etc.. So it is not really clear from these articles, what the benefit is coming from: whole grains or something else. Do they plan any studies to figure it out what really works? Not to my knowledge.
So, why the popular thought that whole grain, equals healthier? Well, because it does, but not in the form that we usually consume it in. As soon as a grain is destroyed, it?s not actually a whole grain. Take for example in a cereal. When the grain is milled, the grain is made into small particles, allowing more of a surface for absorption, as compared to a whole grain with a smaller absorption surface. The result is that absorption is much quicker, the carbohydrates go sky high, our bodies are not prepared and as a result in our blood sugar going all the way down, making us eat more and more and more.
So what s the result? Food companies are getting fat and we are getting fat too. Who benefits from this? Not us! Sometimes we assume the more ?grains? something has listed on a label, the better it is for us. Or maybe, as long as it isn?t white. Take bread for example: Don?t be fooled into buying darker bread since some companies use caramel coloring to make their bread appear darker and, in your mind, healthier. Play it safe by eating what they call a caveman diet of lean meats, fruits and vegetables. Try to stay away from wheat carbohydrates and dairy.