Ladies Discussion Forum

[Winston]

I don't get something. Mainstream doctors and nutritionists tell us that whole grains are good for you and provide fiber and nutrients. But those in holistic alternative health say the opposite and make some good arguments about why we are not naturally suited to digest grains - which includes wheat, bread, pasta, rice, cookies, crackers, oats, etc.

They argue that eating grains has caused a rise in a whole host of major illnesses and epidemics that have plagued humans in the last few hundred years, as well as an addiction to them. And they argue that the nutrients in grains, such as fiber, can be obtained from other sources such as fruits and vegetables, so that there is nothing in grains that you can't get elsewhere.

Check out these articles that make some good points:

http://wellnessmama.com/575/how-grains- ... ou-slowly/

http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/

http://nourishedkitchen.com/against-the ... up-grains/

What do you all think? Any of you have experience with this?

Does this mean that even oatmeal is bad for you too? If so, why do I feel a burst of energy after eating oatmeal? It certainly feels healthy.

If this is all true, does it mean that the nutrition industry is conspiring with the pharmaceutical industry and medical industry to make people sicker for profit?

[NinjaPuppy]

The bottom line here is to remember, all things in moderation. Over time our grains have been so refined that any goodness has been basically removed. I wouldn't say that grains are bad for our health, but unless they are in their pure form, they are not all that good for us. Basically they wind up as empty carbs with almost no real nutritional value.

Carbs will give you a quick pick me up without any long lasting effects. Oats are good but reading labels for nutritional info can help when choosing a brand.

[Winston]

Check out this documentary called "Fat Head" that supports the claims of the Atkins Diet and Paleo Diet. At the beginning, he debunks the "Supersize Me" documentary as flawed, and goes on to prove the opposite. The narrator eats a moderate sized meal at McDonald's everyday while exercising by walking a lot. He then loses a few pounds after a few weeks.

Then he goes on to explain, with clips from many health experts, why our notions about fat and carbs are wrong, and why high cholesterol is not unhealthy, and why grains and carbs are treated as sugar by the body and turned into stored fat, while real fat is burned immediately as energy. He also explained that calorie counting is oversimplistic, and that the key is in what the body DOES with the calories, not in how many calories it receives. Do you think he's right?

[NinjaPuppy]

I don't know who is right or who is wrong when it comes to the subject of diet but I do think that anything over refined or full of ingredients that I can't pronounce should not be consumed.

[Winston]

I have some questions:

1. Are nuts, peanuts, cashews and almonds considered carbs or vegetables? Are they fattening? Do they have protein, carbs or fat?

2. If pasta and bread are carbs and make you fat, then how are the French able to eat all that French bread and baguettes yet remain thin? And how are Italians able to eat all that pasta and able to remain thin?

[Sunshine]

[NinjaPuppy]