Nutrition and Grains

I've run into many people who say that you must include grains in your diet, but my question is why.

I did some research on it and found this site: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5744/2

Seems like there is really nothing important in whole wheat? Is there something in another grain that I can't get in a non grain source?

Grains seem to be a source of a bunch of sugar (carbos get converted to sugar) in exchange for some nutrients that I could find in other lower glycemic foods.

You also don't need fruit as long as you eat the right kinds of vegetables. When a nutrition guide says eat x servings of grains, y servings of fruit, and z servings of vegetables, the x and y values are probably to be taken as maximum dosages, not minimums, with the general goal being balance. If a guide says simply "eat x+y+z servings of plant matter" everyone would just eat bread and bananas all day long.

Originally posted by Soothfast
You also don't need fruit as long as you eat the right kinds of vegetables. When a nutrition guide says eat x servings of grains, y servings of fruit, and z servings of vegetables, the x and y values are probably to be taken as maximum dosages, not minimums, with the general goal being balance. If a guide says simply "eat x+y+z servings of plant matter" everyone would just eat bread and bananas all day long.

Banana sandwiches! Add beer and I reckon that would be a perfect diet.

Doubtless there are trailer parks in the land of Dixie where empirical research into that is being conducted.

i used to eat a lot of this stuff - quite cheap and very healthy

http://www.greenlife.co.uk/greenlife-direct/product/essential-organic-soup-mix-original/53075/

Originally posted by Soothfast
You also don't need fruit as long as you eat the right kinds of vegetables. When a nutrition guide says eat x servings of grains, y servings of fruit, and z servings of vegetables, the x and y values are probably to be taken as maximum dosages, not minimums, with the general goal being balance. If a guide says simply "eat x+y+z servings of plant matter" everyone would just eat bread and bananas all day long.

It seems to me that the nutritionists should be telling people how much protein and how much nutrients to take in each day while limiting the total caloric intake. Limiting caloric intake will go a long way at limiting the amount of bread and bananas one is going to eat in a day.

Grains have a horrible calorie to nutrition ratio. They seem to be one of the worst ways of getting nutrition in a world where we need to limit our calories.

Originally posted by e4chris
i used to eat a lot of this stuff - quite cheap and very healthy

http://www.greenlife.co.uk/greenlife-direct/product/essential-organic-soup-mix-original/53075/

Looks great. There should be a similar site for the US somewhere.

Originally posted by e4chris
i used to eat a lot of this stuff - quite cheap and very healthy

http://www.greenlife.co.uk/greenlife-direct/product/essential-organic-soup-mix-original/53075/

I would say non-organic food is healthier, because you have more money left to buy other healthy options.

i do buy organic grains, used to - its fairly cheap to do so - they never cost more then meat, organic or not... but organic fruit and veg is pricey.

That mix i put up is good! Hippy shops amuse me, you get shelves and shelves of grains that are basically useless that take 5 years to prepare, then a bag that cooks in 30 min - and it does not seem to occur to them that one should sell better...

Originally posted by Eladar
Seems like there is really nothing important in whole wheat? Is there something in another grain that I can't get in a non grain source?

Its not about what nutrition they have, its about what they don't have. If you eat too much meat or too much sugar containing fruit, it can be bad for you. Grain allows you to get slower release energy and fill your stomach without all the undesirables.

Originally posted by Eladar
I've run into many people who say that you must include grains in your diet, but my question is why.

I did some research on it and found this site: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5744/2

Seems like there is really nothing important in whole wheat? Is there something in another grain that I can't get in a non grain source? ...[text shortened]... rted to sugar) in exchange for some nutrients that I could find in other lower glycemic foods.

I have a hard time paying attention to what people say I should include in my diet. I have found that they basically say you should eat very little of the good tasting foods and a lot of the bad tasting food.

The Instructor

Originally posted by Eladar
I've run into many people who say that you must include grains in your diet, but my question is why.

I did some research on it and found this site: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5744/2

Seems like there is really nothing important in whole wheat? Is there something in another grain that I can't get in a non grain source? ...[text shortened]... rted to sugar) in exchange for some nutrients that I could find in other lower glycemic foods.

Tadders are a favorite of mine.

Originally posted by joe beyser
Tadders are a favorite of mine.

As long as you are managing your blood sugar well, then keep eating them!

If you are not, then perhaps you should look to limit your intake of taters! Or take steps to limit the damage the taters are doing to your body.

Controlling blood sugar is huge. Why the government is telling people to consume foods that have a high density of sugar and spikes blood sugar is beyond me. It could have something to do with all that money going to farmers to grow the grains, but that couldn't be have anything to do with it.

Originally posted by Eladar
As long as you are managing your blood sugar well, then keep eating them!

If you are not, then perhaps you should look to limit your intake of taters! Or take steps to limit the damage the taters are doing to your body.

Controlling blood sugar is huge. Why the government is telling people to consume foods that have a high density of sugar and spikes b ...[text shortened]... at money going to farmers to grow the grains, but that couldn't be have anything to do with it.

Have a read of this -

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/definitive-guide-grains/#axzz2TD8mkkcP

Originally posted by twhitehead
Its not about what nutrition they have, its about what they don't have. If you eat too much meat or too much sugar containing fruit, it can be bad for you. Grain allows you to get slower release energy and fill your stomach without all the undesirables.

How does the body deal with the carbs from grains? That's right, it turns it into sugar! True, it's not as bad as corn syrup, but that doesn't mean we should eat it as part of a healthy diet.

Yes, too much sugar is bad for you. That's why grains are bad for you! Grains are sugar, so it isn't what grains don't have. Although they may release sugar more slowly than corn syrup, it is still a fast release sugar source. Slow release sugar sources would be more like green vegetables.

My diet at the moment mostly includes a meal replacement shake (visalus) in almond milk or water. I usually put some cinnamon in there to help with the insulin. I may have eggs with a bunch of garlic in it for breakfast a couple of times a week. I'll eat a traditional dinner without bread or starchy veggies. Snacks usually take the form of raw almonds. I wouldn't say that my diet includes too much meat nor would I say my died includes much sugar.

It seems to me that your logic is, well you want to eat grains because they are better for you than soda pop!