We've all heard the hype about how important whole grains are as a part of a healthy diet. But exactly what do whole grains do? And how much can an individual stray from the "whole grain" label and still reap the benefits?
When a particular food is worthy of being called a whole grain, it refers to how it was processed. Whole grains arrive on your plate as nature produced them. But when bread products, for example, call themselves refined, enriched, or some of the other camouflaged terms that manufacturers like to trick consumers with, it means that they have been altered.
Unless it says 100 percent whole grain, then the grain has been processed and essentially stripped of all of its healthy benefits. That means that the bran, protein, nutrients, etc., have been removed during its processing. Many of these whole grains take longer to digest and therefore will not raise your blood sugar as dramatically as processed carbohydrates do.
What does that mean for diabetics? It means foods a diabetic might be tricked into believing are good for them now have a much higher rating on the glycemic index, while whole grain foods will have a much lower rating. Buy bread that contains whole grains or seeds. This is an easy way to introduce lower GI foods into your eating plan.
Besides having all of the good stuff removed, there is now an absence of one key element... fiber. Fiber is a wonder ingredient in itself because it offers a body assistance in so many important areas. Fiber helps the digestive system move food along at a good rate. A good digestive system is pertinent in helping to fend off some forms of cancer.
Fiber in the diet also helps to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. This, in itself, helps to lower the risk of heart disease and stroke. Fiber also makes a person feel fuller after a meal. The benefits a diabetic can gain from just this one area are phenomenal. It removes the urge for a diabetic to eat too much. It helps to eliminate the urge to binge eat between meals. And it removes the fake hunger feeling that some experience an hour of so after they have just eaten. Plus, binge eating or post-meal eating typically involves making bad choices.
But probably the most important feature of whole grains is that it helps to control sugar levels. Refined, processed and enriched do just the opposite. This is enough proof to make you aware of what you are ingesting.
Many diabetics resist making the switch to whole grains because they can sometimes taste bland. But you can easily dress them up using fresh fruit, low-fat butter, or other foods to disguise the taste and still reap the rewards.
