Entire populations have enjoyed the benefits of whole grains for centuries. They're extremely versatile, relatively inexpensive and easy to cook. They're also loaded with protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.
But for them to be of any benefit to us, they have to be whole, non processed and stripped of the fiber and
nutrients that they possess.
Whole grains are a source of complex carbohydrates, which provide
fuel for the body's vital energy needs. As long as they're in their whole form, they provide energy in a
time-release fashion to ensure a steady blood sugar level.
Endurance athletes and bodybuilders
often "stoke up" on complex carbohydrates - to fill up without filling out.
Contrary to popular
belief, high-carbohydrate foods are not fattening. Carbs have less than half the calories found in
fat.
Among the nutrients they provide, they contain B vitamins, vitamin E, folate, calcium,
selenium, iron, magnesium and zinc.
Grains also contain phytochemicals, important
compounds that work with the body to fight disease. The main phytochemicals in whole grains are
beta-glucans, lignin, tocotrienols, phytoestrogens and phytic acid.
A large Harvard study compared women who had 2.5 servings of whole grain foods a day with women who ate less than half a serving daily.
The first group were 1/3 to 1/2 less likely to die of heart disease than the second
group.
Researchers concluded that eating a daily bowl of whole grain breakfast cereal (with about
5 g. of fiber) cuts your chances of heart disease by about 1/3.
Some of the benefits of whole
grains are due to their abundance of antioxidants, fiber and cholesterol-reducing plant
sterols.
An Italian research on the subject found that eating lots of whole grain foods (at least 3-5 servings per
day) lowers your cancer risk as much as 50% for stomach and colon cancer, 40% for ovarian, 20% for prostate
and pancreatic cancer, and 10% for breast cancer.
Whole grains are rich in protease
inhibitors, compounds that may help squelch cancer cells by interfering with the activity of enzymes
called proteases that promote cancer.
Also researches show that a substance created by the
fermentation of dietary fiber in the intestines, called sodium butyrate, may act as a colon cancer
suppressor contributing to the benefits of whole grains.
There is also evidence that dietary
fiber may play a role in decreasing the circulating estrogens (estradiol and estrone) that can raise
the risk of breast cancer.
Also not to be overlooked is the amount of antioxidants
contained in whole grains which can help prevent damage to the DNA of cells, thus preventing cancer from
forming in the first place.
A study carried out at the University of Minnesota on 36,000 women, found that three daily servings of
whole grain foods cut the risk of type 2 diabetes by 21%.
In the Harvard study, they found that
to reduce the risk of developing diabetes by 1/3, all women had to do was to eat the equivalent of a bowl of
oatmeal cereal and two pieces of whole wheat bread daily.
Researchers agree that there's more
than one factor in whole grains that keep blood sugar and insulin under control. Whole grains, for example,
are rich in compounds called lignans, which may protect against diabetes independently of their
effects on blood sugar.
Also they improve the body's sensitivity to insulin, the hormone
that manages blood sugar levels. In one study of 978 men and women, the higher their intake of whole grains,
the greater their insulin sensitivity, which translates into better blood sugar control.
Read about Low GI Foods and Glycemic Index of whole grains, which help you make the most of the benefits of
whole grains.
The Nurses' Health Study from Harvard School of Public Health looked at more than 74,000 women and found
that those who ate the most whole grains were a whopping 49% less likely to gain weight over a 12-year
period than those who ate the least.
How can whole grains do that? Whole grains are
filling, in large part because of their hefty fiber content (fiber contains no calories, because it
can't be digested). So it'll make you feel less hungry, less likely to overeat and, as a consequence, less
likely to gain weight.
They're gentler on your blood sugar than their refined
counterparts. Steadier blood sugar means steadier weight.
Also, when you're eating more
fiber-rich foods, you'll automatically eat less of other, more fattening foods.
There's no doubt now that whole grain foods, with their high-fiber content, are the best medicine for keeping stools soft and bulky.
This not only prevents constipation and hemorrhoids, but also helps avoid diverticulitis, a potentially serious irritation and
inflammation of tiny pouches inside the colon.
Refining grains has a major downside - it removes a great deal of fiber. This is a serious problem because
most people don't eat anywhere close to the 20 to 35 g. of fiber per day that experts
recommend.
Technically, fiber is not a nutrient since it doesn't dissolve in the digestive tract
and it never enters the bloodstream and yet it is indispensable. And not just because it promotes
regularity.
The fermentation of dietary fiber by the intestinal flora produces three main end
products: short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), various gasses and energy. The SCFAs - acetic, proprionic
and butyric - have many important physiological functions and all contribute to the health benefits of whole
grains.
Proprionate and acetate are transported directly to the liver and used for
energy production, while butyrate provides an important energy source for the cells that line the colon. In
fact, butyrate is the preferred source for energy metabolism in the colon.
Butyrate
production may also be responsible for the anticancer activity we mentioned earlier.
There are
two main types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. All plants have some of both kinds, but some plants have
more soluble or more insoluble fiber. One type of fiber is not better than the other. They perform different
tasks and both are essential to good health, that's why you need to eat a variety of fiber-rich foods to
enjoy the health benefits of whole grains.
The insoluble type of fiber doesn't dissolve in water, but it absorbs water providing bulk to the stools,
causing them to become larger, firmer and easier to pass. This helps the intestine to move them along much
quicker making them less likely to damage cells and kick off the cancer process.
The reason fiber
is sometimes called "roughage" is because it's actually "rough". This is good, because this kind of fiber
acts like a natural broom, actually cleaning up the encrusted walls of the intestine, preventing
build up and keeping the walls of the colon free of stale feces, and stimulating local circulation in the
process.
The most familiar source of insoluble fiber is wheat and rice, but it's also found in
other whole grain foods, some vegetables and fruit skins.
This is the type of fiber that dissolves in water and is broken down into a jelly-like mass which, in
contrast to the rough stuff we looked at above, is soft and smooth providing a protective coat that prevents
harmful substances from doing damage to the intestine walls and, at the same time, it helps to shift
hardened fecal matter in the lining of the colon wall.
It's the type of fiber that helps reduce
cholesterol, lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease.
How does fiber reduce cholesterol? It
actually attracts cholesterol, pulls it along with it and escorts it out of the body. It also slows down the
rate that glucose enters the blood and so is believed to be especially important for
diabetics.
Good sources of soluble fiber are oat bran, peas and dried beans, barley, apples,
oranges and carrots.
Now that you've read about the health benefits of whole grains you can go back to the Whole Grain Foods main page, go to the Next page or choose one of the related articles.
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Benefits of Fiber and High-fiber foods in your Diet
Return to Foods' Healing Power Homepage from Benefits of Whole Grains
Slow Carbs vs Fast Carbs - What Makes Some Carbs Better than Others?
Glycemic Index of Foods - What is It?
Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load -What is the Difference?
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