Are Whole Grains Good for You?

While I have no allergies to wheat or wheat products, I do find myself reducing the consumption of Whole Wheat and Whole Grain products, as they do not seem to be all that everyone wants us to believe. Some grains are necessary I feel, just not what all the hype is about.

From the American Diabetes Association to the American Heart Association to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, they all speak about eating healthy whole wheat and whole grain foods. We have this drummed into us and put before us in print and everywhere we may look. I know this is part of the carbohydrate push by these organizations. Now if the foods were just what they were advertised to be.

The Food and Drug Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture should enforce some of the laws already on the books. We have so much false advertising and false and misleading print on our food products that many people are beginning to accept this as the truth.

Whole grains are a mantra by most doctors, dietitians, and nutritionists. They would push this in our face 24/7 if they could. Before you purchase any product saying it is whole wheat or whole grain, read the ingredients and the label. Chances are there is just enough to keep them from getting in trouble with USDA or FDA and the balance is not whole wheat or whole grain anything.

The regulations have been relaxed to the point that there is a very small amount of wheat or whole grains in the product. Most of the product is highly refined flour and not whole grain or wheat.

I know that most people will not or do not have the time to prepare foods or bake from scratch. This is the only way to ensure that the product is wheat or whole grain. Not that I an advocate in returning to the days when we ground our wheat or grains at the local mill, but with food manufacturers today, do not count on getting them.

Also, notice that the food today has been processed to the point that they have to add some vitamins and mineral back to the product. We do lose some of vitamins and nutrients when it is cooked, baked, or processed by us even if it is fresh from the garden.

I like what Prof Jennie Brand-Miller has to say about whole grains as they are thought of today. She makes some very valid points that we all need to think about. So the next time you are purchasing “whole grain” foods, use extra care to read the label and ingredient list. You may just put it back on the shelf and look for something else. You may find that whole grain is indeed a myth.

Another writer about whole grains is Jon Barron. He has a rather lengthy discourse about whole grains and how the manufacturers are shortchanging the American public. He compares some studies as well.

Know When You Are Receiving Bad Advice

When dealing with registered dietitians (RDs) and certified diabetes educators (CDEs) you will often be given bad advice. You need to learn what some of the bad advice is and how to turn this back on them.

Yes, I can say mandates, mantras, and other platitudes because they are often what you will receive. They often don't properly assess you and try to bully you into accepting what they are telling you.

Recently, two of our members met with a RD/CDE (dual titles) for classes. Sue had not intended to go, but her doctor did ask her to go and report back to him. The other member was Jennifer and she was hoping to hear something more than she had been hearing from us.

When the class started, the emphasis was on whole grains and eating enough carbohydrates to prevent brain damage. Jennifer asked how many that meant and the answer was 45 grams to 70 grams per day. This told Sue that she had to think fast, but the instructor was on to planning meals that would see to it that they consumed enough carbohydrates.

When she finished with this and asked if they understood what they had been told, Jennifer asked if testing showed that they were too high for the blood glucose reading, should they reduce the grams for the next meal? The instructor did not miss a beat, but went right to telling them that if the reading was too high, they should talk to the doctor about increasing their medications or adding another medication.

Sue held her peace for that round as she was planning on dropping the bomb later. Jennifer asked what would be too high a reading and the instructor stated 180 mg/dl. Jennifer said that is in the range that could cause complications and the instructor said not if she was able to add another medication.

Jennifer said then she would need to reduce her carbohydrates as anytime she consumed whole grains; she would spike over 220 mg/dl. The instructor then advised her to have a talk with her doctor as she needed the nutrients found in whole grains.

At that point, Sue felt things had gone far enough, so she explained to the instructor that she was off all medications and eating low carb/high fat as was her husband. That really upset the instructor to the point she said that then she was not diabetic and why was she taking the class. Sue said that she had support from her husband and their support group and her doctor to work at getting off all medications and with the exercise and food plan has been able to stay off all medications.

Sue continued that whole grains are not the end-all and the nutrients could be found in other foods that were nutrient dense and did not have the carbohydrate content. Sue said even the ADA has partially accepted the low carb/high fat food plan which meant that the instructor was following the USDA guidelines instead. Sue concluded that by not encouraging testing and advising more medications that she was a fraud and did not have the best interests of patients in mind, only the interests of the corporate sponsors of the AADE and AND.

With that Sue and Jennifer left. Jennifer was very surprised at what the instructor had said and the way she was pushing whole grains, carbohydrates, and medications. Sue said she was glad Jennifer had asked about testing as most of the time they will not talk about testing and the readings to avoid. Sue said that her pushing medications is not good as this is what causes people to gain weight and often need more medication. The meal plan needs to be such that less medication is needed and if necessary help lose weight.

Jennifer asked how often to test. Sue told her to always test in pairs to be able to see how the meal affected her blood glucose levels. They had arrived at their cars and Sue said she was welcome to contact most of the older members and to ask her questions. They went their separate ways and Sue told her doctor what had happened. He thanked her and said this confirmed an earlier report by one of his patients.

The Whole Grains Low Fat Crowd

I wonder how many more years we are going to have to suffer, yes, suffer from the teachings of the whole grains and low fat advocates. Thankfully, more people are realizing that their teachings are at the root of our obesity epidemic. Yes, it may take a few more decades to scientifically put these teachings where they belong – in the trashcan.

What started me on this? I happened to watch the program in Iowa Public TV on March 3, when Dr. David Perlmutter was talking about his program for eliminating whole grains from our food plans. He is the author of: The Better Brain Book and the #1 New York Times Bestseller, Grain Brain. He is recognized internationally as a leader in the field of nutritional influences in neurological disorders.

The program is scheduled several more times during the Public TV's campaign to obtain funds from viewers for programs and operations. Since there are no videos available, that I have been able to locate, I can only suggest that if the public TV network in your state is running their fund raising campaign, go to the website for your state ((enter your state) public TV) in your search engine and enter Dr. David Perlmutter in the site's search area. This could help you find the program – whether you contribute is entirely up to you and I am not promoting this.

Dr. Perlmutter clearly states that fat, except Trans fats, is our friend and whole grains are our enemy. He says that in addition to them helping our diabetes epidemic, they also affect many neurological disorders and by eliminating them from our food plans, many neurological problems can be improved or delayed. He listed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as being helped and in the case of Alzheimer's disease, it could be delayed or greatly improved for some time. He did not promise a cure, but stressed improvements that eliminating gluten created.

He mentioned several other neurological disorders being improved, but I had an interruption and missed the names.

During his talk, he emphasized that the claims of lost nutrients the grain people were warning consumers about could be found in other foods and that their claims were not valid unless people were relying on whole grains entirely.

His books are available on Amazon and the #1 Bestseller can be found at this link. I have spent my allowance for books, but I do intend to obtain his one book later this year.

Registered Dietitians Increasing Whole Grains Promotion

Time after time in the last few months, I have read more blogs and articles from registered dietitians that are promoting whole grains as part of our food plans. Many of them are realizing that many people with type 2 diabetes are pushing back and are therefore taking different approaches to disguise their message of high carbohydrate, low fat food plans. We need to recognize this and realize that they have a true conflict of interest because their organization, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) is a puppet of Big Food that manages their strings.

The author of this blog states that as a dietitian, she believes that whole grains can be part of anyone's eating plan. She continues that despite the anti-grain sentiment, grains – whole grains – have many benefits to offer. She lists the following:

1. Whole grains can reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.
2. People that eat whole grains tend to have lower BMIs, lower waist-to-hip ratios, and lower risk of obesity.
3. Whole grains can improve the health of your digestive tract by promoting regularity and enhancing the growth of healthful bacteria.

The above three points are not as true as many would like to believe. There is little scientific evidence that whole grains contribute to less risk of heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes. Whole grains actually increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and as a result heart disease. This is because when the whole grains are converted to glucose, our blood glucose levels increase to higher than normal levels. If there are problems within our pancreas, then risk for type 2 diabetes elevates.

Maintaining number 2 above becomes more difficult with whole grains and especially the modern day grains that have been genetically over modified. For those individuals that have the ability to consume whole grains because of their metabolism capable of processing the whole grains, then number 2 can be true. Many people do not have the ability. For number 3, fiber is the name that can be important and other foods can replace the fiber needed by our bodies.

It is true that whole grains have not been stripped of the bran and germ like refined white flour and white pasta. If we have problems with the whole grains, then the problems with the refined grains generate even more problems and really spike our blood glucose levels.

This is the reason many people and especially people with type 2 diabetes need to read about low carbohydrate food plans. Also, read about the paleo food plan, which eliminates all grains. Yes, eliminating whole grains can cause a shortage of some vitamins and minerals, but there are other foods that can be consumed that will replace what might be lost to the elimination of whole grains.

'Whole Grain' Not Always Healthy

“Current standards for classifying foods as "whole grain" are inconsistent and, in some cases, misleading, according to a new study by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers.” This is the opening paragraph of an article that hits at the problem the food industry is promoting and doing to an unsuspecting public. The Grain Foods Foundation must be behind much of this and they are the largest promoter of “whole grains.” Of course, we must not forget the USDA and HHS as they are promoting for the grain producers. Then add the American Diabetes Association and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to the mix and we have reasons to be concerned about the food we eat.

The study appears in the January 4, 2013 advanced online edition of Public Health Nutrition.  This is the link to another article. The authors say a new standard is needed to help consumers and organizations choose foods rich in whole grains.

How the “Whole Grain Stamp” (WGS) became a widely used standard is still a mystery, it is not clearly defined, and different companies use it differently. In actual use, it identifies grain products that contain higher sugars and calories than products without the WGS. The researchers want the adoption of a consistent, evidence-based standard when labeling whole grain foods. This is unfortunately the first study empirically (provable or verifiable by experience or experiment) to evaluate the healthfulness of whole grain foods. They took five commonly used industry and government definitions. This is one way to make them accountable and hold their feet to the fire.

These five definitions are:

1. The Whole Grain Stamp, a packaging symbol for products containing at least 8 grams of whole grains per serving (created by the Whole Grain Council, a non-governmental organization supported by industry dues)

2. Any whole grain as the first listed ingredient (recommended by the USDA's MyPlate and the Food and Drug Administration's Consumer Health Information guide)

3. Any whole grain as the first ingredient without added sugars in the first three ingredients (also recommended by USDA's MyPlate)

4. The word "whole" before any grain anywhere in the ingredient list (recommended by USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010)

5. The "10:1 ratio," a ratio of total carbohydrate to fiber of less than 10 to 1, which is approximately the ratio of carbohydrate to fiber in whole wheat flour (recommended by the American Heart Association's 2020 Goals)

The researchers identified 545 grain products that they applied the five definitions to analyze how they rated. When the WGS was used, the grain products were high in fiber and lower in trans fats. However, the same grain products contained higher levels of sugar and calories when compared to products without the WGS.

The three USDA criteria had mixed results for finding healthier grain products. Considering the American Heart Association's standard (a ratio of total carbohydrate to fiber of less than or equal to 10 to 1), this proved to be the best indicator of overall healthfulness. The study found that products meeting this ratio were higher in fiber and lower in trans fats, sugar, and sodium, without higher calories than products that did not meet the ratio.

The senior author stated, "Our results will help inform national discussions about product labeling, school lunch programs, and guidance for consumers and organizations in their attempts to select whole grain products." Now will the “experts” even have a discussion or will the USDA just claim bad science and continue to give the children food that is loaded with sugar. My bet is on the last statement.

Another Nail in the Wheat Coffin

It appears that even with the evidence staring them in the face (from their own wheat bellies) registered dietitians are not willing to eliminate wheat from their diet recommendations. This article in WebMD clearly shows the conflict they are having with wheat. They know that it is the cause of weight gain, but do not want to give up the calories and fiber that wheat supplies. Sorry people, you cannot have it both ways.

I doubt the author of the WebMd article has read “Wheat Belly” by William Davis, MD, but she should. Then she could be more confident in her knowledge of how wheat does affect us and the reason we need to avoid bread at all costs, and not just the highly refined wheat products she identifies. Healthy whole grains are not that different from refined wheat products, just a little more fiber in the whole grains, but no other health benefits. Both types of bread can be fortified.

Those of us with type 2 diabetes are aware of the effects of the carbohydrates in wheat so when authors change to calories to emphasize the value of wheat in a low calorie diet, we know that they do not have our health as one of their interests. They are still promoting wheat even though their own research verifies that it is part of the weight problem in so many people.

Then they try to side step the issue and put the blame on highly processed wheat, meaning white bread, crackers, pretzels, and other highly refined grains that have come to symbolize the struggle with weight control. Then they return to whole wheat as the high-fiber super food.

How diabetes ended up in the discussion seems so that they could again blame highly refined wheat as the culprit and claim that whole wheat is a help. They say that whole wheat is complex carbohydrates that take longer to digest and will not cause blood glucose spikes. Then the claim is made that whole wheat has more vitamins, minerals, and fiber. What is not said is that most wheat products are fortified whether they are highly refined or whole wheat. The other fallacy of the argument is that the vitamins and minerals in whole wheat can be had in other foods.

The only reasonable discussion is on celiac disease. There is not much they can do to promote whole wheat. There is a section on limiting bread, but even then, they say if you are eating bread, make it whole-grain bread and limit the amount. I recommend that you read the article in WebMD. They are trying to have it both ways and still promote whole-grain wheat bread.

The Whole Grains Mantra

Are you sure you want to eat all those whole grain foods? The grain industry must be advertising very heavily because of all the advertizing I am seeing and even many of the more reputable web sites are again pushing whole grains and bringing prior articles back to the fore. Apparently some of the better medical doctor bloggers and others are making a dent in their income.

So I will also revisit the whole grain mantra again. Yes, I believe that much of the whole grains is partially behind the increased obesity epidemic around the world. The mantra pushed by the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association to eat whole grains is just adding to the myth that this is good for you – NOT!

Go back and reread this blog and the link for it. This should make you rethink the whole grain mantra and the fact that it can't be all it is promoted as being. People just hear the mantra over and over from the doctors, diabetes educators, and dietitians ad nauseam until they believe it to be true.

Again I need to refer you to Dr. William Davis and encourage you to read several of his blogs. The first one is here. If you have a person that is acting like the diabetes police, this blog by Dr. Davis could convert this person to really being a caring person and especially if the person happens to be overweight.

The article that got me back on this topic this one. Take time to read it and learn that if you think you are eating whole grains, chances are you are not. Most of the food industry wants you to think you are, but they add enough to meet the current standards or Federal guidelines, and the balance is not whole grains.

The arguments for whole grains are convincing, but you need to understand that the advantages claimed by whole grain advocates can be found in other foods without the large quantities of carbohydrates which people with diabetes need to avoid.

Just Diagnosed and In a Panic? Part 3

As a newly diagnosed person with diabetes, this is the lesson that most find a way to ignore, avoid, or outright forget. Carbohydrates are the biggest concern in the management of diabetes. Some like to insist it is sugar, but the truth is sugar is a carbohydrate. A simple carbohydrate and comes in many forms. It is sugar that is added to more foods than ever before. It was in the form of high fructose corn syrup, which is now renamed corn sugar. It is added to more and more of our highly processed foods to get people to eat them. In the U.S., this is one of the causes of our obesity epidemic.

In addition to the simple carbohydrates, there are complex carbohydrates like whole grains, and starchy vegetables. Carbohydrates are a source of energy, but not the only source.

Because of the uniqueness of each individual, I do not like to recommend the amount of carbohydrates each should eat. A few are able to handle a fair number of simple carbs, but most cannot. Many people have trouble with some complex carbohydrates. This is why I strongly urge each individual to use their meter to find out how their body reacts. That is also why each person with Type 2 has to become their own science laboratory to determine what works for them.

Some people are able to eat many carbohydrates while others need to limit their carbs. When it comes to ranges, here again there are varying ranges depending on who you read. Most of the time the ranges are for the entire day and you will need to divide them into your meals depending on how your react at different times of the day. Some have large morning meals while many skip the first meal of the day and have the largest meal in the evening. You meter can assist you in making this evaluation.

I will not recommend low carb, medium carb, or high carb regimens as each person must decide for themselves according to what their meter tells them. I will say that the guidance from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) is out of line for me. The American Associations of Diabetes Educators and the American Dietetic Association have the same mantra, meaning they follow the ADA.

The other source of energy is fat. Yes, I do not follow the low fat mantra of many health groups as new studies are showing this to be not quite the truth everyone likes to believe. In fact many of the things we hold on to are slowly being proven wrong and the studies from decades ago were to satisfy an agenda of the authors of the studies.

David Mendosa has no agenda and reports on both sides of many issues. His blogs on Health Central about fat and about diet are very enlightening. Dr. William Davis has his blog and here he likes to report on the whole grains mantra everyone is familiar with. His blogs about wheat and fat are well thought out. Here are four of his blogs, blog 1, blog 2, blog 3, and blog 4.

Why do I agree with them? Because even before I had diabetes, I would crave foods high in fat. After having a serving or two of these foods, sausages or beef with fat, my carvings disappeared for several weeks or longer. By not eating wheat or other whole grains for several days or weeks, I often feel much better. When I over eat wheat or other whole grains, I know it and often find myself fighting minor depression.

Finally, every person with Type 2 diabetes must experiment and find what works for them. Be cautious about the mantras of our diabetes professionals until you know they are okay for you and that your meter has told you that they are okay. Moderation and exercise will help you manage diabetes.

For reading Part 1 and Part 2 of this blog, click on the links.