are refined grains bad for you

They are empty calories and lead to rapid spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels. Refined grains: These are grains that have had the fibrous and nutritious parts removed. The short answer is that they are both. But you wouldn’t know that from the headlines blaming refined grains on all the world’s ills. One of the chemicals used as a dough conditioner is polyexy ethelyne monosterate. Brain: The proteins in wheat directly affect the brain. Refined grains. Fortified grains: Fortification is the addition of nutrients to a food where they are not naturally occurring. They often lack high levels of fiber, which is one of the major health benefits of consuming whole grains. An “unhealthy dietary pattern” as defined in the research studies evaluated by the DGAC included red and processed meat, sugar-laden foods and drinks, French fries, full-fat dairy foods, and refined grains. Refined grains include not only staple foods, like bread, rice, cereal, and pasta, but also cookies, cakes, doughnuts, brownies, muffins, sweet rolls, and even pizza! The difference lies in the way they processed. The sweet, indulgent group of grain foods contain higher levels of fat and sugar than the staple grains. The United States is suffering from an obesity epidemic, with two-thirds … Most likely you’ve heard someone say, “I’ve cut all refined and processed foods, including white bread, from my diet.” Considering the definition of refined means “free from impurities, fastidious, or cultivated,” it’s curious that refined grains have taken on a negative connotation. For instance, some studies have associated diets high in refined grains like white rice to weight gain, belly fat and obesity, while other studies have found no correlation (17, 18, 19, 20). Dr. Glenn Gaesser, Professor of Exercise Science and Health Promotion and Director of the Healthy Lifestyles Research Center, Arizona State University, wanted to find out why refined grains are viewed as unhealthy by so many people, including recommendations from the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Committee (DGAC). There is no reason to cut refined grains from your diet.  Enjoying up to seven servings a day will contribute to nutrient intakes of several vitamins and minerals, and dietary fiber, and will not up your risk of disease. Refined grains include white flour, white rice and white bread. Wheat is the key ingredient in the American diet. Whole grains: A grain containing all three parts of the grain: the bran, germ, and the endosperm. Whole grains are digested more slowly than refined grains, which has beneficial effects on blood sugar and insulin (keeping levels of both down). In the US, the familiar white flour which is the result of modern refining process is 72% extraction. But fiber isn’t typically added back in, … Myths and misunderstandings are responsible for much of the negativity about grains.If you have certain requirements, like only eating gluten free or non-GMO, you don’t need to go on a grain-free diet to achieve that. If you can’t live without baked goods, make sure you read labels thoroughly. Also included in the definition are pseudocereal grains, which come from broadleaf plant families and include: amaranth, buckwheat, chia, and quinoa. What if refined grains are guilty by association with the other foods in this unhealthful dietary pattern? There are hundreds of online recipes using these flours. While refined grains have been demonized, it is useful to remember that refined grains contribute more than just energy (calories) to our diets. By using Food Matters Website, you accept our use of cookies. The problem is not what we eat but how we eat. You can stop feeling guilty now! When you eat carbs, your body breaks them down into simple sugars, which are absorbed into the bloodstream. Refined grains undergo a process that removes the bran and the germ. Food Matters may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our website. Refined carbs are also known as simple carbs or processed carbs. Fiber slows digestion and the absorption of carbohydrates and may not raise your blood sugar as quickly as refined grains. Refined grain foods: Refined grains contain carbohydrates with a high-glycemic index. Somehow along the way, the message has been mixed up – putting a slice of white bread or a dish of white … “There is rock solid evidence for the benefits of eating whole grains,” says Dr. Gaesser, yet only 2% to 7% of Americans meet the recommendation to consume at least one-half of grains from whole grains. Are these chemicals dangerous? What if removing refined grains was not necessary for good health and could contribute to having fewer healthful nutrients in your diet? In fact, one meta-analysis reported that higher consumption of refined grain was associated with a 5% lowerrisk of death from any cause. Almost all grain products have been refined in some way or another. Even individuals who wish to avoid gluten can find whole grain foods to fit a healthful, gluten-free diet. Unfortunately these days most folks consume grain in its refined state and this staple contains little to no nutritive properties and cannot support animal or human life. *Oats are inherently gluten-free, but are frequently contaminated with wheat during growing or processing. Well, there’s no evidence to show that refined grains are “bad” for you, but there is evidence that shows that whole grains are good for you. The chains of simple sugars, especially those in wheat, cause a greater spike in blood sugar than virtually any other food, including table sugar. But you wouldn’t know that from the headlines blaming refined grains on all the world’s ills. Eating refined grains can alleviate shortfalls of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and iron.  Folic acid, a B-vitamin needed for healthy nerve and spinal cord development for babies, is found in refined grains and these grains are the largest contributor of folic acid in the diet. A refined grain, or its product, is made by processing a natural, whole grain so that some or most of the nutrients are lost. It is also useful to think about refined grains in two distinct categories: Eat more grains from the staple category and less from the indulgent group. Refined carbs include mostly sugars and processed grains. Many breads, cereals, crackers, desserts and pastries are made with refined grains. Insulin is needed to move sugar from the blood into the cells, where the sugar can be used as a source of energy. Refined grains and their food products are substandard foods for several reasons: They are excessively starchy and high in gluten. That means that refined grains retain the carbs and calories of the whole grain, but they're missing the fiber that would otherwise keep you feeling full and satisfied after a meal. Refined sugars may increase your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. www.amazingdiscoveries.org/H-deception-health... email However, softer, powdered grains, including flours and starches such as corn starch, are highly refined. The making of bread and flour products took a real turn for the worse at the end of World War 2. For making whole wheat flour the entire grain of wheat including it's outer layers grounded. You love white bread, pasta, and rice, but given the push by nutrition experts to increase whole grain intake, you may feel bad for preferring, and eating, the refined kind. Refined carbs are bad for various reasons. Looking at multiple studies, called meta-analyses, that included 32 publications with 24 distinct groups of people, refined grain intake was not linked to an increase risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer, or obesity. Because refined grain products are nutritionally imbalanced, they are responsible for contributing to several degenerative diseases. privacy. Besides eating the refined flour, the average person also eats these toxic items in the grain products: 2 pounds of salt, 3 pounds of sugar, 2 pounds of skim milk powder, 2 pounds of yeast, 1 pound of enzyme-activator, 1/2 pound of sulfate, chloride, and bromate chemicals, and 1/4 pound of other food additives. This means that it has lost 28% of the bulk of the wheat, including half or more of many of the crucial nutrients. Dr. Gaesser’s investigation found that eating up to six or seven serving of refined grains does not increase the risk for many of the chronic disease affecting Americans. All rights reserved. The whole grain is not used and it’s processed the same way as barren white flour. There is a jingle that goes: "The whiter the bread, the sooner you're dead!" Smaller particles make for easier digestion, meaning it’s easier for your blood sugar to rise after eating them. Whole Grains vs Refined Grains. Sugar and refined grain products are primarily responsible for tooth decay in this country, as well as being the major cause of brittle bones in the elderly. Fortunately, it’s easy separate the good from the bad. Try some of these healthy tips. Other chemical oxidizers are added to bleach and "mature" the flour, such as nitrogen dioxide and azocarbonamide. “Grain foods contribute about 55% of all fiber in the American diet and about 40% of fiber intake comes from refined grains,” says Professor Gaesser. Milk is fortified with vitamin D to help the naturally occurring calcium be better absorbed. Well, Germany banned all such oxidizers back in 1958, almost 40 years ago! Whole-grain pasta is typically high in fiber, manganese, selenium, copper and phosphorus, while refined, enriched pasta tends to be higher in … If we are to lean on the "staff of life" for nutrition, we must identify the counterfeit refined grains from the real, whole grains. The biggest source is white flour made from refined wheat. We can reap the health benefits of good carbs by choosing carbohydrates full of fiber. The crux of the situation is that the shelf-life of products are far more important in our economy than the health and well-being of the people. (Many refined grains are “enriched” with healthful nutrients.) polyexy ethelyne monosterate is also used in making peanut butter, ice cream, candy, and salad dressings. Grains: Are They Good For You, or Bad? Are all refined grains created equal when it comes to health effects? If you follow the U.S. government's Dietary Guidelines and make half of your daily grain servings whole grains, this will slow absorption, help meet your fiber needs, and keep you feeling full longer. Choose whole grain foods instead of refined grains for good health. Research has discovered why it’s OK to eat refined grains. It is typical to pit foods against each other, to crown one food as good and healthful and another food as bad and unhealthy. White rice, cream of wheat, cookies, and bowls of snap-crackle-and-pop each morning are all examples of refined grain products. Bakeries in America began using large amounts of chemicals, additives, bleaches, and preservatives. But after being milled, it is seldom utilized in its whole form with its components intact. This site uses cookies, to provide you a great user experience. First, it is helpful to realize that you should know your stuff before you cut. The next step in the chemicalization of bread is to add chemical dough conditioners to the dough to enable the resulting bread to stay fresh and soft for a longer period, without getting stale while standing on grocers' shelves. While the nutritional profiles and glycemic indexes of refined flours can be unhealthy, whole grains are good for you. © Grains Food Foundation. Grains Are Bad For You – The Anti-Grain Argument Here are a few of the arguments the anti-grain camp make, though the list of grains’ purported evils is much more extensive: Grains … The average person eats about 100 pounds or so of commercial bread each year. 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