About 95% of white flour is enriched; therefore breads, pastas, cereals, rolls, tortillas, and pretzels made from white flour are enriched with nutrients. Calcium leaching from the bones and teeth occurs because of the altered phosphorous-calcium balance in these products. While refined grains have been demonized, it is useful to remember that refined grains contribute more than just energy (calories) to our diets. The millers discovered they could make the flour very white by bleaching it. Waistlin… Refined grains include white flour, white rice and white bread. The problem is not what we eat but how we eat. Try some of these healthy tips. Several companies (Bob's Red Mill, Cream Hill Estates, GF Harvest (fromerly Gluten Free Oats), Avena Foods (Only Oats), Legacy Valley (Montana Monster Munchies), and Gifts of Nature) currently offer pure, uncontaminated oats. 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). The short answer is that they are both. Here are some of the most common cereal grains: barley, brown rice, maize, millet, oat, rye, sorghum, spelt, and wheat. ; Refined carbs have been … 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. The “eat-only-whole-grains” message has become predominant in nutrition reporting. When grains are refined, the bran and the germ are removed, along with many vitamins and minerals. 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. This site uses cookies, to provide you a great user experience. Able to cross the blood-brain barrier, wheat-derived substances attach to the brains opiate receptors and trigger appetite and cravings. Recommendations to increase whole grain intake to reduce risk of many chronic diseases, including obesity, is clear. 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. This means that it has lost 28% of the bulk of the wheat, including half or more of many of the crucial nutrients. Nobody knows the effects on those that eat such additives. Are all refined grains created equal when it comes to health effects? Replace grain flour – Use almond or coconut flour. The average person eats about 100 pounds or so of commercial bread each year. By using Food Matters Website, you accept our use of cookies. Because refined grain products are nutritionally imbalanced, they are responsible for contributing to several degenerative diseases. Invariably, when we eat wheat, we get it in the form of bread, pies, cakes, cookies, biscuits, spaghetti, cream of wheat, cereals, and other forms that have been treated, heated, fractioned, and fragmented until it is next to impossible to recognize it for what it was originally. Eating too much of foods made from refined grains increases the level of bad cholesterol in the body. Also included in the definition are pseudocereal grains, which come from broadleaf plant families and include: amaranth, buckwheat, chia, and quinoa. “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. 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. When we refer to grains, we normally talk about cereal grains, which are members of the grass family Poaceae. But you wouldn’t know that from the headlines blaming refined grains on all the world’s ills. Milk is fortified with vitamin D to help the naturally occurring calcium be better absorbed. Some of the chemicals used as dough conditioners are similar to the anti-freeze mix used for automobile radiators. If we are to lean on the "staff of life" for nutrition, we must identify the counterfeit refined grains from the real, whole 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! We can reap the health benefits of good carbs by choosing carbohydrates full of fiber. There are two main types: Sugars: Refined and processed sugars, such as sucrose (table sugar), high fructose corn syrup and agave syrup. Even individuals who wish to avoid gluten can find whole grain foods to fit a healthful, gluten-free diet. While the nutritional profiles and glycemic indexes of refined flours can be unhealthy, whole grains are good for you. However, the evidence to support that dichotomy for whole and refined grains doesn’t hold up upon further scrutiny. Refined grains undergo a process that removes the bran and the germ. 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 … “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. The United States is suffering from an obesity epidemic, with two-thirds … There can be up to approximately 25 different chemicals that are added to refined grains and breads products. Whole grains: A grain containing all three parts of the grain: the bran, germ, and the endosperm. Whole-grain pasta is typically high in fiber, manganese, selenium, copper and phosphorus, while refined, enriched pasta tends to be higher in … They are empty calories and lead to rapid spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels. There is a jingle that goes: "The whiter the bread, the sooner you're dead!" But after being milled, it is seldom utilized in its whole form with its components intact. Food Matters may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our website. To give this softness and white-bread texture, mono- and diglycerides are added to the bread dough at the rate of about 1/4 pound per year per person consumption. Eating refined grains causes rapid spikes in blood sugar. Continue to include whole grains in your diet, but there is no need to eliminate the refined grains. *Oats are inherently gluten-free, but are frequently contaminated with wheat during growing or processing. At one end of the spectrum: intact, minimally-processed whole grains like quinoa and brown rice. 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. Please log in to save this item to your account. [3] References This makes the bread more squeezable and fluffy. Refined flour is the most processed variety of whet. Whole Grains vs Refined Grains. Choose whole grain foods instead of refined grains for good health. Refined grains and their food products are substandard foods for several reasons: They are excessively starchy and high in gluten. White rice, cream of wheat, cookies, and bowls of snap-crackle-and-pop each morning are all examples of refined grain products. Workers in factories where this chemical is made have been known to develop skin rashes from the fumes. The sweet, indulgent group of grain foods contain higher levels of fat and sugar than the staple grains. Scientific Revealed: Whole Grains Are Not Bad For You In 2021. The whole grain is not used and it’s processed the same way as barren white flour. Refined grains are enriched or fortified (see sidebar for definitions) with B-vitamins and iron. Refined sugars may increase your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Whole grains are digested more slowly than refined grains, which has beneficial effects on blood sugar and insulin (keeping levels of both down). Many breads, cereals, crackers, desserts and pastries are made with refined grains. The biggest source is white flour made from refined wheat. Refined grains have a high glycemic index, which means they result in a larger spike (and drop) in blood sugar after you eat them, compared to the effect of whole grains. 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. Bread has been called the "staff of life." Almost all grain products have been refined in some way or another. Cracked kernel grains and coarse stone-ground grain meals are much less refined. 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. Refined flours are then usually enriched, meaning some of those key nutrients lost during processing have been added back in, the FDA explains. Ok. Grains are bad, too much sugar is bad, a bit of sugar is bad, salt is bad, milk is bad, gluten is bad, egg is bad, meat is bad (acoording to some people), being vegetarian is bad (according to other people), everything you like is bad and what you don’t like, but got used to them, became bad. Just like most other foods, not all grains are created equal. 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. 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. The levels of HDL or good cholesterol is also negatively affected. Are these chemicals dangerous? © Grains Food Foundation. Refined grains are milled to have had the germ and bran removed, which gives them a finer texture and extends their shelf life. Refined grains do not possess many of the nutrients that whole grains do. 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. Ask your physician if these oats are acceptable for you. 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. In fact, one meta-analysis reported that higher consumption of refined grain was associated with a 5% lowerrisk of death from any cause. In the US, the familiar white flour which is the result of modern refining process is 72% extraction. 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. Weight Gain and Obesity. What if removing refined grains was not necessary for good health and could contribute to having fewer healthful nutrients in your diet? Refined carbs are also known as simple carbs or processed carbs. Fortified grains: Fortification is the addition of nutrients to a food where they are not naturally occurring. The making of bread and flour products took a real turn for the worse at the end of World War 2. Typical white grits, for instance, have a paltry 2 grams of fiber, which fails to supply even 10 percent of your daily fiber needs. While the DGAC recommends consuming half of grains from whole grains and reducing the intake of refined grains, the committee only reviewed evidence that looked at dietary patterns, not refined grains specifically. Insulin is needed to move sugar from the blood into the cells, where the sugar can be used as a source of energy. Whole grains contain fiber, antioxidants, the mineral magnesium, B vitamins, and plant compounds called phytonutrients that have many healthful properties. In moderation, they don’t provide too many carbs and their content of protein and antioxidants is underappreciated. A refined grain, or its product, is made by processing a natural, whole grain so that some or most of the nutrients are lost. But fiber isn’t typically added back in, … As the sugar level rises in your body, the pancreas releases a hormone called insulin. First, it is helpful to realize that you should know your stuff before you cut. Refined grains. If you can’t live without baked goods, make sure you read labels thoroughly. This increases the risk of … Couple blood sugar spike and raised pH level, and you’ve got the two main … Research has discovered why it’s OK to eat refined grains. You can stop feeling guilty now! Refined grains are often used in many different products, including breakfast cereals, desserts, pastries, bread … The chains of simple sugars, especially those in wheat, cause a greater spike in blood sugar than virtually any other food, including table sugar. In fact, one meta-analysis reported that higher consumption of refined grain was associated with a 5% lowerrisk of death from any cause. One of the chemicals used as a dough conditioner is polyexy ethelyne monosterate. Well, Germany banned all such oxidizers back in 1958, almost 40 years ago! What if refined grains are guilty by association with the other foods in this unhealthful dietary pattern? Whole grain foods are low in fat, nutritious and satisfy hunger. Here are some evidence-based reasons you should limit or avoid consuming refined carbs: Refined Carbs Are Low In Nutrients As you can tell from the refined carbs foods list, all of them taste good and have a feel-good effect on us. It is typical to pit foods against each other, to crown one food as good and healthful and another food as bad and unhealthy. They are practically devoid of natural fiber. 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). 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 refining process also removes many nutrients, including fiber. 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. Blood: Levels of sugar in the blood spike within a few short minutes of eating foods made from flour. privacy. Wheat is the key ingredient in the American diet. Somehow along the way, the message has been mixed up – putting a slice of white bread or a dish of white … Smaller particles make for easier digestion, meaning it’s easier for your blood sugar to rise after eating them. So for optimum health, eliminate all refined flour products from your diet and use only whole grains. There are hundreds of online recipes using these flours. Other chemical oxidizers are added to bleach and "mature" the flour, such as nitrogen dioxide and azocarbonamide. Staple grains, such as bread, rolls, rice, and pasta, Indulgent grains, such as cakes, cookies, pies, doughnuts, and other sweet desserts. They often lack high levels of fiber, which is one of the major health benefits of consuming whole grains. Brain: The proteins in wheat directly affect the brain. All rights reserved. But you wouldn’t know that from the headlines blaming refined grains on all the world’s ills. Enriched grains: Enrichment is the process of replacing nutrients that were removed when the whole grain was processed. polyexy ethelyne monosterate is also used in making peanut butter, ice cream, candy, and salad dressings. Refined grains: These are grains that have had the fibrous and nutritious parts removed. Fortunately, it’s easy separate the good from the bad. Inflammation in the gut. 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