Stop eating grains? Thoughts please.

kiannlouise

Question: Should I try and stop eating grains? Pasta, Rice and Bread? I heard somewhere you should?

thanks!

krypt5

Question: Should I try and stop eating grains? Pasta, Rice and Bread? I heard somewhere you should?

thanks!

Why would you? Are you sensitive to it?

sunnyzephyr

NO! Grains are a very important part of your diet. Cutting out entire food groups is always a terrible idea. The key is moderation.

sblanpied

It depends on who you ask.....everyone has a different opinion on grains and whether or not they are good for you. I personally have seen success with the Paleo diet....where you eat the same things that hunters and gathers would eat....like meat, veggies, fruits and nuts. You cut out things like dairy grains and processed foods. There is a great book called the Paleo Solution. You should check it out.

krypt5

In after paleo.

LabRat529

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/carbohydrates/MY01458

Read that and good luck.

LabRat529

I'll quote the part I think will be most helpful to you.

Choosing carbohydrates wisely

Carbohydrates are an essential part of a healthy diet, and they also provide many important nutrients. Still, not all carbs are created equal. Here's how to make healthy carbohydrates work in a balanced diet:

Emphasize fiber-rich fruits and vegetables. Aim for whole fresh, frozen and canned fruits and vegetables without added sugar. They're better options than are fruit juices and dried fruits, which are concentrated sources of natural sugar and therefore have more calories. Also, whole fruits and vegetables add fiber, water and bulk, and help you feel fuller on fewer calories.

Choose whole grains. All types of grains are good sources of carbohydrates. They're also rich in vitamins and minerals and naturally low in fat. But whole grains are healthier choices than are refined grains. Whole grains are better sources of fiber and other important nutrients, such as selenium, potassium and magnesium. Refined grains go through a process that strips out certain parts of the grain — along with some of the nutrients and fiber.

Stick to low-fat dairy products. Milk, cheese, yogurt and other dairy products are good sources of calcium and protein, plus many other vitamins and minerals. Choose the low-fat versions, though, to help limit calories and saturated fat. And beware of dairy products that have added sugar.

Don't forget beans and legumes. Legumes — beans, peas and lentils — are among the most versatile and nutritious foods available. Legumes are typically low in fat, contain no cholesterol, and are high in folate, potassium, iron and magnesium. They also have beneficial fats, and soluble and insoluble fiber. Because they're a good source of protein, legumes can be a healthy substitute for meat, which has more saturated fat and cholesterol.

Limit added sugars. Added sugar probably isn't harmful in small amounts. But there's no health advantage to consuming any amount of added sugar. In fact, too much added sugar, and in some cases naturally occurring sugar, can lead to such health problems as tooth decay, poor nutrition and weight gain.

So choose your carbohydrates wisely. Limit foods with added sugars and refined grains, such as sugary drinks, desserts and candy, which are packed with calories but low in nutrition. Instead, go for whole grains and fruits and vegetables.

ant_man

grains are important to every day, you need at least 5 serves of grains per day for healthy eating...
people that follows diets: are idiots! i am sorry, rules they shouldn't be rules about eating grains.. grains have fibre, are useful in carbohydrate.. they can fill you up and be less hungry later on..

diets shouldn't restrict food once u are off the diet you go back to your old habits and nothing as changed? sunnyzephyr is right, moderation is the key, what ever type of food you are eating its amount you are eating it in..

eat when your hungry and not when you think u are..

legumes are healthy for you, they can be a sub for meat but you need to combine a number of legumes together in one meal to reach the protein matrix of all AA amino acids.. in meat's/chicken they have a complete set of Amino acids where as some legumes are missing one or 2 Amino acids so combing a number of legumes with tofu will help you each your protein goal.

eat simple foods with fresh ingredients in smaller portion size

DannyMussels

Question: Should I try and stop eating grains? Pasta, Rice and Bread? I heard somewhere you should?

thanks!

If you're eating at home, you can make healthier versions, and actually know the nutritional content of the above.

The big problem with those things you said, is if you go somewhere, you're getting heaps and heaps of it. Usually 2-3x what you should be eating in one sitting.

i'm aware you could eat dinner rolls all day, and still lose weight..but having 2,3 or more at dinner is a bit much, as is a heaping plate of pasta that could feed 4, or 2 or 3 cups of rice in a stir-fry dish.

It's the amount that'll trick ya for the most part. And lord knows what they put in it to make it taste better (sugar, fat......^ calories).

Just be smart, and be aware of what you're eating, specially portions.

Caerthilian

No - don't stop! Apart from all the very sensible stuff posted here already, medical research has just concluded that the fibre you get from grains is more effective in preventing bowel cancer than fibre from other sources. Try to ensure you get 10 g of grain fibre a day - breakfast cereal and a couple of slices of wholemeal bread will provide that.

nanodot

I'm Paleo. Check out MarksDailyApple.com for more info.

You can get plenty of fiber, minerals, nutrients, and slow carbs from an avocado or an apple. There is no bodily requirement for the one small class of plants called "grains". Grains are fast carbs that spike your blood sugar, even "whole" cooked grains.

A diet of moderate quantities of slow carbs feels really good, and cravings pretty much stop because you aren't spiking your insulin all the time.

Just because wheat is easy to grow, doesn't mean it is ideal human food.

Umeboshi

That's like telling a zombie to stop eating brains.

CavewomanCoby

I'm Paleo. Check out MarksDailyApple.com for more info.

You can get plenty of fiber, minerals, nutrients, and slow carbs from an avocado or an apple. There is no bodily requirement for the one small class of plants called "grains". Grains are fast carbs that spike your blood sugar, even "whole" cooked grains.

A diet of moderate quantities of slow carbs feels really good, and cravings pretty much stop because you aren't spiking your insulin all the time.

Just because wheat is easy to grow, doesn't mean it is ideal human food.

Agreed.

krypt5

I'm Paleo. Check out MarksDailyApple.com for more info.

You can get plenty of fiber, minerals, nutrients, and slow carbs from an avocado or an apple. There is no bodily requirement for the one small class of plants called "grains". Grains are fast carbs that spike your blood sugar, even "whole" cooked grains.

A diet of moderate quantities of slow carbs feels really good, and cravings pretty much stop because you aren't spiking your insulin all the time.

Just because wheat is easy to grow, doesn't mean it is ideal human food.

You obviously do not understand how insulin works. Carbs is not the only thing that elevates insulin. Combining foods, slows the release of blood glucose. Rarely does anyone eats carbs in isolation in a fasted state. So the idea of slow carbs and fast carbs is rubbish. The body regulates the release of insulin well in healthy people. Unless you are injecting exogenous insulin, you should not be thinking about it. Also, the body keeps blood glucose levels in a tight range. Consistently high or low blood glucose means, you die.

Johnny_Castle

STOP EATING ANY WHITE GRAINS! but DO EAT whole grains.

happy_vegan

I'm Paleo. Check out MarksDailyApple.com for more info.

You can get plenty of fiber, minerals, nutrients, and slow carbs from an avocado or an apple. There is no bodily requirement for the one small class of plants called "grains". Grains are fast carbs that spike your blood sugar, even "whole" cooked grains.

A diet of moderate quantities of slow carbs feels really good, and cravings pretty much stop because you aren't spiking your insulin all the time.

Just because wheat is easy to grow, doesn't mean it is ideal human food.

im by no means paleo..eat gluten and wheat a lot but since starting MFP pasta and bread have pretty much gone out the window. they never fill me up and provide so little nutrition. i'd rather go with what this guy is saying above me and eat some veg!

happy_vegan

and one more thing... i started to pay attention to cravings and i noticed if i started my day with bread i always ended up hungrier (never have HFCS bread or anything, just good old fashioned grainy nut bread)...cutting out bread and keeping with my goal cals was so much easier. maybe give it a watch to see if your body is similar.

shakybabe

I have, but not completely.. when first started dieting I was still eating them and trying to build up my exercise time.. I was restricting cals but weight loss was very slow took me 4 months to get the first 9lbs off. I also have Hypothyroidism and had read about alot of people with this issue having wheat sensitivities so cut out my wheat based cereal - special K, bread with lunch, pasta, rice, potatoes, with dinner.. I don't bother checking every thing for tiny traces of gluten.. I just tried cutting out the bulk of it first.

I lost another 9lbs in the first 2 weeks... I cut it out completely at first then started allowing some carbs back in.. I allow Rice Krispies and Rice cakes but still replace rice at dinner with caluiflower whizzed up to rice size and steamed. I allow oats for breakfast too. I found some Gluten free breadcakes I like and allow them once a week, they are nice toasted with egg on toast (taste similar to muffins that you toast) and sometimes also allow a GF pitta bread and make an 'healthy kebab' or pitta chips to go with my hummus.

I try and cut out more flour products but I allow a mini yorkshire pud with sunday dinner as I'm a yorkshire lass,, got to have my yorkie pud.. lol!.. but its only a tiny one.. I don't eat any regular cakes or pies.. I allow a gluten free brownie from the supermarket when I do my food shop once every 2-3 weeks. white potatoes are now allowed once a week but only if I've lost some at weigh-in that week. For most meals potatoes etc are replaced with butternut squash, turnip 'chips' or turnip cut up like roast potatoes for sunday dinner, I found a nice carrot & swede mash in place of mashed potato and allow 1 sweet potato once a week.

This seems to be working for me and I've now lost one and half stone (21lbs) after a slow start, in fact I'm so confident now I've lost more than I was doing to start with that I've changed my goal and now aiming for losing another 25lbs... I believe its possible now I've greatly reduced the amount of carbs I eat a day and have managed to increase my energy and exercise levels.

Experiment and see what works for you.

Unknown

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TheGlen

My family and I have eliminated wheat/gluten/grains and couldn't be happier. My wife and I have lost weight, our kids have gained (both are what I would consider too skinny), and our son's adhd and tourettes's symptoms have improved.

We've been trying to follow the Primal Blueprint; here's some of the things Mark Sisson has to say about grains...

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-grains-are-unhealthy/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/definitive-guide-grains/


TheGlen

fiberartist219

LOL at the zombie reference!

Even people who are sensitive to gluten still eat rice and corn. Grains are not the devil. Refined grains though... you could probably do ok without. Whole grains are good for you though.

kiannlouise

Okay so everyone has a different opinion then
Thanks everyone for the websites you've copied in, I'll have a look at them after work today!
Think I might just cut back on the carbs, instead of iliminating them.

Thanks so much for your input everyone!

TheGlen

Think I might just cut back on the carbs, instead of iliminating them.

Weren't you asking about eliminating grains, not carbs (it's a different question)?


TheGlen

lmelangley

Before MFP, I couldn't follow a diet. Personally, I need to be able to eat what I want. Smaller portions, maybe. Making smarter choices to stay around my calorie goal, definitely. I haven't given anything up, and don't think I could have lost much weight if I had. But, everyone's different.

kiannlouise

I meant grains.................

Sidesteal

Unless you have a specific intolerance to grains there is no reason to eliminate them.

mrwall1

Being a diabetic, they tell us to stay away from everything white! potatoes, rice, flour and sugar! In moderation no problem, but try to stay away from enriched grains... eat whole grain bread, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, for better carbs

Kymmu

My husband and i went Paleo and off grains in January this year.
I lost 5 kilos, he lost 10.
We have a very healthy diet of vegetables, meat, eggs, some full cream dairy, a little amount of nuts.
Never felt better. Improvement of skin, weight, energy.
Give it a go for 30 days, test it out yourself.
I've tried vegetarianism for 12 months. I feel much better on this style of eating.

recesq

@krypt5 I'm sorry, but you are the one who does not understand how insulin works. Nor do you take into account that some people can be more resistant or less resistance to insulin. The ingestion of carbohydrates, even with protein, can impact someone's insulin level significantly.

TheGlen

Unless you have a specific intolerance to grains there is no reason to eliminate them.

There are many people that would strongly disagree with you (for example, the entire Paleo/Primal community).

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-grains-are-unhealthy/
http://goo.gl/qBjLb
http://goo.gl/AkpLD
http://goo.gl/SVKOP
http://goo.gl/cSsn8

woou

If I wasn't sensitive to grains, I'd still be eating them -- cheap, nutritious & tasty.