White Pasta, rice and bread are Complex Carbs

Pebble321

I don't care how many people tell me to switch to brown rice "you won't even taste the difference" ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME! there is a HUGE taste and texture difference, you will have to pry he white rice out of my cold dead hands!

Hell yes, there's a difference - but like everything else it's a personal preference issue. I prefer the taste and texture (mostly texture) of brown rice but my husband likes white so we mix it up and alternate between the two.

Great info OP, thanks for this. I tend to choose brown rice and bread because for me they are tastier and have texture - white rice is dull and most white breads are gluey and tasteless. If it's a good white bread (a nice dense crusty loaf for example) I'll certainly enjoy that. I also think that brown bread and rice have more nutrition but it is a good point that in the context of a varied diet they probably don't contribute a lot.

Interesting reading!

suziecue66

In the end, whole grains or not, there are better sources of nutrients (modern processing of whole grains damn them to anti-nutrients), so if you're going to eat grains then you might as well eat the one that tastes best. Whole grains are largely overrated, which is why I rarely consume them and try and consume a lot more vitamins and minerals from vegetable and meat sources.

This is me too ^^ I try to get most of my vitamins and such from veggies. Which is where I get most of my fiber too. SO when it comes to a serving of grains it doesn't make a big difference to me.

Very much agree to both.

suziecue66

This should have been the disclaimer at the top of your original post. Would have kept all the people you could negatively influence from reading another word.

I thought it was common sense. I'm not negatively influencing anyone. It doesn't matter if you have Diabetes or if you're God, white foods are complex carbs. People assume complex carbs = good. Being whole grain or not makes no difference to the structure.

I am sorry I dragged your post off track. I agree 100% about the white carb statement. And while 90% of type 2 diabeties is caused by being overweight, not all is. AND there is no cure, only keeping it at bay. That is what you were suggesting I'm guessing. Ah crap I did it again. Anyways, thanks for the post. Very informitive.

I think you can improve your insulin sensitivity if you lose weight and still keep some carbs in your diet. If you go the low carb route you decrease insulin sensitivity even more over time. Yeh, not all type 2s overweight. When you think about it - gaining weight is a protective measure by the body to store the excess glucose (once converted) into the fat cells to get blood sugar back to safe normal levels.

downinaggieland98

I apparently also have an 'irrational' view of this. I've cut out white breads, pasta and rice and I feel great. I also cut out all artificial sweeteners. I had no idea how much processed foods I was eating. I get my carbs from sprouted grains, fruits and veggies, and have noticed a dramatic difference in the last 2 months.

I say, find what works for you, and just because it works for you, doesn't mean it's right for everyone else.

PaleoPath4Lyfe

I didn't watch the video. Does it talk about the benefits of the extra fiber in whole grains and their slower digestion and thus not raising your blood sugar as much as more refined grains?

Those things tend to be fairly moot in the grand scheme of things. If you note Colpo's quote I provided, he hasn't found any evidence that have shown whole grains are superior when you look at the whole picture. For example, you're mentioning fibre and slower digestion in a small context of just the bread itself but not in the context of an entire, variant diet which includes many other foods and nutrients. When you look at the big picture, it makes very little difference assuming that your diet isn't completely idiotic.

More people do need fibre, I don't disagree. My point wasn't that you should only eat refined grains or you should only eat whole grains. Rather, be reasonable and don't worry about eating that burger on white bun or that bucatini all'amatriciana made with white pasta.

I still eat whole grains but I still eat refined grains. The former isn't necessarily better for health or fat loss and the latter isn't the devil as some make it out to be.

All grains are refined and contain phytates that inhibit nutrient absorbtion. No thanks, I will stick my carbs coming from vegetables and fruits.

Grains have NO business being the heart and soul of anyone's eating plan and the clean eaters I know and am around barely consume grains, if any.

Acg67

I didn't watch the video. Does it talk about the benefits of the extra fiber in whole grains and their slower digestion and thus not raising your blood sugar as much as more refined grains?

Those things tend to be fairly moot in the grand scheme of things. If you note Colpo's quote I provided, he hasn't found any evidence that have shown whole grains are superior when you look at the whole picture. For example, you're mentioning fibre and slower digestion in a small context of just the bread itself but not in the context of an entire, variant diet which includes many other foods and nutrients. When you look at the big picture, it makes very little difference assuming that your diet isn't completely idiotic.

More people do need fibre, I don't disagree. My point wasn't that you should only eat refined grains or you should only eat whole grains. Rather, be reasonable and don't worry about eating that burger on white bun or that bucatini all'amatriciana made with white pasta.

I still eat whole grains but I still eat refined grains. The former isn't necessarily better for health or fat loss and the latter isn't the devil as some make it out to be.

All grains are refined and contain phytates that inhibit nutrient absorbtion. No thanks, I will stick my carbs coming from vegetables and fruits.

Grains have NO business being the heart and soul of anyone's eating plan and the clean eaters I know and am around barely consume grains, if any.

What if I get freshly picked corn, is that refined?

PaleoPath4Lyfe

one can always find evidence or opinion to support their beliefs.....I stay away from processed (especially bleached or highly processed) foods and white bread and pasta are certainly that.

You're missing the point. I'm advocating freedom, not restriction. There is no particularly convincing evidence to support that a diet that is 50/50 whole grains and refined grains vs. 100/0 whole grains to refined grains is worse.

Furthermore, I'm trying to explain to people that just because it is a complex carbohydrate doesn't mean it's any better. People assume that whole grain = complex but refined = simple when this simply isn't true.

People fear foods but there's nothing to fear. Eating white bread won't kill you. Yes, it lacks nutritional quality but, within moderation, it makes no difference than eating whole grains.

I'm not sure why you'd eat empty calories trying to lose weight. Surely nutrient density plays a factor in food choices.

You're missing the point. In the context of a fairly diverse diet, it's not a big deal to eat refined grains. Yes, they lack nutritional quality but it tastes great! If I'm eating 6-8 servings of vegetables and fruits a day and have yet to met my carbohydrate requirement, do you think my health will be negatively effected by eating burgers on white buns? No, it won't make a difference.

But Wheat Belly told me white bread was worse than a Snickers bar, I'm confuzzled

Omfgbbqsauce!11!!11exclamationoneoneoneone

Quickly! To the bomb shelter!

Harp Thank you, thank you and thank you again! Like you said, everything in moderation and who wants to eat their hamburger on a piece of wholegrain bread, not me!

i prefer to eat my hamburger with cheese and fixings with no bread. Tastes much better when you can taste the meat and vegetables and not some bland stuff holding the burger.

Fork, knife and a plate with the burger and vegetables on it for me please.

bugbeenz

Couldn't agree more with you, great post. I have in the past cut out all of those awful 'bad' white carbs and well, it didn't get me very far! (just had me craving them like crazy) I now take inspiration from seeing the people around me, who for the large part are all in a healthy weight range. I can honestly go days walking around without seeing a grossly overweight person. 'La cucina toscana' (the tuscan kitchen) obviously plays a large part of this.

Funny thing is white bread (freshly baked), white pasta, rice and lots of legumes are consumed in this part of the world daily. The key is clearly moderation. My problem up until 5weeks ago was my portion sizes, when you eat 2-3 times what you should be, you're going to run into trouble!