Whole Vs Refined: the Great Grain Debate
Whether it’s a slice of doughy bread, a toasted bagel, or a bowl full of pasta, rice, or crunchy cereal, we Americans really love our grains. In fact, we average about 8 ounce-equivalents of grains daily—more than the 5 to 6 ounce-equivalents of grains recommended for a typical 1,600 to 2,000 calorie food pattern.
The good news is that grains are a rich source of complex carbohydrates—nutrients that supply the brain and body with glucose, their key energy source. Grains can also be a good source of B vitamins including folate (which helps prevent certain birth defects, and may play a role in heart health), and thiamin and niacin (which help the body create energy from carbohydrates). They also tend to pack in minerals such as iron (an important part of proteins that transport oxygen around the body), and magnesium (involved in hundreds of chemical reactions in the body and may help lower blood pressure).
But while all grains contain some beneficial nutrients, they’re not all created equal. According to the Whole Grains Council, whole grains or foods made from them contain all the essential parts and naturally-occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed including the bran, the germ, and the endosperm.
Possible Whole Grain Perks
There’s moderate evidence that whole grain intake may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and is associated with lower body weight. A recent study published in Nutrition Research found that among a nationally representative sample of adults, those who consumed the most whole grains had the lowest body mass index and waist circumference.
Another recent pilot study published in Eating Behavior also found that consuming a diet lower in energy density, characterized by greater intake of vegetables and whole grains, may aid with weight loss maintenance.
There’s also emerging evidence that consuming whole grains is associated with a reduced incidence of type 2 diabetes. Although more research is needed, a recent review article published in Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders found that a diet that’s rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fish, and poultry and reduced red meat, processed foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, and starchy foods may slow down the progression of type 2 diabetes.
Refined Grains..What Are They, Really?
Refined grains are produced when whole grains are milled into flour to create a fine texture and improve shelf life. Milling removes the bran and germ, and only the endosperm—which contains some protein, vitamins, and minerals—remains intact. Although several B vitamins and iron are added back to the grain to create an “enriched grain,” refined grains often have less fiber and fewer nutrients than whole grains (especially if they’re high in solid fats and added sugars). They’re also digested and absorbed more quickly and tend to be less filling than whole grains.
Balancing Grain Intake
Unfortunately, Americans under consume whole grains, and overdo refined grains. On average, we consume less than a 1 ounce-equivalent of whole grains and about 7 ounce-equivalents of refined grains (many that are high in solid fats and added sugars). Current Dietary Guidelines for Americans include both whole and refined grains, but encourage us to make at least half of our grains whole grains, and reduce our intake of refined grains (for most, that’s at least 3 ounce-equivalents daily).
Since September is Whole Grains Month, here are 10 tips to help you reap the many benefits grains have to offer without breaking your calorie (or fat or sugar) bank:
- Look for a whole grain listed first on a food product’s ingredients list. Some examples: ‘whole wheat,’ ‘oats,’ ‘wheat berries,’ ‘brown rice,’ and ‘whole grain.’
- If you see a Whole Grain Stamp, that means the product has 8 to 16 grams of whole grains per ounce-equivalent. (16 grams counts as a 1 ounce-equivalent of whole grains.)
- Just because a food is made with whole grains doesn’t mean it’s high in fiber. When buying breads, cereals, and crackers, read Nutrition Facts Panels and look for at least 3 grams of fiber per serving (per 100 to 120 calorie portion). Try to choose whole grain products made with little or no added sugar.
- Replace ¼ to ½ of the white flour used to make muffins, cookies, cakes and pancakes with whole wheat flour, oat flour, or sorghum.
- Swap white rice for brown or wild rice, and mix it with colorful chopped vegetables sautéed in some olive oil.
- Choose whole wheat pasta in different shapes and sizes more often than white pasta, and top with any combination of beans, tomato sauce, lightly sautéed vegetables, or some freshly grated parmesan cheese or feta cheese.
- Use wheat germ to top low fat yogurt, salads, pancakes or waffles.
- Snack on some crunchy whole grain cereal mixed with nuts and/or dried fruit, air-popped popcorn made with a touch of vegetable oil and/or a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese, or whole grain crackers with natural peanut or almond butter or small slivers of cheese or low fat ricotta cheese.
- Try some out-of-the-box whole grains such as millet, amaranth, sorghum, triticale, and quinoa.
- If the only grains you consume are whole grain, make sure they’re fortified with folic acid, especially if there’s a chance you’ll become pregnant.
Your thoughts...
What are your favorite whole grains?
Elisa Zied, MS, RD, CDN, is a nationally recognized registered dietitian and award-winning author of "Nutrition At Your Fingertips," "Feed Your Family Right!," and "So What Can I Eat?!." She is also a past national media spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. For more information, go to http://www.elisazied.com/www.elisazied.com. Sign up for free weekly ZIED GUIDE™ newsletter for nutrition tips and news you can use (go to right side of home page at elisazied.com). Follow Elisa on Twitter/elisazied and on Facebook.
Comments
My favorite whole grains are none. Here's another reason whole grains are not as good as refined grains. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/is-rice-unhealthy/ ; White Rice is actually better from what I see.
These same negatives occur in all whole grains so without added sugars refined might actually be considered better. If you want the nutrients found in whole grains you can find them all in abundance in vegetables and much more nutrient dense and lower in sugar load. A one and a half cup portion of lettuce has 2-3 grams of carbohydrates...how much is that in pasta. 46.3 grams of carbohydrates besides fiber which all break down into sugar.
Just ask yourself this question if your body is constantly using these carbohydrates for full when will it ever use the fat you have sticking to your body. If you can't bring yourself to replace grains with vegetables at least eating less is a good idea and of course taking out sugars as per the article is the number one source of extra carbohydrates that are keeping you from losing so right on.
Keeping carbohydrate below around 150 grams or lower depending on how much you want to lose is best. More than 150 without doing exercise is not necessary if your heavily exercising adding on some per hour is beneficial.
Gluten intolerance is fairly common in the developed countries and I have developed this , the smallest amount of wheat sends my gut into overdrive with bloating and cramps. Like a true addict I have difficulty in avoiding the crusty grainy bread I love, although as my reaction gets worse it is easier to resist LOL!
I have wondered how I and others like me have developed this, is it just a sign of an aging digestive system or what?
I recently read in a medical journal that this is a result of eating factory baked bread. I don't know if this can account for me because I have not gone for the factory type bread usually although I guess I have eaten a fair amount in my time.
According to the article, the trouble is in the method of baking bread. When you make your own bread and in artisan bakeries , there is a lot of time for the yeast to develop, some times two periods for the dough to rise. This long process has a beneficial effect on the gluten.
For the factory sized bakery, time is money etc, they use some process which greatly speeds up the rising time so the yeast does not have time to effect the gluten and make it easier on the human digestion. If you are not exposed to the 'raw' gluten you are less likely to develop an intolerance to it.
As you can read I only have a sketchy memory of what I read. Does anyone else have any knowledge of this?
What part? Seriously how does it not make perfect sense that if your body prefers to use one fuel source first that it will in fact never use another fuel source if you fill it with the one it prefers. This is logical..why would your body randomly decide to use fat when its fine using carbohydrates and you give it plenty to run on.
my grandchildren are taught in school...the whiter thr bread the quicker your dead.......
I love Quinoa flakes. I cook some broccoli, spice and then add a little water (or use the water the vegies cooked in) and then add 1/3 cup quinoa flakes. They cook quickly, like couscous and they don't have such a strong flavor as regular quinoa. And, most importantly, they are completely whole, not refined. Quinoa is a complete protein. AND quinoa is gluten free.
PS raiken3712 link didn't work for me, 'error 404- not found'
Someone may have pointed this out, but did the author mean to say 'refined grains' in the quote below?
If the only grains you consume are whole grain, make sure they’re fortified with folic acid, especially if there’s a chance you’ll become pregnant.If you really want healthy carbs, eat sprouted grains over refined and even whole grain/ wheat. Read about it. It's healthier than both, and doesn't taste like crap (in my opinion).
There are many good points in this article, but the insistence on 1600-2000 calorie diets gets my goat. I eat in that range because I'm actively trying to lose weight. Most people need more than that. Considering that 49% of the population (in my country, at least) is male, and moderately active women usually need more than 2000 as well, I think the general need is not in that particular range.
I really dislike this normalization of low calorie intakes. 1600 to 2000 should not be the headline calorie figures!
I'm a big fan of whole grains. I make my own bread and grind the organic winter white wheat, or what ever grains I'm using. I also get whole organic oat groats and throw them in the blender for steel cut oats. I've added a variety of whole grains to that and even soybeans for protein. I've gotten used to the extra rich texture and flavor now, so now refined flour products are quite bland and gooey tasting by comparison.
Raiken3712: It is true that if you cut out all carbohydrates, your body will initiate glycolysis with fat and protein molecules. There is a reason your body "prefers" carbohydrates to break down into ATP (energy), only consuming fat and protein can create poisonous byproducts (ketones) in the body. This is common in diabetes, starvation, and even some low-carb diets. An accumulation of ketones in the body can result in ketosis leading to a lowering of the blood ph then; gout, nausea, kidney stones, and kidney failures.
Your body "wants" to break down carbohydrates into energy...why don't you just let it do what is natural, safe, and healthy?
Addressing refined vs. whole grains, whole grains are natural and they contain more nutrients and fiber... why wouldn't you want that?
lottie24, you're confusing ketosis for ketoacidosis, which are completely different things.
Lol beyond the fact I've been in the Ketosis range for over a month and feel fine...who ever said you shouldn't get carbohydrates I just said they should be limited. Ketoacidosis is not the same as Ketosis.
If this is whats keeping people from so called Low Carb diets its not an issue.
http://barnson.org/node/1773 check this out it details the differences
That being said because of a few different things you may not get enough of without vegetables its a good idea to get carbohydrates in the form of vegetables and even potatoes in some amount are not bad. Being in the 50-150 carbohydrate range is not bad and certainly doesn't constitute no carbohydrates or ketosis even if you believe those are bad.
Its the FDA (who is connected to pharmaceutical companies that want to make money out of your illness) a highly corrupt organization, who dont want you to intake whole grains. lot of the Govt branches are involved in it. Why do they want to create choices anyway. everyone know whole is healthy, why do they want you to choose? Even if it is written whole. they dont give you whole. you havent been touched by the whole grain atall. they remove essential oils and fibres from it.
Okay. Before we get into conspiracy theories regarding the government and our diets...we have gotten used to a diet that includes light, fluffy and moist breads. Being only human, it is difficult for us to always do the things we know are best for us: not overeating, not smoking, only eating natural foods, etc. Sometimes, white rice is just better for the recipe. And the types of fuels we use depend upon the type of work we are doing: do we need quick release of glycogen, or a long-term steady flow? That's why we need various types of energy sources.
I don't know, I do not feel our bodies are a scientific robot. Whole grains make much more sense than taking out the fiber and then putting vitamins back in that were taken out in the first place. My personal belief is that we were created in a certain way and by manipulating our foods we deprive ourselves of what we were meant to have. Hence, all types of health problems. This may be simplistic but I feel better eating a simpler, naturalistic diet than what is being 'fed' to us.
What "debate?" Thought whole grains won. Virtually every expert agrees. I like whole grain rye products. There's a "schwartzbrot" whole grain rye bread that's great. -- Also, Wasa brand whole rye flatbread. Rye seems to agree with me better than whole wheat. Lost weight with the simple, Dr. Gott, no sugar no flour routine.
Original Post by: philfan1raiken3712, your theory is too stupid to address, good luck with it.
This site needs like buttons :)
I am a total carb addict. I eat lots of (whole grain) pasta and bread every day. I also work out and am pretty active. I'm at a good weight, have loads of energy, have no major health issues, and generally feel pretty good. Give me white rice or other refined grain product, however, and I get lethargic with a couple of hours. Just like a grumpy toddler after a sugar crash. Point to whatever evidence you like that refined grains are fine and dandy, or that whole grains are just as bad as refined. This is not my experience at all. Sugar and refined grains send me into identical energy tailspins, while whole grains do not.
OKAY! So...the person who says whole grains arent even as good for you as white grains, or that you shouldnt eat carbs at all, IS NOT HEALTHY~! I'm sorry if you think that you are healthy, and that feeling a certain way is okay...but our body NEEDS carbs to survive, and whole grains are the BEST way to get our starchy carbs that we NEED to survive...because, unlike refined carbs, they give us long(er)-lasting energy and vital nutrients that are leeched from refined grains. Refined grains break down differently than whole grains. We need grains! It is unhealthy to deprive yourself of grains. Eating a slice of whole wheat bread or a healthy serving of whole wheat pasta is ONLY GOING TO MAKE YOU HEALTHIER! ~~~
What the kind of off the wall ...what are you talking about. No one said we shouldn't have carbohydrates. Those in grains are completely unnecessary however. If you feel better with more than potatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams are much better sources than grains.
You don't even have to have those though you can get as much as necessary from other vegetables.
You can't tell people that whole grains are worse than refined grains. It is not true! It is not true that not eating grains all together will make you weigh less. They are NOT bad for you. Yes sweet potatoes and stuff are good, but it is NORMAL to eat bread! Eating all different kinds of healthy foods is what makes you healthy, not just one.
Original Post by: lindenThere are many good points in this article, but the insistence on 1600-2000 calorie diets gets my goat. I eat in that range because I'm actively trying to lose weight. Most people need more than that. Considering that 49% of the population (in my country, at least) is male, and moderately active women usually need more than 2000 as well, I think the general need is not in that particular range.
I really dislike this normalization of low calorie intakes. 1600 to 2000 should not be the headline calorie figures!
The range of 1600-2000 is an average for the ENTIRE population based on statistics&nb sp;of age, weight, height, gender, etc. For example, I'm a small frame, SHORT young woman. Even weight maintenance for me is 1200 calories. I'm pretty active, and I eat healthily the majority of the time. A lot of people on here have text-yelled at me for not eating enough calories. I know my body, AS DOES my doctor. I'm perfectly healthy at this intake. But then, on the other side of the spectrum, is my gym rat brother, who eats probably 3000-4000 calories a day; he's perfectly healthy. With a massive range, an average is needed. The 1600-2000 calories intake is such an average, and of course a website like this with such a large demographic is going to rely heavily on averages. Just a thought.
Great comments all around - quite a few people with an axe to grind on various issues...
I am a PT with a nutritional background and 20+ years of experience testing and re-testing nutrition and exercise methodologies on 'real' populations of athletes and the general population.
Over this time we have seen fat as the demon food and removed most of it from diets - some people responded favorably but many got bigger..
Atkins taught us that we could survive (at least for a while and possibly feeling like crap) on a diet devoid of cards and excessive in fat. Many responded well to this losing weight and still many got fatter..
Now we still seem to be looking for the bad foods or the good foods oe whatever else will make it all better and turning the makers of fast food into the bad guys.
There is no such thing as bad food only bad food choices for a given outcome.
Riders in The Great Divide MTB race will eat everything as calorie rich and dense from carbs, protein and fat as they ca get their hands on in their quest to cover 2700 miles non-stop from Canada to New Mexico. Heading into the office for a day we would be ill advised to follow the same eating plan!
Let's stop making food the villain, keep learning all we can and continue to test what works best for us and our particular requirements.
Gotta go - feelling like a cold one..
There is plenty of variety in food without grains saying there isn't is a complete and utter fallacy. No one needs grains there are plenty of negatives to grains. The body does not process grains as well as it does other things for most people. Even many without celiac disease have stomach issues caused by grains.
Especially gluten but that is not the only negative to grains. Just because you want to be blind about the negatives of grains does not mean they don't exist. Regardless of the negatives existing or not all the positives in grains can be found in vegetables in a greater abundance and with less of a sugar load. A complex carbohydrate still breaks down to sugar and much faster than the limited sugars in vegetables do.
No one needs grains for health that is complete and utter trash. Even whole grains have high glycemic indexes and loads comparatively. Instead of just blindly following grains why not try a 30-60 trial without them to see if you have issues...many that start Paleo find that after 30 days they notice a good deal has changed. They had issues with grains they didn't even know they had. I'm not saying you should go ultra low carb I'm saying try something moderate even like 100 grams of carbohydrates. If your already around the 150 grams range you probably won't notice a difference but if you regularly eat 250-300 or more I bet you will.
I'm eating primal/paleo now too.... you should just give up this debate. You cannot fight CW, just do you and don't worry about the others. I don't waste my breath anymore. My husband and I eat this way and subscribe to Marks Daily Apple, but don't try to convert the masses. You and I know that we are doing the best thing for our bodies : )
Original Post by: thermlGreat comments all around - quite a few people with an axe to grind on various issues...
I am a PT with a nutritional background and 20+ years of experience testing and re-testing nutrition and exercise methodologies on 'real' populations of athletes and the general population.
Over this time we have seen fat as the demon food and removed most of it from diets - some people responded favorably but many got bigger..
Atkins taught us that we could survive (at least for a while and possibly feeling like crap) on a diet devoid of cards and excessive in fat. Many responded well to this losing weight and still many got fatter..
Now we still seem to be looking for the bad foods or the good foods oe whatever else will make it all better and turning the makers of fast food into the bad guys.
There is no such thing as bad food only bad food choices for a given outcome.
Riders in The Great Divide MTB race will eat everything as calorie rich and dense from carbs, protein and fat as they ca get their hands on in their quest to cover 2700 miles non-stop from Canada to New Mexico. Heading into the office for a day we would be ill advised to follow the same eating plan!
Let's stop making food the villain, keep learning all we can and continue to test what works best for us and our particular requirements.
Gotta go - feelling like a cold one..
I completely agree with this there is no reason to villanize food or macronutrients.
I cut out all sugars & grains and lost 61 lbs since 12/23/10. Heatburn, arthritis & acne gone. I tried adding grains & legumes back in and gained 10 lbs which I've lost again, yay! So I'm with you Raikin3712. Primal/Paleo all the way, works for me when I'd already tried everything else. The best part is the ease of maintaining. Now I just really need to get serious about excercising. LOL
Original Post by: philfan1raiken3712, your theory is too stupid to address, good luck with it.
Couldn't agree with you more philfan1!
Personally, I like the taste of the whole grain foods rather than refined. I stopped eating the "white" stuff like bread, sugar, vegetables quite a long time ago. It was more of a choice I made and less of a diet thing. It's been so long, I don't even think about the differences anymore.
Original Post by: RlrgI cut out all sugars & grains and lost 61 lbs since 12/23/10. Heatburn, arthritis & acne gone. I tried adding grains & legumes back in and gained 10 lbs which I've lost again, yay! So I'm with you Raikin3712. Primal/Paleo all the way, works for me when I'd already tried everything else. The best part is the ease of maintaining. Now I just really need to get serious about excercising. LOL
The reason you lost weight is because once you cut out all the sugars and grains you finally ended up on a calorie deficit!!!! That does not mean all sugars and grains are bad.
Notice how raiken3712 and christi462 are still overweight? You can lose or gain weight with infinitely different ratios of the three macro-nutrients; your total calorie intake will still ultimately govern your results. Obviously, it's better to fill your calorie allowance with nutrient dense foods and not apple fritters and candy bars.
There will be a new fad diet every year created by some "doctor" that's just trying to make a quick buck.
When I first started weightlifting, I was told to eat all the protein I could and no carbohydrates. I became fat and had no energy. Now I eat a ratio of 60/25/15 (carbs to protein to fat) and I ended up losing 36 pounds. It wouldn't have worked unless I lowered my calorie intake though.
Why do so many people over complicate things?
Original Post by: ketansaIts the FDA (who is connected to pharmaceutical companies that want to make money out of your illness) a highly corrupt organization, who dont want you to intake whole grains. lot of the Govt branches are involved in it. Why do they want to create choices anyway. everyone know whole is healthy, why do they want you to choose? Even if it is written whole. they dont give you whole. you havent been touched by the whole grain atall. they remove essential oils and fibres from it.
hmmmm... every natural ingredient is good for us. only if they allow us to eat.
I'm still overweight..what kind of a point is that..I just started this way of eating recently and still have times when I cheat and eat something with sugar or something I shouldn't
Calories in calories out is simply not at all accurate for most...do you think the hormones in your body have nothing to do with energy regulation or anything at all? Look into Leptin...its all tied into Leptin. If you're doing enough exercise to use the carbohydrates and than more you will lose weight. Weight lifting could easily be enough exercise to use your carbohydrates for fuel and than fat after that if you do enough of it.
The whole premise is that when you eat too many carbohydrates and your body can't utilize them the excess is stored as fat. If you have no excess due to exercise and you actually have a deficit than yes you will lose. If you were eating too many carbohydrates without the exercise you would gain not lose. You do need a deficit to lose but hormones play a major role in many of us.
Calories in calories out by itself is accurate for some people who never seem to get fat no matter what they eat...this is also related to their hormones and how their body responds to what it receives. There are several problems with grains but even with grains if you do enough exercise and you aren't over stressing your body you will lose weight.
Grains are a trigger for many because of the amount of sugar they break down into...if you utilize the sugar they break down into of course you won't gain weight. The fuel is spent faster than the fuel from fat or breakdown of protein though so it can lead to eating too much more easily.
I'd be curious to know what kind of eating you did with your all protein no carbohydrate diet. I'm guessing it was majorly deficient in something you needed. Your body was probably slowing down your metabolism because of this.
If you said that you ate a really good paleo diet with grass fed beef, lamb, wild fish, eggs, and lots of green vegetables and gained weight I don't think I'd believe it.
Your body with the right fuel will up your metabolism to a certain extent but at some point you probably could get too many calories and not lose or possibly gain weight. How many calories and what were you eating?...
I was eating awful with my all protein no carb diet. The majority of my calories came from deli meat, chicken breast, and protein shakes. I had no idea what I was doing... I was probably taking in like 10000 mg of sodium a day.
My only point is that you can eat bad and lose weight, and you can eat very healthy and gain weight. You can eat a "good paleo diet with grass fed beef, lamb, wild fish, eggs, and lots of green vegetables" and gain 2 lbs a week of fat if you are eating a thousand more calories than you need to a day.
Calories in calories out IS accurate. People simply aren't accurate about how many calories they are realistically taking in. Weeks where I ate 500 calories under a day I lost a pound, and weeks where I ate 1000 calories under a day I lost 2 pounds. It IS that simple.
I shouldn't have made a comment about your weight... for that I apologize. I was trying to make the point that it doesn't matter how healthy you eat if you eat too much of it.
Original Post by: renegadekittenActually, raiken3712 is spot on.
How many brainwashed low-carb advocates are there on CC?
If by brain washed you mean smart intelligent people that have figured out what works for them..than I'm sure there are plenty. Have you even tried it...maybe you tried VLC carbohydrate with bad food choices and didn't lose anything and so you think its a fad.
Or if you haven't tried it at all your just being a parrot and saying its wrong for no reason. The problem with calories in calories out is that people do not know what their actual intake and outflows are. Calorie labels are estimations and most things that tell you calories out are estimations. Body Bugs do seem to work for getting an actual outflow but not everyone has one and to get a good accurate number you need to wear one for most of the day.
If you ate the kind of food i detailed..which I was just pointing out ideal...grass fed is not necessary even if you did gain weight or not lose fast you would probably still feel better than eating higher carbohydrate if you were like many and didn't use the energy. Those that sit in their desk all day and do nothing feel like complete crap with that many carbohydrates.
The basic point about it not mattering if you eat too much is that you don't necessarily know how much is too much...if you are tracking everything perfectly and have a body bug for good outflow information than sure you can probably get a good enough number to say that, but many people don't and have bad numbers.
At the end of the day its no skin off my back if you never try Paleo because I'm losing weight and feeling better every day I improve my way of eating. Right now I'm not eating grass fed but when I do I'm sure they'll be an improvement. Your way of eating has to be an experiment..you have to fiddle with it some people can't tolerate dairy. Some people don't do well with nuts..they overeat them. Etc. Etc. Well has to be an experiment if you want to be optimal.
If you are fine doing what you are doing than great for you.
You don't need to apologize for saying something about my weight you were using it to make a point...a bad point..as I noted but nothing wrong with it. Its through good debate and experimentation that we can all live a far healthier and longer life than we would otherwise have.
There are tons of people that continue day to day living unhappy lives because they stay in jobs they hate and never try to find something else...this is me at the moment on the job front. Than there are those who don't want to think about food choices so much so they continue eating either the worst they can with tons of packaged food or sugar. There are also those who experiment and eat what they find is best for them and feel a ton better for it.
Good luck with whatever experiments and choices you decide to make.
I don't necessarily advocate low-carb. More like moderate carb. I've tried low carb diets and it just doesn't work for my body. I just believe in eating a good source of protein, vegetables, and fat in every meal and earning my carbohydrate rich foods (i.e. breads and pastas) after a work out. Throwing in some dairy and low glycemic fruits is important as well.
Calories are not just calories. You also have to think about what your body CHOOSES TO DO with those calories. I did the Insanity workout while eating 1,500 calories, but I would eat oatmeal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and a wrap for dinner and would also have snacks like sugar-free jello. I counted everything I ate and it amounted to 1,400-1,600 per day and I did not lose inches or pounds. Carbohydrates cause the release of insulin which is infamous for retaining/gaining fat.
But by all means do what works for you, but don't be calling BS on things that work for others. We all have individual needs.
and like you said, you had no idea what you were doing. There is a healthy way to eat low carb, there just aren't short cuts because you're eating whole foods that you have to tend to.
Then there is this quote to add to this discussion, "another reason to avoid the whities: chlorine dioxide, one of the chemicals used to bleach flour (even if later made brown again, a common trick), combines with residual protein in most of these foods to form alloxan. Researchers use alloxan in lab rats to induce diabetes. That's right-it's used to produce diabetes. This is bad news if you eat anything white or "enriched."" ~The 4-Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss
No wonder there is a lot of business going on with diabetes. see the connection now? they want you to eat that.
We buy grains and make flour by ourselves. at home or at local grinders.
The side effects of allergy medications keep some people from using them. Natural remedies can be a great alternative, but some are more effective than others.
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It seems very helpful.