Whole Grains
A Good Addition to Your Diet for Most
Whole grains like wheat, spelt and rice in their whole, unprocessed forms provide B vitamins in abundance, as well as vitamin E, magnesium, zinc, iron & more. These nutrients are destroyed or gotten rid of when these grains are processed & refined. With the fortification process, some of the B vitamins are added back in, but not all of them, which can create and imbalance. In addition, they use a synthetic form. Some researchers believe that the iron that is added back into fortified refined grains like white flour may cause tissue damage and may be linked to heart disease.
Whole Grains Need to Be Properly Prepared
One warning about whole grains that most people have not heard before is that the bran in whole grains is high in phytates, or phytic acid. This will combine with certain minerals in the digestive tract, like calcium, magnesium & zinc, and block their absorption. Whole grains also contain enzyme inhibitors that can interfere with digestion. This is why grains were traditionally soaked before eating, so that the phytates were neutralized. Soaking in water and/or an acidic medium, as well as old-fashioned sour leavening can all help reduce the phytates and make whole grains more digestable. For more on this, see Sally Fallon’s book: Nourishing Traditions.
Whole Grains Better Eaten With Fat & Protein Foods in Your Diet
Whole grains are complex carbohydrates, and tend to be turned to glucose in the blood more slowly than refined grain products. However, they too are a concentrated source of carbohydrates that can cause an undesirable increase in blood sugar if eaten alone. Always try to eat your grains with other foods that have fat and protein in them so as to slow down the increase in blood sugar.
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