Grains: Pick The Best, Dump The Rest at Her Active Life

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Grains: Pick The Best, Dump The Rest

Posted May 6, 2007 at 06:00 PM by Seth Braun

Section: Her Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Weight Control

This article is written by Mr. Seth Braun, a network guest contributor, natural health expert and best-selling author. Seth can be contacted for a complimentary consultation through his site or at his clinic, (303)-444-2357.

The essence of the message of grains is this: Eat a wider variety of grains, in the unrefined state (whole, cracked or rolled), not in the refined state (bread, cereal, puffed, or crackers) and eat them in luscious, mouth-watering ways!

If you love the bakery, don’t worry; I am not going to suggest that you stop eating bread. I am simply going to suggest that you make other tasty choices most of the time and find ways that you can include the foods you like, including bread.

But wait, when I say bread and bakery, I mean bread that is made from flour, water, salt and maybe a few other ingredients for variation. The bread in the bread aisle at the supermarket is really a lousy substitute.

I know, I know, commercial baking has produced a consistently fluffy loaf that maintains its shape and is fun to eat. But the bakery bread that I get in southern France is entirely different. There is an art and a pride in the quality of bread. That is the bread I am talking about. Fresh from the oven. Eat it within a couple days. Yes, lovely, with some goat cheese and black olive tapenade. C’est magnifique!

Take a look at the ingredient list of most commercially available breads. Dough conditioners, corn syrup, texturizers, what is that for and how is this food interacting with the body?

There has been a great deal of research on the relationship of blood type to diet and I think the theory basically makes sense. Some people have evolved to be able to better metabolize certain types of food. This includes grains. For a great reference on this, check out Dr. D’Adamo’s books, Eat Right For Your Blood Type and the Blood Type Diet.

There are many dietary theories available and I recommend learning from them all.
But one thing remains ultra-super-incandescently clear: Reduce your refined wheat product consumption.

When the US government revised its food pyramid, it still placed grains as the foundation. But if you eat 11 servings of refined white flour each day, it will not support your health. Hands down. Bottom line. No if’s and’s or but’s about it. Well, except one. Lance Armstrong needs to eat a wheelbarrow full of pasta before he trains but that is the exception!

Now, if reducing your refined wheat flour consumption seems tough, I understand. Half my family is the DeSanto clan. We like pasta. We eat pasta. But I have included many other choices into my diet too. The Awaken Health Within You Program in the second half of the book will address how to make these kinds of changes in a way that you can enjoy, embrace and love. I promise that you will love what you are eating, love the way you feel and love the simplicity of the process.

Copyright, 2006, Real Simple Nutrition, LLC.