THIS WEEK IN THE HSI HEALTHIER TALK COMMUNITY On the nutritional value of grains we can safely state one certainty: There will always be disagreement. "What, exactly, is the logic behind recommending that people eat whole grains?" That question is posed by a member named Timco on the HSI Healthier Talk community this week. In a tread titled "My 'Whole Grain' Pet Peeve" which appears in the forum "General Health Topics," Timco says that his "raging eczema, acne and hair loss" all stopped as soon as he eliminated grains from his diet. He adds, "To my knowledge, there is nothing that is inherently healthy about grains (whole or otherwise)…" Timco's comments clearly make the point that grains are not a good dietary choice for everyone. But a member named Gerry offers a counterpoint about the vast difference between refined and whole grains: "We here in the Philippines are rice eaters. Now compare: Polished rice will just be simply starch. Unpolished rice will have protein, B-vitamins, vitamin E, tocotrienol, gamma oryzanol, vitamin B-17, and yes, fiber. So imagine what we're missing by simply eating polished
rice. "And again, compare: Refined flour is just starch. Whole wheat flour will have vitamin E, protein, octacosanol, B-vitamins, probably some B-17 as well, and of course, fiber." In another posting on the same thread, Gerry asks about problems such as celiac disease and allergies: "Are they associated with whole grains as well? Or only processed grains." Celiac disease is an auto-immune disorder in which gluten creates an obstruction to the absorption of nutrients in the small intestine. In the e-Alert "Rolling in Dough" (4/14/04), HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., offered these insights about grains and gluten: "The high-gluten grains are within the mnemonic BROW (Barley, Rye, Oat, Wheat). When completely unrefined, these grains in and of themselves are not the problem. It's when sensitive individuals run into them that trouble can occur (not counting the dangers of refining them into low-nutrient, low-fiber, high-starch blood sugar stressors). Most often, reactions can involve swings in blood sugar, which can manifest as headache, fatigue, increased appetite, and subsequently weight problems." A member named Mom has experienced the "increased appetite" problem. She writes: "Timco, I agree with you 100% on everything you said about grains, but my problem is I can't seem to stop eating them, I crave carbs! The bad kind. Is there anything out there to stop me from craving them?"
Timco's reply: "From one carb addict to another, the only thing that has ever worked to squelch my cravings is cutting carbs. I was always severely addicted to carbs till I went on Atkins, and poof, the cravings were gone. It was a very strange feeling not having carb cravings (or cravings for any food for that matter). I still get carb cravings sometimes, but now I realize that it's a blood sugar problem and not a weakness in my personality and I'm able to deal with those cravings in a more detached kind of way." Others, like Mom, who are trying to put a stop to the carb-craving cycle, will find Timco's step-by-step process posted on this thread. Other conversations underway this week in the Healthier Talk community include: - Vitamin Questions: Weight control
- Allergies: Asthma
- General Health Topics: Sublingual B-12
- Hormones: Hormone deficiency
- Vision: Pink eye
- Cancer: Cancer and glucose
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