Talk to me about Refined Grains

[JenniferJuniper]

After a two hour appointment with his homeopathic doctor, hubby is determined to lose weight.
He came home with a remedy for his RLS (restless leg syndrome) and a list/plan:


Whey Protien twice daily between meals to replace snacking
Sugar - Nothing over 5 gm per serving
Snacks - fruit and only 2 pieces daily - eg. 1/2 c berriers = 1 serving
No Refined grains - no granola bars, cold cereal, juice
No Seconds (as his big issue is portion control)


So I understand refined grains as white flour/pasta/cereals etc.
But where does that leave bread? Whole wheat only, I assume, and what about food that has some wheat in it? He wasn't told to go GF, as I understand it. :scratch

So what are the biggies in refined grains that I should stay away from when grocery shopping??

Thanks,
- Jenny:heart

[Katigre]

Anything made with flour counts as a 'refined grain' in my book. So bread (even whole wheat bread) would be out, at least for now.

[Auroras mom]

Pretty much anything except quinoa, un-processed rice, and maybe steel-cut oats counts as refined grains in my home.

[JenniferJuniper]

So what about alternative flours, like Coconut or sorghum flour?
And if I get gluten-free flours would that be a better alternative than white/whole?

Thanks,
- Jenny

[LilacPhoenix]

Coconut isn't a grain;)

[HadassahSukkot]

I'd say absolutely no flours from grain. Because you have no idea how refined it is before it gets to you.:shrug3 (but, I could be wrong... just erring on the side of caution here)

Coconut is not a grain.
Hazelnut, pecan, almond flours - all ok.

You could do milk kefir, and water kefir... bone and meat broth, soups, salads, and all kinds of veggies.

[Macky]

Just because he's been instructed to avoid refined grains, doesn't mean he needs to avoid gluten.

Refined and processed are not interchangeable terms. "Refined" means something has been removed. "Processed" does not. There are degrees of both.

Take oats, for example. Steel-cut oats are just whole oats (including germ and bran) that have been chopped up. A chopped-up oat will cook faster than a whole oat because you've broken through the bran to expose the endosperm. Take those same whole oats and run them through a mill that flattens them (using steam to soften them a bit so they don't just shatter). Voila. Rolled oats. All the components of the oat are still there (germ, endosperm and bran), but rolled oats cook up quicker than steel-cut oats because more of the endosperm is exposed. And so it goes... quick oats are crushed even flatter and chopped as well... instant oatmeal is crushed and chopped to almost a powder. All of the above – instant to steel-cut – are processed; none have been refined. Now, pulverize the oat to a powder and sift out the bran... then you can call the flour refined. Something has been removed that nature intended to be eaten in combination with that grain. Enter trouble.

I'd conclude that any bread that's been made with the whole entire grain would be permitted by that list you posted. A lot of "whole wheat" breads have had the grain refined first and then some of the bran added back in. Some white-flour breads are dyed brown with molasses to make them appear healthier to unsuspecting consumers. I'd look for whole-grain artizan breads and/or those with few ingredients. Look for sturdy, heavy breads; if it's unnaturally light and squishy, it's more likely it was made with refined flours.

All flour is processed, no matter what the source (grains, nuts, etc.). They will convert to sugars in your body faster than the whole grain, nuts, etc. Judging by the list, your DH is being guided to foods that take longer to convert to sugars. For example, juice (prohibited) is going to hit your system faster and in a different way than a piece of fruit (allowed) because that piece of fruit still retains its natural fibre to help balance the sugar content.

[Soliloquy]

Because it is very hard to find properly prepared grains (to minimize phytates) I would avoid all store-bought breads.

Eliminating wheat entirely and replacing it with vegetables will likely really help him lose weight.

The mistake many make is to.forget to increase fats. You need to make a conscious effort to increase fats.

Sounds like a great homeopath.

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[JenniferJuniper]

Just because he's been instructed to avoid refined grains, doesn't mean he needs to avoid gluten.

Refined and processed are not interchangeable terms. "Refined" means something has been removed. "Processed" does not. There are degrees of both.

Take oats, for example. Steel-cut oats are just whole oats (including germ and bran) that have been chopped up. A chopped-up oat will cook faster than a whole oat because you've broken through the bran to expose the endosperm. Take those same whole oats and run them through a mill that flattens them (using steam to soften them a bit so they don't just shatter). Voila. Rolled oats. All the components of the oat are still there (germ, endosperm and bran), but rolled oats cook up quicker than steel-cut oats because more of the endosperm is exposed. And so it goes... quick oats are crushed even flatter and chopped as well... instant oatmeal is crushed and chopped to almost a powder. All of the above – instant to steel-cut – are processed; none have been refined. Now, pulverize the oat to a powder and sift out the bran... then you can call the flour refined. Something has been removed that nature intended to be eaten in combination with that grain. Enter trouble.

I'd conclude that any bread that's been made with the whole entire grain would be permitted by that list you posted. A lot of "whole wheat" breads have had the grain refined first and then some of the bran added back in. Some white-flour breads are dyed brown with molasses to make them appear healthier to unsuspecting consumers. I'd look for whole-grain artizan breads and/or those with few ingredients. Look for sturdy, heavy breads; if it's unnaturally light and squishy, it's more likely it was made with refined flours.

All flour is processed, no matter what the source (grains, nuts, etc.). They will convert to sugars in your body faster than the whole grain, nuts, etc. Judging by the list, your DH is being guided to foods that take longer to convert to sugars. For example, juice (prohibited) is going to hit your system faster and in a different way than a piece of fruit (allowed) because that piece of fruit still retains its natural fibre to help balance the sugar content.

Thank you SO much! I kept feeling like I was missing something! :hugs
I'm working my way through "Nourishing Traditions" and learning a lot.
I tend to make my own bread, but have always used unbleached white (or whole grain) if I were to make my own bread what sort of 'flour' should I look to use in recipes? :scratch

Because it is very hard to find properly prepared grains (to minimize phytates) I would avoid all store-bought breads.

Eliminating wheat entirely and replacing it with vegetables will likely really help him lose weight.

The mistake many make is to.forget to increase fats. You need to make a conscious effort to increase fats.

Sounds like a great homeopath.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

Well so far we're doing pretty good - thanks for the reminder of fats.
We're big virgin olive-oil and coconut oil users, so I feel like we're getting enough healthy fats in our diets
:lol His homeopath is actually his mother - it's so easy to take advice from anyone but your mom, apparently.
Finally I convinced him to just go out for a coffee with her, and they were able to have a good talk about his health. :D

Peace,
- Jenny

[Soliloquy]

If you want to make your own bread, look for 100% whole wheat flour with no additives, especially no bromate. Sourdough is optimal.

You may enjoy the book, "Vintage Remedies Guide to Bread."

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[Auroras mom]

I do like coconut flour and almond flour. /nod

[MercyInDisguise]

If you want to make your own bread, look for 100% whole wheat flour with no additives, especially no bromate. Sourdough is optimal.

Be warned, it does take a little time to build up a tolerance for the stronger taste of sourdough bread though...

[greengirl19]

Be warned, it does take a little time to build up a tolerance for the stronger taste of sourdough bread though...

And even when you're used to it, it doesn't make very good pj&j :no

It's quite easy to make your own whole wheat bread (so you're sure of the quality and ingredients). I grind my own flour, so I know it's whole wheat. But I also like and occasionally use King Arthur flour from the grocery store. They have regular whole wheat and white whole wheat (which is still whole, but slightly lighter in taste and texture). Sourdough is very helpful in terms of digestability.