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So What’s The Real Scoop On Whole Grains?

Scott Kustes on 20 Feb 2008 09:20 am

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Let’s look today at two somewhat contradictory articles that are an exercise in showing how the media influences perceptions. First up, we have this article from EurekAlert: Whole grain diets lower risk of chronic disease

In this study (partially funded by General Mills), researchers took adults (ages 20-65) with metabolic syndrome and randomized them into two dietary groups.

Diets with high amounts of whole grains may help achieve significant weight loss, and also reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to a team of Penn State researchers at University Park and the College of Medicine.
….
They were randomly assigned to either a group that received instructions to have all of their grain servings from whole grains or all of their grain servings from refined grains.
….
“This is the first clinical study to prove that a diet rich in whole grains can lead to weight loss and reduce the risk of several chronic diseases,” added Kris-Etherton.

Of note is that the researchers asked the study participants “to consume five daily servings of fruits and vegetables, three servings of low-fat dairy products, and two servings of lean meat, fish or poultry.” So it was truly a dietary revamp for these people, not just a switch in the types of grains consumed, which is probably why both groups lost weight. I wonder why they didn’t have a third group replace their grain intake with more fruits and vegetables. But notice that the first line of the article is “whole grains may…” while the study co-author is saying “this proves it.” Actually, all it proves is that whole grains are better than refined grains, something I could have told the study authors without the need for them to run a study.

And here’s the second article, via Science Daily: Whole Grain Foods Might Reduce Diabetes Risk, But Evidence Weak

Wait…the evidence is weak? But Ms. Kris-Etherton just “proved” to us that whole grains reduce the risk of chronic diseases. This review study was conducted by The Cochrane Collaboration, which Dr. Michael Eades has pointed out, produces top notch material. Here’s the abstract.

“At the moment, because there is only weak evidence, no definite conclusion can be drawn concerning the protective effect of whole grain foods for the development of type 2 diabetes,” said lead review author Marion Priebe.

Yet we’re constantly told that whole grains prevent diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and every other malady under the sun. I will accept that whole grains are better for you than refined grains. That doesn’t really boggle the mind. What does boggle the mind is why all of these studies refuse to pit a whole grains-rich diet against a grain-free, produce-rich hunter-gatherer diet.

I’d like to go ahead and point something out here. There is no such thing as a “whole” grain in the human diet. Every grain we touch, from oatmeal and brown rice, to pretzels and white bread, has undergone some level of processing. There is nothing “whole” about any of the grains we eat. It’s a matter of degree of processing. Which makes it all the more laughable when I hear people talk about “whole grain bread” or “whole grain cereal”. Cereals are some of the most highly processed foods on the shelf. Just look at those crispy flakes. Does that even resemble anything you’ve seen in nature?

The bottom line is that Cochrane has it right; the evidence is too weak to truly prove anything. All we’ve seen are studies comparing whole grains to refined grains, which is a false dichotomy. There exist diets that contain no grains. But wait, we’ve seen one such study comparing the Paleo Diet to the Mediterranean Diet, that ol’ “heart-healthy” darling of the media. Anyone recall that the grain-free Paleo Diet topped the “whole grain-rich” Mediterranean Diet?

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Tags: CVD, diabetes, grain, heart disease, Mediterranean Diet, Paleo, whole grain

Filed in Dairy and Grains 24 Comments so far

24 Responses to “So What’s The Real Scoop On Whole Grains?”

1. Charles on 20 Feb 2008 at 11:14 am #

   In fact, here’s a discussion of a couple of studies that seem to show that complex carbohydrates are not good at all:

   http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com/2008/02/bantu-lpa-and-swedish-lpa.html

2. MIGUEL CARRERA on 20 Feb 2008 at 12:56 pm #

   Dr. Cordain gave a talk in London, explaining how plant lectins (whole grains, legumes and tomato)that can bind the EGF receptor in the gut, hence gain access to systemic circulation, can be a player in Coronary Heart Disease. His latest newsletter contains the first part of a two-part article covering this topic http://www.thepaleodiet.com/newsletter/newsletters/PDNewsVol4No1.pdf

   I also sugest you read the paper by the same team that showed that the grain-free Paleo Diet topped the “whole grain-rich” Mediterranean Diet. This paper (Jönsson, T, Olsson, S, Ahrén, B, Bøg-Hansen, TC, Dole, A, and Lindeberg, S. Agrarian diet and dieases of affluence - Do evolutionary novel dietary lectins cause leptin resistance? BMC Endocrine Dis, 2005; 5: doi:10.1186/1472-6823-5-10) is available on http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6823/5/10 and it sugests that plant lectins (again present in whole grains) could induce leptin resistance.

3. Migraineur on 20 Feb 2008 at 1:22 pm #

   “What does boggle the mind is why all of these studies refuse to pit a whole grains-rich diet against a grain-free, produce-rich hunter-gatherer diet.”

   Good luck getting those studies funded! Who’s gonna pay for it, the lettuce lobby? And I don’t know what the heck is up with the meat and dairy lobbies, but they’re not exactly winning hearts and minds at the USDA, are they?

   I asked Marion Nestle about grains vs. no-grains on her blog, and she gave a sort of cautious “go ahead and skip the grains if you like” response, while at the same time maintaining that whole grain eaters are “healthier” (than whom?). It’s sort of interesting - check it out. http://whattoeatbook.com/2007/12/31/whole-grains-philosophy/

4. Anna on 20 Feb 2008 at 5:36 pm #

   Doesn’t boggle my mind at all. But then again, I ate a lot of “whole grains” right up until I discovered that I was hyperglycemic, hyperinsulinemic and prediabetic (which contrary to popular belief, *is* a little bit diabetic). Curtailing grains put my BG and insulin levels back into the normal range. The tendency to develop diabetes won’t go away, so grains are off my menu except on rare occasions.

   And you are so right about the whole grain mistaken identity, Scott. A better term for grain flours would be “whole meal” as they use in the UK or “whole ground grain” if “meal” would confuse Americans. Unless the whole kernal is intact, breakfast cereals are not whole grain.

5. Althea on 21 Feb 2008 at 4:13 am #

   Grain - based foods are VERY addictive and humans tend to base their whole diet upon them if they have regular access to them. A grain-free diet is full of excellent whole foods and will transform any food addict into a healthy eater! Its the way forward, folks!

6. Amy on 21 Feb 2008 at 9:34 am #

   I found your blog last week; excellent information here. My husband and I are currently transitioning to a low carb diet — not sure we’re quite ready for paleo. I would love to break my kids of their seeming addiction to cereals and “whole grain” snacks (better than potato chips I guess, but still). Breakfast is especially difficult. My daughter will eat eggs and meat, or even supper leftovers for breakfast, but my son is super picky, doesn’t like meat much, hates eggs. What to replace the Cheerios and Mini Wheats with? He is a die-hard bread/cereal kid. Protein smoothies are fine in warm weather, but he needs something warm (or at least not icy) in the winter. Thoughts?

7. Scott Kustes on 21 Feb 2008 at 10:25 am #

   Charles, nice writeup and nice site.

   Miguel, thanks for that Biomed Central paper. I’m finishing reading it today and will have a post up on it soon. It’s good stuff.

   One of us needs to become wealthy and fund a study of a proper Paleo Diet vs what the media calls healthful. We could set it up with say 4 diets: Paleo, Mediterranean, vegetarian, and vegan, and perhaps two different groups in each: diabetic and non-diabetic. Someone call Bill Gates and get him to fund this!

   Hell, I’d be ok with them just actually reporting the studies accurately.

   Amy, I’m not sure what to replace the cereal with if you can’t get him to eat meat or eggs. I suppose fruits, vegetables, nuts, and nut butters would provide a decent replacement, though it wouldn’t be protein rich. What does he eat for lunch and dinner? Anyone with kids have any ideas?

   Cheers
   Scott

8. Anna on 21 Feb 2008 at 12:00 pm #

   Amy,

   I have the same issues. I have a 9yo son who loves cold breakfast cereal (not the the taste, but the independence it provides, too). When I go the highest peak blood glucose reading ever (& a not nice hypoglycemic low) from Cheerios cereal, I knew it was time. Despite the “low-sugar” label, it is semi-digested starch -IOW, a bowl of sugar. He gets his cold cereal fix at YMCA Adventure Guides camp with his dad, and at sleepovers at friends houses. Otherwise, we generally don’t have it in the house (he’d eat it 3xday if I did).

   I first moved to organic (Irish) steel cut oatmeal, soaked overnight to soften, then it takes only 5 minutes to cook, instead of 25. You can use the stove or a microwave, about 6 min at 50% power. Soaked grains are the pre-industrial way to use grains anyway and it activates the sprouting enzymes, which reduces phytate, anti-nutrients. Sometimes I added almond meal to the oats, too. I still make oatmeal for him now and then.

   I also have sprouted whole groats (oat kernals) by soaking, then dried them at lowest temp overnight on a flat pan in the oven, to have pre-sprouted oats ready in case I forgot to soak overnight.

   I’ve had mixed results with homemade granola. I don’t usually use a recipe because most are too sweet and I want a lot of fat in it (I use coconut oil). Each batch is a lttle different, and sometimes it just isn’t the right combination right for him, but sometimes it is. Hit or miss.

   But our best option seems to be a variation on French Toast that I came up with, that reduces the bread and sugar content and raises the egg content. My son loves french toast and balks at eating the over-easy eggs on a daily basis. So I combined the two to make a French Toast Frittata, sort of a compromise. I crack two eggs into a bowl and scramble, add some whole milk (or sometimes plain whole milk kefir or you could use yogurt), a generous sprinkling of ground cinnamon and/or nutmeg, stir to mix. YOu can also add vanilla or other flavorings if you like, but I usually don’t.

   I store our bread in the freezer because only my son eats it, and being only sprouted grain, honey, yeast, salt, it goes stale/moldy fast. I use one frozen slice, break it up into bite sized pieces and mix it in with the egg mixture. Pour into a small skillet, already hot with 1 or 2 TBL melted butter, cover with a lid, heat heat to medium-low or low. You want it to sort of steam, without browning too fast on the bottom (the steam also helps to prevent sticking if not-using non-stick because it loosens it as it browns). Sometimes I loosen the edges with a silicone spatula to let the runny egg go under, to hasten the cooking. After a few minutes I check it. When it is just about set in the center, I loosen it, and flip it over (sometime times sliding onto the lid then flipping, sometimes just flipping with the spatula). While the other side is browning a bit, I put a pat of butter on top and cover again, to melt it.

   If I am feeling really indulgent (like on a weekend), I put a very small square of Trader Joe’s 72% dark chocolate in the center top, and cover. After a minute, I slide the whole thing onto a small plate, and spread the melted chocolate around with a knife. If not using chocolate, I sprinkle generously with cinnamon/nutmeg and serve, sometimes adding more butter. Once or twice a week I’ll indulge my son with a bit of Grade B maple syrup, just a drizzle, about 2 tsp. Heavy cream, fresh fruit, and other toppings are greatbe great, too.

   He loves this, and while it is more grain and sugar than I would like, I think it is a reasonable compromise for us. He nearly always finishes this way and there is ample fat and protein to moderate the effects of the carbohydrate.

   And it really takes very little time. While it is cooking I prepare his lunch for school. I also have made more than one “frittata”, cut them into quarters, and frozen them on a sheet pan lined with wax paper, then stored in the freezer in a zip bag. A quick toasting in a pan or the toaster oven (or steaming in the microwave) and it couldn’t be more convenient.

   You can control the amount of bread that goes into it, too. I have sometimes used only a half piece, or just the heels. So that way it is really mostly eggs, but we call it “French Toast”. I have found the cinnamon is is key for reducing the amount of sugar/maple syrup they will accept on top if they are used to sweet stuff.

9. Anna on 21 Feb 2008 at 12:06 pm #

   I meant to say he loves *not* just the taste of cold breakfast cereal, but the independence, too. Sheesh, my proof reader needs a kick in the pants.

10. Anna on 21 Feb 2008 at 12:18 pm #

    Oops, just reread Amy’s comment and finally saw her son hates eggs. Is it all eggs or just plain eggs? Also, is he allergic to eggs? Some kids who don’t like eggs actually don’t tolerate them well, therefore the distaste.

    Does he like pancakes? How about something like crepes, which is more egg than flour, yet doesn’t seem like eating eggs? They can be filled with ricotta cheese, or whatever, or as we like them, sprinkled with fresh lemon juice.

    Also, there are “German” puffed (oven baked) pancakes that are also very eggy and only used a bit of flour. At first they seem complicated, but with practice they aren’t really. Sort of like a Yorkshire pudding. Preheated pan, hot oil (coconut?) or butter, pour in a very eggy batter, then popp in oven. It puffs, then collapses. Kids usually like it.

    But if he can’t stand eggs disguised in something else, I’ll hve to give this some more thought.

11. Scott Kustes on 21 Feb 2008 at 12:25 pm #

    And that is why I turned it over to someone with kids. There’s no way someone without kids could come up with that kind of creativity. Anna, you had my mouth watering.

12. Mark’s Daily Apple » Blog Archive » Reader Response: Simple vs. Complex Carbs on 21 Feb 2008 at 2:40 pm #

    [...] Modern Forager: So What’s The Real Scoop on Whole Grains? [...]

13. Marc on 21 Feb 2008 at 4:17 pm #

    Too bad about the eggs….I have 4 kids and can’t tell you how many eggs we go through. And only have them 50% of the month.
    To transition away from “sugary morning stuff” I always give them some fruit in the morning. Big bowl of melon, strawberries, kiwi etc.
    I do by for them some millet and flax seed bread. toasted with butter. They also like the “Kefir yogurt” I get it plain as the fruit varieties have a lot of sugar in them. Does your little one like bacon? If you get the natural kind, it’s quite filling in the morning.
    More to follow.

    Marc

14. Anna on 21 Feb 2008 at 4:26 pm #

    Marc’s comment reminded me of the baked custard my son likes. Yes, again it is eggs again, but they aren’t staring back from the plate :-). I use cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg to spice it and serve it for dessert, snacks, and breakfast. My son, when told there is no dessert served tonight, says, “but Mom, there is custard in the fridge and it is mostly eggs and milk”. I guess he’s listening.

    Like Marc, we go through a lot of eggs, about 4 doz a week for three people. Easy baked custard is how I use up extra eggs (or ice cream, coconut flour butter cookies, etc.). All fo these things are full of such good ingredients and low sugar, that I wouldn’t hesitate to serve them for breakfast. Well maybe not the ice cream. That would set a dangerous precedent.

    BTW, I have a fruit & yogurt snack post up on my blog (www.againstthegrainblog.com).

    The kids, they are always the ones to keep us on our toes. Aand jsut when we are coasting, they throw a wrench into the works - “I dont’ like that anymore”.

15. sarena on 21 Feb 2008 at 4:47 pm #

    Personally I was eating a high fiber, whole grain diet as a vegetarian for numerous years. Little wonder I wound up with type 2 diabetes, high chol (and perhaps even the breast cancer).
    Now I eat paleo and blood sugar and lipids are all within normal ranges, some even better than optimal

16. Migraineur on 21 Feb 2008 at 5:56 pm #

    You know, I can’t say enough good things about Anna’s coconut cookies. I’ve even eaten them for breakfast myself. (I usually just leave out the artificial sweetener, and they are plenty sweet for me.)

    Since she modestly didn’t post the link, I’ll do it for her: http://web.mac.com/gandasalvesen/iWeb/Site/Blog/6C219325-4768-4A1D-8B15-D11DE3BB53C1.html

17. Amy on 21 Feb 2008 at 11:40 pm #

    God bless you Anna, for trying so hard! He really does hate eggs altogether (I have tried the baked egg pancake (with flour, and apples — yum!), and custard. Even if I don’t tell him there are eggs in it, he doesn’t like it (I guess it’s the texture? I don’t know what his problem is — I love eggs!). I did suggest yogurt (homemade, with whole milk and a little cream for extra fat) and fruit, which he seems to think he could do, so at least there’s that option, and he may do oatmeal, which is at least less processed. Doesn’t like bacon (again, I don’t know why, the rest of us love the stuff…maybe too salty). I found a recipe for “muffins” made with flaxseed and almond meal, and I think he may go for those, since they’re “breadlike.”

    I think Scott asked what he eats at lunch and supper. He really is a grain eater. Pasta, sandwiches, peanut butter crackers. At least he likes salad, celery (with or without peanut butter), and carrots. Part of the reason I want to wean him off the stuff is just so I don’t have it around tempting me. How lucky people are who discover this way of eating before they have kids! One thing I’m proud of besides nursing my kids for a year is that I trained him to like the “natural” peanut butter; to the point that he won’t eat the sugary, trans-fatty kind. Guess I could give him a big spoonful of that for breakfast!

    Thanks all for your ideas…I’ll keep trying stuff till I find some solutions.

18. Anna on 22 Feb 2008 at 2:32 am #

    Amy, how old is your son? Perhaps he’ll grow out of it? I’m seeing signs that my son’s pickiness is diminishing a lot this year - he became much pickier at 2.5 yo and he’s 9yo now.

    Also, I just read something not long ago about “supertasters”. Apparently there are some people with more taste receptors at the tip of their tongue than typical so tastes are more intense.

    If you color the tongue with blue food dye, the papillae that are most “taste sensitive” don’t take the color as much or stay pink so you can see the number of papillae. You could dye your family’s tongues (sneakily, with a blue food?) and then compare to see if he has more non-blue spots at the tip of this tongue? This isn’t the place where I read about it, but here’s some info at Wikipedia.org: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster

19. Amy on 22 Feb 2008 at 8:09 am #

    He’s 11. Hopefully when he hits that teen growth spurt he’ll be so hungry he’ll eat anything I put in front of him! It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s got ultra sensitive taste buds, he’s ultra-sensitive generally. Thanks for the link.

20. Anna on 22 Feb 2008 at 5:27 pm #

    Amy,

    Cottage cheese? Ricotta cheese? With cinnamon and diced fruit or berries?

    Hmmm, have you tried just not buying cold cereal and letting him figure out what to eat with what *is* in the house?

    My son didn’t like it at first but when the cold cereal was gone, he started eating other options out of necessity (doesn’t mean there wasn’t some complaining or a transition time, though).

21. Amy on 23 Feb 2008 at 12:55 pm #

    Anna,

    That’s what I’m planning — as soon as the current box of cereal is gone, no more. Thanks for all the ideas!

22. Dan on 26 Feb 2008 at 11:33 am #

    When it comes to breads, make sure the first ingredient is whole wheat flour. Breads often sell themselves as wheat bread, but they actually aren’t 100% whole wheat. Wheat bread is only white bread that isn’t bleached. Whole wheat flour is the real deal.

23. Anna on 26 Feb 2008 at 1:25 pm #

    Actually, I make sure flour is *not* the first ingredient, whole wheat or not. To me, flour is not “whole” even if nothing has been removed. Ground up grains (flour) are quickly broken down into glucose in the body. If the grains are just cracked or largely left intact, they take much longer to break down into glucose and absorb into the blood stream.

    My son is the only bread eater in the house (I very relucantly get it for him). My criteria for bread (very picky, I know), is that it be made from sprouted grain, be flourless, be realtively low in carbohydrates (no more than 20 gm per slice), have no soy, and no added wheat gluten. I would add that I’d like to find one without added sweeteners such as honey or molasses, but I guess that might be impossible unless I start baking bread again.

    The one I get these days is Flourless Sprouted 7-Grain: sprouted organic grain (wheat, rye, corn, barley, millet, oats, and rice), water, honey, yeast, salt. They make a wheat version, but I am trying to minimize the wheat content so I get the multi grain.

    The sprouting is very important. Traditionally, all grain was sprouted slightly prior to use (not enough for a leaf), but that step was eliminated when grains were processed industrially. Sprouting or soaking overnight starts an enzymatic process that neutralizes anti-nutrients (in place to prevent premature sprouting of the seed), such as phytic acid, which binds with minerals, preventing absorption.

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