Is The Grain Good For You?
Like all food, cereals also have benefits and harms

Cereals (also called food crops) are the largest source of energy supplies in the world.

The three most commonly consumed types are wheat, rice and corn .

Although they are widely used, health effects are often controversial.

Some people argue that they are an essential ingredient for a healthy diet, while others think they are not healthy.

In the US, health authorities recommend that women should eat 5-6 meals of cereal a day, for men from 6-8 meals .

However, some health experts believe that we should stay away from cereal as much as possible.

With the rapid increase in people who eat paleo (low-carb and high-fat diets), remove grain from the diet, people around the world are avoiding the use of cereals because They think they are not good for health.

Often from a nutritional standpoint, cereals also have reasonable arguments both on good and bad sides.

This article is intended to provide a more detailed view of grain and its health effects on both beneficial and disadvantageous aspects.

What is cereal?

Cereals (or simply grains) are usually small, hard, edible and grow on grassy plants.

They are In most countries, it provides more food energy than any other food group worldwide.

Cereals play an important role in human history. Cereal agriculture is one of the major advancements promoting the background humanity development.

People use cereals to eat, while also raising and fattening cattle. Cereals can be processed into a variety of products.

Here are some different grains:

Is The Grain Good For You?

Today, the most produced and consumed grains are corn, rice and wheat.

Other grains also consumed in smaller amounts include: barley, oats, sorghum, millet, rye and a few others.

Then there are some foods called scientifically they are not seeds but are consumed as grains. These include Quinoa seeds and buckwheat.

Foods made from cereals include bread, pasta, breakfast cereals, cereal muesli, oatmeal, tortilla cakes as well as other snacks such as pastries or cookies. Cereal products are also commonly used as ingredients for processed foods.

Eg High molecular corn syrup - The main sweetener in the American diet is made from corn.

Summary: Cereals are edible dry grains coming from plants called cereals. They provide more food energy than any other food group worldwide. The most commonly consumed cereals are corn (corn), rice and wheat.

Whole grains and refined grains

Is The Grain Good For You?
Whole grains contain more nutrients than refined grains

Like most other foods, not all grains are created equal.

It is important to distinguish between pure and refined grains.

Whole grains include three main parts :

  • Bran shells: The outermost layer of the grain. It contains fiber, minerals and antioxidants.
  • Germ: nutrient-rich core, containing carb, fat, the protein , vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other phytonutrients. Sprouts are embryos of plants, which help develop new plants
  • Endosperm: The largest part of the grain, contains mainly carb (in the form of starch) and protein.

Refined cereals will be removed from the shells and sprouts, leaving only the endosperm .

This chart explains the difference of whole grains (on the left) and refined grains (on the right):

Is The Grain Good For You?

Some cereals (such as oats) are usually eaten whole, while others are often eaten after being refined.

Many grains are often consumed after they are ground into fine powder and processed into many other forms. Wheat is an example.

Important: Keep in mind that pure grain labels on food packaging can be a big misunderstanding for buyers. These nuts are often ground into fine powder and have the same metabolic effects as their refined forms.

Examples of processed cereals for breakfast include "pure" Froot Loops and "pure Cocoa Puffs". These foods are NOT good for health, although they may contain a small amount of whole grains.

Summary: Cereals contain bran shells and seed germs, they provide fiber and all other essential nutrients. Refined grains are removed from these nutrients, leaving only the endosperm containing high carb content.

Some nutritious cereals

Is The Grain Good For You?
Oats are extremely nutritious

While refined grains are poor in nutrients ( calories empty) this is not true for whole grains.

Whole grains are rich in nutrients, including fiber, vitamin B, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, manganese and selenium (5, 6).

This also depends on which cereals it belongs to. Some types (such as oats and wheat) contain a lot of nutrients, while the rest (like rice and corn) do not, even if they are in pure unrefined state.

It should be noted that refined cereal is usually okay by nutrients such as iron, folic acid and vitamin B to replace lost nutrients during processing .

Summary: Cereals are poorly processed, but some whole grains (such as oats and wheat) contain many important nutrients.

Purified cereals are extremely unhealthy

Is The Grain Good For You?
White bread made from refined grains

Refined cereals are basically the same as pure grains, except all Good nutrients are removed.

There is nothing left except the endosperm contains high calorie and carb content with lots of starches and a small amount of protein.

Fiber and nutrients have been removed, and refined cereals are thus classified into "empty" calories.

Because carb has been separated from fiber, and even pulverized, they can now easily access the body's digestive enzymes.

For this reason, they easy Decayed and can cause blood sugar to rapidly increase when consumed in the body.

When we eat food there carbohydrates Refined, our blood sugar increases rapidly and abruptly decreases shortly thereafter. When blood sugar drops, we become hungry and feel hungry .

Many studies show that eating too many of these foods can lead to weight gain and obesity .

Refined cereals are associated with many metabolic diseases. They can cause insulin resistance, which is linked to type 2 diabetes and heart disease .

From a nutrition standpoint, no What positive aspects about refined cereals are over.

They are nutrient-poor, obese, toxic, and most people are eating too many of these grains.

Unfortunately, most of the cereals people load into their bodies come from refined grains. Very few people in Western countries eat whole grains.

Summary: Refined cereals have high carb content and they are quickly digested and absorbed, leading to a sudden increase in blood sugar, causing hunger and appetite. They are related to obesity and many metabolic diseases.

Whole grains have many health benefits

Whole foods are always preferred over processed foods. Grains are no exception.

Whole grains tend to be high in fiber and various important nutrients, and they do NOT affect metabolism like refined grains.

Is The Grain Good For You?
Eating whole grains is at lower risk, such as obesity, heart disease, bowel cancer and tends to live longer.

The truth is yes hundreds Research involving consumption of whole grains has many obvious health benefits :

  • Life expectancy: Studies by Harvard University show that people who eat a lot of whole grains have about 9% less risk of death during the study, about 15% less deaths from heart disease .
  • Fattigue: People who eat a lot of whole grains have a lower risk of obesity, and tend to have less Belly Fat more .
  • Type 2 diabetes: People who eat a lot of whole grains have a lower risk of developing diabetes .
  • Heart disease: People who eat a lot of whole grains are at risk of heart disease - the world's biggest enemy drops by 30% .
  • Colon cancer: In one study, 3 parts per day of whole grains reduced the incidence of colorectal cancer by 17%. Many other studies have shown similar results .

It sounds impressive, but remember that these studies are all natural observations. They cannot prove that whole grains reduce risk of disease or only those who eat new whole grains less likely get sick.

Besides, there are also (based on real science) shows that whole grains can increase feelings of satisfaction and improve health signs, including inflammation and heart disease .

Summary: Many studies show that people who only eat whole grains are at lower risk, such as obesity, heart disease, bowel cancer and tend to live longer. This is verified by data from controlled trials

Some cereals contain gluten - enemies cause some health problems

Is The Grain Good For You?
Gluten is a protein found in grains such as wheat, spelled wheat, rye, barley rice.

Many people can't tolerate gluten. This number includes the person who has it a serious form of autoimmune disease, as well as some people with sensitivity gluten .

Celiac disease affects about 0.7-1% of the population, while the number of people sensitive to gluten ranges from 0.5-13%, the most sensitive people fall between 5-6% .

Therefore, the number may be up to about 10% of the population with sensitivity gluten . In America alone millions Americans in the US have this disease, so this problem should not be taken lightly.

This is a serious disease caused by a food (wheat).

Some cereals, especially wheat, also have high levels of FODMAP. This is a form of carbohydrate that can cause digestive difficulties in humans .

However, just because gluten causes problems for many people does not mean that cereals are not good for health. Because many other whole grains do not contain gluten.

For example, rice, corn, bran, oats (oats need to be labeled without gluten for celiac patients, because sometimes a small amount of wheat is added during processing).

Summary: Gluten is a protein found in some grains (especially in wheat). It can cause problems for people who are sensitive to gluten. However, there are many other types of cereals that are naturally gluten free.

Cereals have a high carb content and may not be suitable for diabetics

Is The Grain Good For You?
People with diabetes may not tolerate a lot of cereals

Cereals contain high levels of carbohydrates.

For this reason, they can cause some problems for people who don't consume too much carbohydrate in their diets.

This is especially true for diabetics, who tend to eat and drink low-carb mode .

When diabetics eat a lot of carb, their blood sugar will skyrocket unless they have to take medicine (like ) to lower it.

Therefore, people with insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome or diabetes may want to avoid using cereals, special are refined types.

But not all grains are the same in this respect, even some of them (like oats) even have many benefits .

A small study showed that oatmeal reduced blood sugar in diabetics, and reduced insulin demand by 40% .

Although avoiding the use of all cereals seems to be a good idea for diabetics (because of their carb content), whole grains are at least worse than the past. refined .

Summary: Cereals contain lots of carbohydrates so they are not suitable for people who follow a low-carb diet. People with diabetes may not be able to tolerate a lot of cereals due to their relatively high carbohydrate content.

Cereals contain anti-nutritional substances, but there are ways to reduce them

A common argument against the value of cereals is that they contain .

Anti-nutritional substances in food, especially plants, interfere with digestion and absorb other nutritional ingredients.

It includes Phytic acid , lectin and many other substances.

Is The Grain Good For You?
Phytic acid can bind minerals and prevent them from being absorbed, while lectin can harm the intestine .

However, it is important to note that antimicrobial agents are not typical of cereals. They are also found in some categories healthy food , like nuts, bean , fruits and even fruits and vegetables.

If we have to avoid all foods that contain antimicrobials, there will be no more edible types.

Can say that the Traditional such as immersion, germination and fermentation can reduce most antimicrobial substances .

Unfortunately, most of the grains consumed today do not undergo these processing methods. So they can contain a large amount of anti-nutrient substances.

However, the fact that food contains anti-nutritional substances does not mean it has a bad effect. Each type of food has its own advantages and disadvantages. Whole grains are often far beyond the bad effects of anti-nutritional substances.

Summary: Like other foods, cereals often contain anti-nutritional substances like phytic acid, lectin and some other substances. They can be decomposed by methods such as immersion, germination, fermentation.

Some cereal-free diets have great health benefits

Is The Grain Good For You?
Several studies have been done on cereal-free diets.

That includes low-carb and paleo diets

In principle, the paleo regime avoids cereals, but the low-carb regime only removes them by the carb content in it.

Many studies based on both diets show that they can help lose weight, reduce belly fat and significantly improve some health signs .

These studies often change many things at once, so you can't say that just Removing cereals from the diet can improve health.

But they clearly show that a diet is not need cereal still helps people stay healthy.

On the other hand, there are also many studies about Mediterranean diet , contains only whole grains (mostly pure).

The Mediterranean diet also has significant improvements in health and reduces the risk of heart disease and premature death .

Through these studies, both cereal and non-cereal diets are compatible with health and have excellent efficacy.

Conclude

As with most things in nutrition, all this depends entirely on the individual person.

If you like cereals and feel good when eating them, then there doesn't seem to be any reasonable reason to avoid eating them all, as long as you eat mostly cereal. pure .

On the other hand, if you don't like cereals or they make you feel bad, then avoiding them doesn't hurt.

Cereals are not essential, and there are no nutrients in them that you cannot get from other foods.

In the end, the team is good for some people, others don't.

If you like cereals, just eat it. If you don't like them, or they make you feel worse, don't eat them anymore. Simple as that.