Carbohydrates have received a bad rep over the last few years.  This is unfortunate because they are essential to our health – they are not bad they have simply been misunderstood.  My goal is to undo your fears about these nutritious foods and understand how to best eat them.  Part of this misunderstanding about grains and carbs is linked to the whole processing and refining industry. 

The processing and refining of food is unfortunately a very common practice — A processed food is any food that has been altered from its natural state by any method, such as refining.  Refining is simply a form of processing, where food has been altered and generally stripped of its original raw fiber, fats and/or nutrients.  The most commonly refined foods include grains (white flour, white rice), sugars (white sugar), salt (refined salt) and oils (refined vegetable oils).  These processed and refined foods that have been transformed from a whole food to a synthetic food are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, creating high glucose levels and acid, which usually ends up as stored fat.  These processed and refined foods and oils are one of the leading causes of today’s rise in degenerate diseases and frequent illnesses.  

After decades of consuming the most highly refined food products, people are beginning to realize that we actually need ALL of what food provides, not just the fragmented remains.  The processing & refining process, specifically with grains, removes most of the fiber and vitamins, which are needed for our body to properly digest the food and maintain optimal health.  The fiber that has been removed from foods that are processed is necessary to help transport the nutrients and food itself to the designated areas in the body.  Eating foods without fiber is like a bicycle manufacturer creating a bike without tires, and expecting it to get you where you want to go.  It is absurd.

The White Rule

You have probably deduced that the “White Rule” has something to do with refined grains.  That is correct.  One of the first steps I have a client take is to minimize the “whites”.  The whites include grains that have been stripped of fiber such as white flour and white rice, along with white refined sugar (for weight loss I include cooked potatoes to the list).  Eliminating these foods and replacing them with more natural choices will make a huge difference in your energy, digestion, weight management and overall health.  If you were to only make this one change in your lifestyle for the first few months you would notice a significant change.

One of the most commonly consumed grains is in the form of flour made into bread.  Our ancestors usually soaked their grains and dried them in the sun before making bread, which often left the center of the bread raw, which made the bread easier to digest.  Today, most bread is made from bleached white or wheat flour with added chemicals.  Bread is so over-cooked now that it has little or no nutritional value and definitely no life-giving enzymes.  Whole wheat, whole grain and sourdough breads made from whole grains are better, but they still lack enzymes to aid digestion.  For bread to be nutritious, it should be made from sprouted grains.

It takes our bodies up to 72 hours to digest refined flours because of the loss of fiber.  In our digestive tract, these flours are like a paste — clogging up our colons, poisoning our system and interfering with normal digestion. With the introduction and use of these refined grains/carbs, “the industrial diet”, we have seen a significant rise in heart disease, diabetes, cancer and tooth decay.

Eliminate and Substitute

Let’s take this a step further and talk about what we are going to substitute these toxic processed carbohydrates with.  Essentially we will be eliminating the whites and replacing them with whole sprouted grains, whole grain/sprouted flour and natural unprocessed sweeteners and fruits. 

Pure carbohydrates in their natural state include fresh fruit, whole grains, sprouted whole grain products, legumes, vegetables, squashes and fiber.  Those will replace the altered or “bad” carbohydrates which include corn syrup, cooked fruit juices and cooked fruit by products, white & wheat flour (including semolina & durum flour), white rice, white sugar, chips, crackers, and refined flour bread.

If you are diabetic sensitive to starchy foods; concerned about weight gain and afraid to eat carbs; an athlete needing immediate long sustained energy; or simply want to keep your colon and digestive tract as healthy as possible, sprouted grains are your best friend.  Eating raw and sprouted grains such as dehydrated cookies/breads/crackers and raw grains is the most simple and healthy form possible.  Grains are meant to be eaten in this natural state and are vital to health.  Believe me; you won’t gain unhealthy weight/fat by consuming raw sprouted grains. It is just the opposite; they will assist the body with daily cleansing and appetite satiation.

The bottom line

I think that it is pretty clear how to best eat grains – whole, unprocessed/refined and ideally sprouted.  You can soak grains in water at home before cooking them or grind them into a raw pate or dehydrated food.  Fortunately sprouted has become a popular buzz word and almost every store, especially health stores, carries one or more brands of sprouted food lines such as Ezekiel (they make pasta, cereal, bread and tortillas all made from sprouted whole grains), Alvarado (they even make a sprouted pizza crust) and raw brands like Rawnola (make raw sprouted granolas)  along with numerous other companies now making raw crackers and breads.  There are numerous options out there! 

Related posts:

1. Weekly Food Tip – Sprouted Tortillas
2. Nutrient-Dense Foods that are Light on Digestion
3. Why We Need More Raw Foods
4. Get Healthier & Leaner with Alkaline Foods & Water
5. Gluten is Everywhere!