Animal Writings

The Internet and the "real world" both have a plethora of information on whole grains. And I think most people by now have heard the message to include more whole grains in their diets, or at least to make sure that the grains they eat are predominately of the whole, as opposed to the refined variety. A wide spectrum of health and medical groups agree that whole grains have multiple benefits and should be eaten daily.

So -- I don't want to repeat too much stuff that you may have heard elsewhere, possibly a hundred times. What I'll do starting in the next post is present a list of practical tips on how to increase the amount of whole grains in your diet, as well as the proportion of your grain intake that's unrefined. But first, a couple of bullet points on why you want to do this.

• Epidemiological studies show that the populations that have the highest percentage of whole grains in their diets are also the leanest. I'm not talking about starving people, but people who get enough calories. Clinical studies have shown the same results. (Email me if you want the details—author, journal, volume, and so forth.)
  
  It's not all about weight, but extra poundage a) puts a strain on nearly every part of your body, including vital organs and bones and joints, b) is correlated with several deadly diseases, c) may even affect your self-esteem.


• Studies show that eating a sufficient amount of whole grains reduces your risk of—among other things—heart disease and certain cancers.

Next: Tips on how to easily up your whole grain intake.

To be continued...

Labels: diet, whole grains