Heart Disease
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9. FOOD GROUPS FOR HEALTHY DIET
Wholegrains for Health
9.1 Wholegrains, with the husk removed, are the seeds of grasses like wheat, corn, rice, oats, barley, buckwheat, millets etc. Our ancestors relied heavily on wholegrains because they are excellent food for providing lot of carbohydrates for energy plus protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and fibre. The key vitamins and minerals in wholegrains are vitamin E, selenium, zinc, vitamins B including B6 and folic acid which are powerful antioxidants that help in prevention of several diseases, including heart disease. Wholegrains also contain iron, needed for haemoglobin formation. The benefits of wholegrains also come from their numerous non-nutrient components like lignans, tocotrienols, phenolic compounds, phytic acid, tannins and enzyme inhibitors, all of which are lost during the refining process.
9.2 Wholegrains contain three components: –
(i) Bran – Each seed is protected by an outer coating of bran which is rich in fibre.
(ii) Germ or Embryo – This is the tiny part that becomes a new plant if allowed to sprout. Germ is firmly attached to the bran and contains most of the nutrients including proteins, fat, vitamins and minerals. If the seed is broken open, the germ almost immediately turns rancid i.e. goes bad.
(iii) Endosperm – This is the largest part of the seed that feeds the embryo on germinating or sprouting. Endosperm is virtually 100% starchy carbohydrates.
9.3 Wholegrains and Blood Sugar – Wholegrains, being complex carbohydrates with low glycemic index, are digested very slowly, thereby maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. Unprocessed wholegrains cause blood sugar to rise gently, then drop back down slowly, providing a steady stream of energy over a long time. The many sugars in the fibre are so tightly bound together that they cannot be separated from this parent molecule and therefore cannot be absorbed in the small intestines. They bind to and delay absorption of sugars that are in the intestines at the same time, helps to prevent the steep rises in blood sugar levels that cause ageing and nerve damage.
9.4 Eat Wholegrains and Whole Foods – Nowhere in “Nature” do you find sugar or starch without fibre. Do your body a favour and eat mostly foods that have not been refined to remove the fibre and valuable nutrients. The fibre in wholegrains also promotes growth of friendly bacteria or probiotics. With an ever increasing upsurge of obesity, diabetes and heart disease, a diet rich in wholegrains is more important than ever. Children, as a matter of extreme urgency, too must be encouraged to eat wholegrain-based products. Whole foods must be introduced to them early in life as taste preferences are largely established in the first decade of life. If we don’t do this, fast food chains will keep on changing their taste buds to savour their unhealthy junk foods. Let us endeavour to put “Nature” back into our food. This is the only sensible salvation from disease. Healthy eating corrects most disease conditions.
