The refinement of the grain to make white bread is one of the most detrimental food processing mistakes in North America. I was inspired to write this blog because of an article I was asked to write on Wonder+ Invisibles bread. I came to the realization that sometimes I just need to get back to the basics and give you some nutrition 101. If I’m insulting your intelligence here by telling you how the grain is refined and why you should avoid white refined bread products, then just skip right to my joyous video below if you are interested in what I bought on my grocery shop this past week!
Here’s the deal, if the food product is white (ie. pasta, bread, rice), that means the bran and the germ have both been stripped away, leaving the inner starchy core. The bran is the protective outer layer which is high in fibre and protein. The germ is the part of the seed that sprouts, but more importantly, is the nutrient dense part containing vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids (good fats).
Food manufacturers mill the grain to a white starch and what you are left with is a food product that increases your risk for diabetes, obesity and nutritional deficiency which leads to disease. In other words nutrient-dead food.
To make matters worse, food manufacturers by law are required to then fortify the white product with a few synthetic B vitamins. So basically, they strip away the goodness and then add back in fake nutrients because if they didn’t and all you ate was white pasta or bread you would die of starvation (malnutrition). That’s thoughtful of them isn’t it? Why not just eat whole grain products that are nutrient dense because they haven’t been refined.
My fave brands of whole grain bread: Little Stream Bakery, Shasha Co, Food for Life, Silver Hills.
My fave brand of pasta: Eden Organic
Other whole grains I eat and reco which I buy in bulk from the health food store: Quinoa, brown rice, millet, kamut, buckwheat, oats.
Eating real food is a practice that we must get back to doing if we want to experience joyous health! We need to get away from all the refined junk at the grocery store aimed at getting food manufacturers richer and you, sicker. If you want to fast-track your health to feeling better, then immediately stop eating dead food. I mean really, since when did bread contain more than 4-5 ingredients. Have you looked at the ingredients list of that bread you toast every morning? The first or second ingredient is probably sugar followed by a list of non-food-like items.
Here’s that vid I mentioned below if you are curious to know what I bought on my grocery shop. I post all my grocery shopping videos on my joyous health youtube channel.
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9 thoughts on “Refined Grains vs. Whole Grains”
great information, very important!
Hi Joy, I’m interested in trying the Sea Buckthorn cleanser you referenced here but I couldn’t quite make out the brand. Would you mind letting me know what the brand is and where you purchased it? Thanks!!
I actually prefer the taste and texture of whole grains, which is a plus for me 😉 Excellent information regarding grains!
I need to remember to use sunblock… thanks for showing which ones you use!
I’m overly observant – which Larabar flavor is that? I like the two-toned packaging, haha.
Have fun at the beach! 🙂
Hi there, it’s by Aubrey Organics. You can buy it at any health food store. In fact, I’ve even seen it in some big box grocery stores in the health food section now too!
Thanks Joy! Can’t wait to try it. Have a great time at the beach!
Hi Joy,
I read that grains, even whole grains are bad for the body. I don’t know what to think anymore with all the information I have been reading on primal diets and grains. Also, they recommend little to no fruit. It sounds wrong to me. HELP!
Lisa
Thanks for the head’s up on the Maca Root! Your face is always glowing and your eyes always smiling, such a pleasure to watch your videos 🙂
[…] Avoid the refined white stuff. I’m talking about those white baguettes at your local bakery, white pasta, white rice, quick cooking oats. Why? This is sugar in disguise. Refined grains are stripped of their fibre (which slows the release of sugar into the blood stream), nutrient-DEAD, meaning they have been robbed of their vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, which is just a terrible thing to do to food. Check my vid article on Refined Grains vs. Whole Grains. […]
Hi, I just wanted to know, is it okay to eat refined carbs and sugars once in a while?