When your hair and teeth fall out - eat lots of bread

Try 12 Grain Bread....might be easier to understand. Might even increase your Barber bill. 

Tom said:

No bricks have been thrown in the Medicare discussion either.

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That is probably because no one understands anything anyone else is saying.

??? could you translate that  ;D

I think I'll quit eating bread go straight to the source.  Sugar and beans for me . 

Just Lou said:

As you pointed out, it's difficult to determine the difference by bread wrapper jargon because there is no 'truth in advertising' in spite of USDA requirements.

The truth is in the flour!

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Yes, my concern and reason I began exploring this was that lab result that indicated my fasting glucose level was high and in what Kaiser referred to as pre-diabetes range. And indicated that as we grow older and continue to spike our glucose levels we begin to become insulin sensitive - and that leads to all kinda bad things such as type II diabetes. If after 12 hours of fasting that included some daily exercise my blood was still full of sugar it was time to check out the causes.

Years ago there was a Dr. Stillman's quick weight lose diet that I always went on when needing to lose a few pounds, then Atkins came along, and then South Beach diet. They were/are all low carb - but it was the SB diet that caused me to take a closer look at "why" low carb vs., say, The Pretikin low fat diets. And that led to learning of the glycemic index to compare foods as to their spiking level vs. other foods - with bread being one of the culprits if not chosen with care. Of course, some good news there when I discovered that I could eat some peanut M&M's that have half the GI of white or whole wheat bread.

As to the flour, you are certainly correct - that's where the truth is. My SIL makes sandwiches that I literally have to chew on the unmilled whole grain content. I don't about flour as such - but from what I read on labels, it appears they add unmilled whole grains to the milled flour to various degrees. And then there are flours that have no carbs to begin with such as Bran flours. The SB diet is big on oat bran flour. Generally tho I have discovered that the better the bread tastes, the higher the blood glucose spike.

Lou, thanks for jumping in - appreciated your feedback . . . 

I always thought that un-milled whole grains just pass straight through you without any positive or negative benefit.  Your digestive system cannot break into the seed, shell, or whatever it's called.  If this is so wouldn't ground or milled whole grains be more beneficial health wise? 

I realize that we chew our food but probably not long enough to crush all the whole grains in each mouthful.

That said isn't 100% whole wheat flour just milled/crushed 100% whole wheat grain with the husks removed?

We even put some ground/milled  flaxmeal on our morning cereal rather than flax seeds because the seeds are not digestible.

JerryF

JerArdra said:

I always thought that un-milled whole grains just pass straight through you without any positive or negative benefit.  Your digestive system cannot break into the seed, shell, or whatever it's called.  If this is so wouldn't ground or milled whole grains be more beneficial health wise? 

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Jerry, I believe that is correct in that raw, unmilled whole grains will pass right through -- but not without causing a lot grief on the way through. Horses and cows can tolerte them but humans can't. That's why folks on "raw" diets soak the whole grains X number of hours prior to eating them.

However, by soaking the raw grain, or adding them when baking bread, access to the starch in the center of the grain can take place by the stomach. A main purpose of the stomach is to extract sugar from whatever we eat. By milling the whole grain, we do what the stomach was designed to do. Ideally, sugar will be extracted slowly, as would happen when the stomach does the extracting. If we mill the whole grain before it reaches the stomach, the starch is already extracted so it goes quickly into the bloodstream causing a spike in blood sugar level vs. the gradual rise if the stomach does the extracting. So the same starch in white and whole wheat breads move through the stomach very fast. That's why their glycemic levels are high and the same.

I realize that we chew our food but probably not long enough to crush all the whole grains in each mouthful.

That said isn't 100% whole wheat flour just milled/crushed 100% whole wheat grain with the husks removed?

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Yes, only the entire grain is crushed and included in the flour - HERE is an image of the three major parts of a whole grain of whatever. Notice that 83% make up the endosperm. That's the starch part that is converted to sugar by the stomach.

White bread uses only the endosperm whereas whole wheat (whole meaning the entire grain) is baked from flour containing all three milled parts. That's why, as Ardra writes, that the best kind of bread to buy in terms of nutrients and fiber is the one where the ingredients first list, "Whole Wheat Flour".

However, that's not the issue. Both white and whole wheat breads have the starch already separated vs. letting the stomach do it's job. So it's the "sugar" in both that passes right through into the bloodstream. Whole Wheat bread is great in terms of nutrients and fiber, but not good at all in terms of ones blood sugar level spikes.

We even put some ground/milled  flaxmeal on our morning cereal rather than flax seeds because the seeds are not digestible.

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It the grain is ground/milled, the starch of the grain is quickly converted to sugar and into the bloodstream. Don't know about flax, but as noted above, soaking the whole grains by Raw eaters make that grain OK with the stomachs processes. I may be wrong concerning flax, but with other grains by soaking, then letting them sit until they begin to sprout will give you "sprouted whole grains" - and your tummy will love you.

Edit: After some googling, have posted more info on Flax Seeds - eating them sprouted, and their lower glycemic index.

JerArdra said:

We even put some ground/milled  flaxmeal on our morning cereal rather than flax seeds because the seeds are not digestible.

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Jerry, here's some info I have found on flax seeds - that I'm sure Ardra already is well aware of and why she puts it on your AM cereal.

o It is a Seed vs. a Grain. Though related, a seed is not a grain. One difference as far as my concerns are that even when milled it has a low Glycemic Index value.

o If the seed is eaten raw, it "does" pass through the body OK, and does not break down. This is natures way of insuring that the seeds can then still sprout and grow after they leave a bird or whatever.

o Several articles mention that even though milled, they cannot be absorbed by the body. The only way to extract the nutrients is to first sprout the seed. Milled sprouted flax seed has a higher nutritional value than non sprouted milled seeds.

From THIS article:

Flaxseed has natural inhibitors to prevent digestion. This means the seed can be eaten, pass through the body and still grow into a plant. This is nature's way of ensuring that animals, birds and humans distribute seeds. Contrary to popular belief, you cannot overcome this by milling or grinding raw flaxseed.

o Sprouted unmilled flax seeds "can" be eaten and digested. When sprouted, they have an even higher nutritional food value. Some do toss them on salads or include them in bread flours.

Note from THIS web page - about half way down:

To sprout place one layer on bottom of plate. Mist 3 times a day for 24 hours maximum. Eat the whole sprout.

Jerry, thanks for bringing this up. I love the fact that one gets the nutritional and fiber benefits - but does not have to be concerned about the glycemic index problem of most grains. In fact, one article I read indicated flax seed actually helps control elevated glucose levels.