Fast-5 Diet and Lifestyle: [fast5] Re: Update

Thank you Heather for your insight. You are always helpful in responding to my posts. :)

Indeed, it may be difficult for many people to tolerate whole grains because of wheat allergies and the like and you are so right in saying a carb is not a carb is not a carb. For a long time, it seemed like low carb worked for everyone else around me so I thought it has to work for me too. I was so wrong on many levels.

I am a woman who is hormonally challenged in every way. I cannot tolerate birth control pills, had an awful pregnancy with horrible mood swings and an even more horrible case of post-partum depression. Plus, I gain weight in my midsection which is a good indicator of my insulin sensitivity. I have adult cystic acne that I thankfully keep in check with benzoyl peroxide and my periods, as the years have gone by, have gotten more irregular. I suffer from pretty extreme cases of PMS every month. My breasts get unbelievably sore and I cry like a child and get angry and irritable. I have learned that my body CANNOT handle processed junk food in any form. When I eat it, my body turns into a fat storage haven and I feel all around miserable.

The healing properties in whole grains are remarkable. They are extremely helpful in controlling inflammation and they are loaded with antioxidants and fiber. As you mentioned, they help control metabolism and blood sugar because of their slow absorption. I might also add that the phytochemicals in the form of lignans really do act in sync with other hormones in the body to keep them in working order. They lower estrogen by binding with it and removing it from the body. On the plus side, I've always LOVED bran muffins, whole wheat bread, barley, cereals, etc. I guess that should've been my cue a long time ago.

Whole grains have become this hormonally miserable woman's best friend. My body fat distribution has changed dramatically. The fat hips and spare tire are no more. Plus, I feel normal. My PMS is under control and my acne has gone away.

--- In fast5@yahoogroups.com, Heather Twist <HeatherTwist@...> wrote:
>
> I think there is a lot of value in whole grains, apart from the
> "carb" issue. It's true whole grains have "carbs", but they
> also have a whole lot of other stuff in them that changes
> your body's metabolism and appetite. The discussion
> about macronutrients gets WAY too simplistic, to my
> mind. A carb is not a carb is not a carb.
>
> Basically when you eat, say, a bagel, the starches are
> digested almost immediately and they are handled almost
> like plain sugar. Finely ground de-fibered starches are like
> that: and they are noted for making farm animals sick
> because they feed the wrong bacteria/yeast. Bad stuff.
>
> Also, most flour products are fortified ... one of the things
> they add is iron, and a lot of us older folks have way too
> much iron in our systems. Ferritin is a signalling compound
> in the body, but not much is known about what exactly
> it is signalling.
>
> OTOH, when you eat whole grains, a whole other thing
> happens. The fiber in the grain fills you up, first off. It also
> slows down the blood sugar absorption. It feeds a different
> set of bacteria/yeast, which makes your gut happier. Happier
> guts are better at knowing how much to eat and how to
> use food better.
>
> Also, the whole grains are a source of IP6, which binds to
> the iron in your food and also chelates it out of your system.
> This is coming to light because this appears to help prevent
> cancer, but what I'm noticing is that it appears to help with
> some other health problems too. Dr. Eades has some
> data on the high ferritin issue in the Protein Power lifestyle
> book, and Dr. Atkins wrote about it some too, but it's
> one of those things that hasn't gotten much press yet.
>
> I had my stored ferritin levels tested, and they are rather
> high, although the "free iron" levels are fine. So I started
> taking IP6, and some CoQ10, and my energy levels came
> back and my heart arrhythmias stopped. I had started
> taking the konjac sometime before that, and while it didn't
> help my energy levels it did make my gut happier than
> it has been in a long time.
>
> Anyway, this is interesting to me because I've been on a
> low-grain diet for years (for various reasons, not due to being
> low-carb per se). Recently I started supplementing with
> konjac powder (fiber) and IP6. These have given me some
> of the health effects I noticed back in the days when I ate
> say, brown rice. I'm beginning to think that going "low carb"
> by itself is kind of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
> However, some of us simply can't tolerate whole grains
> much.
>
> Incidentally, my fasting blood glucose is better than it has
> ever been ... it's been going down gradually and now
> it's nicely below 90.
>
>
>
> On Thu, Sep 17, 2009 at 9:31 PM, littlelissa23 <littlelissa23@...> wrote:
> > Hi everyone, I've been at this for a few months now and I wanted to let you know how I'm doing. It's been a lot of trial and error for me but I've reached my goals.
> >
> > Firstly, I've read countless times on this board that nearly everyone here advocates a low carb diet. I have found for myself, with my weight training and running that I absolutely cannot eat low carb. It doesn't work for me AT ALL. It was pretty frustrating that I'd actually bought into that for so long and if I hadn't, I would've gotten to my goal sooner.
> >
> > What does work for me however, is a low fat whole grains based diet. I open my eating window at 3pm and I'll have a hearty bowl of whole grain cereal with soy milk, whole wheat pitas stuffed with hummus and spinach or natural peanut butter and a protein shake with some glutamine. Then I'll have some low-fat yogurt and some popcorn. By this time, I'm easily satisfied until dinner where I'll cook some lean meat/fish and have a huge portion of veggies. I'm not eating fruit because it doesn't seem to benefit me in any way. For a while I did "low carb" and ate only veggies and fruits as my carbs and found I was spinning my wheels. I was still soft and jiggly with no muscle and had no energy for my workouts. Now, I eat my meals and workout about 8pm with TONS of energy.
> >
> > It wasn't until I centered my diet around whole grains that I could put on mass and cut body fat. I started out here at about 140 pounds and I'm down to 115. Not only that, I'm not starving while I'm fasting. The hunger is easily manageable with my high intake of bulky low glycemic carbs.
> >
> > I'm not saying this is for everyone but it's definitely healthy for me. I've also read dozens of research articles on studies done by universities that demonstrate the huge benefits of a whole grain diet.
> >
> > Hate to be so in your face in refuting the rampant low carb dogma that's everywhere these days but I wanted to share that I'm living proof that low carb isn't the be all that ends all for everyone.
> >
> > Thanks for listening.
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Heather Twist
> http://eatingoffthefoodgrid.blogspot.com/
>