Saturday, February 17, 2007

GRAINS, WHEAT, AND RICE...


Someone made a posting regarding my Pizza, asking if there was a low fat version of the recipe. This is something that I felt I had to comment on because there are some very basic things that people do not realize about the whole eating healthy thing.

To put it simply, there is no such thing as a low fat pizza. Don’t think you can slap on some tofu cheese and think it’s going to be healthy I’m afraid. Why? Because no matter what toppings you put on a pizza it’s still a huge portion of bread, and the bread is going to add weight to your body more than the cheese will.

Now before you switch to another website and ignore this posting, thinking that I’m one of those anti-carb fanatics, because I’m not. Our brain needs glucose to burn in order for it to survive, so it’s not a good thing to cut out of your diet. There are also some very healthy things in a lot of grains that the body needs as well.

Now having said this, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t understand two very true and factual things that any nutritionist or diet planner with more than two brain cells will tell you:

1 Everybody processes energy differently. Some people pack on the pounds easier than others, and if this is the case, than you are going to have to adjust your eating habits if you want to lose weight. You will have to eat less of certain things than others, and balance health vs. portions.

2 Carbs are sugar! Carbs are very simple molecule structures that get digested and broken down into the body very quickly. They are made of monosaccharides, like glucose, galactose, and fructose. You know, those ose’s. Sugar!!!

So no matter how healthy that slice of 47 grain whole wheat bread you plan to eat is, and they are healthy, when your body breaks it down, it is still sugar! It’s just not as refined a sugar as the white stuff we buy in stores. But in the end, what’s the difference. If you eat enough of the stuff, you might as well be eating a candy bar, which would be the case if you eat a lot of pizza.

So I’m not saying people should stop eating carbs, what I’m saying is that the more refined the carb is (like white flour, even whole wheat flour or any kind of starch) you might as well consider it a sugar portion.

So eat brown rice, whole grains, but in moderation, because the body will turn it into sugar. Now if you don’t exercise, you should be eating even less of the stuff. Pasta, bread, and even high starch potatoes, carrots, beets are all things that are great if you’re a marathon runner or doing something where your body runs like a sports car, but if you’re like the most of us, you don’t need too many carbohydrates. Remember, the stuff is solid rocket fuel in the human body, and unless you are very active, the excess energy will be turned to fat.

So I’m not an anti-carb fanatic. I think people just need to understand the science of the human body more. Whole grains are still sugar, but a healthy sugar, just like olive oil is a healthy oil. But anything in excess is a bad thing.

Don’t believe me? Don’t. Go look for yourself, and learn that carbs in all its forms, no matter how healthy the delivery system is, is still a sugar.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, a whole blog entry just to answer my question about your pizza! Thanks Keith. It is confusing today to know what to eat. Everything is bad according to someone! I am looking forward to seeing your dough balls soon.

Rob A. said...

Maybe I'll just eat chocolate pizza and be done with it. That bread looks good by the way

Traci said...

hi Keith,

Very good post! Paul and I are going to try your fish concoction this week.

A couple of websites to explore regarding nutrition info are:

http://www.calorie-count.com/

(Look under library for articles. this is a good place to go if you want to analyze your nutritional intake for the day. Log your eats, and it does the work for you. I've been doing it every day.)

http://www.mypyramid.gov/index.html

(I've been looking to this site to plan our weekly menus and grocery lists. Helps to make sure we're getting the variety within the food groups we need.)

http://www.weightlossforall.com

(LOADS of articles giving basic info on fitness and nutrition.)

Anonymous said...

Don't forget that exercise is just as important as eating properly. Even taking the stairs instead of the elevator counts. It does not have to be an expensive exercise program. If you go dancing on the weekend, don't drink too mush or eat all the bad snacks. Just dance, dance, dance.

Suzanne Marsden said...

The critical thing to remember in all things is balance! If you can balance a beer in one hand, a dripping slice of pizza in the other and chicken wings with your toes you're doing fine.... uh... Um..

Ok, the critical thing to remember is that there are no bad foods. There is imbalanced, insane eating, lethargic lazing on couches and the like. One has to remember that we're here once, life is short, so enjoy it!

Austerity aside, it is great to achieve health because not having it sucks badly. Esp. if it gets in the way of living.

Good post Keith! Well-researched as always ;-) But Clayton has made it this far on peanut butter sandwiches & he isn't going to quit at this late stage. Looking fwd to more hearty dinner experiences at your place!

Cheers, amigo
Suzanne.

PS-- I know pizzas technically can't be low fat, but if you'd like to give this a try, check out my cool Polenta Parmesan Pizza: http://womangue.blogspot.com/2006/12/tasty-recipe-for-ww-core-folks-others.html

Anonymous said...

What! No bad food! I can think of LOTS of really bad stuff most of it is fast food and snacks that provide NO health benefits and a lot of useless calories. At least Keith is trying to combine nutrition AND appeal in his recipes.

P.S. Here is a quick drink and snack idea together. Brew and cup of your favourite orange tea and pop in some dried apricots. By the time you have finished your tea, you will have a yummy snack of warm soft fruit waiting for you at the bottom of the cup.

Anonymous said...

So seriously...when's the cook book coming out in stores?

Anonymous said...

what can wheat to for your body like healthy wise ??

Anonymous said...

Great Site. Was added to mybookmarks. Greetings From USA.