| Answer: | We' re talking here about refmed carbohydrates - sugar and grains mostly, including white sugar, bread, rice and pasta. A grain is made up of three key parts - the germ, which contains the plant embryo; the starch, which feeds it; and the bran, which surrounds it all, inside the husk (which we don' t eat).
The bran and germ have been removed in white rice, bread or pasta, leaving just the white-coloured starch. The problem with this is that the bran and germ contain almost all of the nutrients - fibre, B vitamins, minerals, vitamin E - while the starch part provides little more than simple sugars and a small amount of protein. White rice, bread and sugar contain 80 to 90 per cent fewer minerals, vitamins and fibre than brown rice, wholemeal bread/pasta or raw sugar. Nutritionists generally consider refined carbohydrates to be ' bad' foods because they provide a lot of calories but very few nutrients, whereas the path to optimum health and longevity is generally fewer calories and more nutrients.
Wholegrains are known to reduce the risk of heart disease, improve digestive function, help balance blood sugar levels and lower homocysteine
(indicating a reduced risk of developing degenerative diseases). If you consider the standard food pyramid, think of wholegrains in the large bottom section, and refmed ones in the very top section with sugars and fats, labelled ' eat sparingly' . |
