Do We Eat Too Many Grains?

The Food Pyramid was released by the US Department of Agriculture several years ago. It suggests that we eat a lot of grains, a moderate amount of vegetables, fruit, and milk, very little meat, and only a tiny amount of fat. Many of us eat according to the advice of the food pyramid. We have cereal for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. For snacks, we often eat carbohydrate-laden foods. We might have pasta for dinner, or dinner rolls along with the rest of our meal. Are we eating too many grains? There are several reasons why we might want to cut down on the amount of grains that we eat.

Processed Food

Many of the carbohydrates that we eat are processed. We all know not to overconsume foods such as sodas, chips, and candy, but we don't see a problem with eating breads and pasta. Unfortunately, all of these foods are processed to one degree or another, including the pasta and bread. As the food is processed, nutrients are stripped out, and chemicals are added in. If you look at the labels of some of your most commonly consumed foods, you might be surprised at all the chemicals that are located in the food. All of these chemicals have to be processed by the liver, which also processes nutrients and fats for our body. When we eat processed foods and chemicals that are in many of the grains we eat, our liver is unable to process nutrients as effectively.

Blood Sugar

We all need to eat some carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are easily converted into energy. Unfortunately, when we consume carbohydrates, our blood sugar tends to rise quickly. This causes our pancreas to create insulin, which tells our body to store the excess carbohydrate energy as fat. It also prevents us from burning fat. Is it a wonder that so many Americans are obese?

Metabolic Type

While the Food Pyramid tells everyone to eat plenty of carbohydrates, not everybody should be eating the same kinds of food. We all process foods differently; the way we process foods determines our metabolic type. Some people are protein types, while others are carbohydrate or mixed types. Protein types need to eat more carbohydrates than carbohydrate or mixed types. Protein types will get hungry more quickly if they eat too many carbohydrates.

The Food Pyramid

The Food Pyramid was developed with help from the food industry. The food industry produces a lot of grains, so it's no wonder that the Food Pyramid tells us to eat more grains. The original concept of the food pyramid only suggested that we eat two to four servings of grains, not the six to eleven servings that it currently promotes. Six of the eleven members that sat on the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee had ties to the food industry; is it any wonder that we are encouraged to eat so many grains?

Rather than relying on the food pyramid, it is important that we do our own research into health, find out what our metabolic type is, and eat more natural, unprocessed foods in the ratios that are right for our metabolic type.

Sources:

Herring, Jon. "Sold to the Highest Bidder - The Fatally Flawed Food Pyramid." Early To Rise.com.

Isabella De Los Rios "The Ultimate Diet Solution".

Underground Wellness.com