Rally bought a loaf of “wheat bread” and felt pretty proud of himself. Turns out it was basically white bread in disguise, with a lumberjack on the wrapper to seal the deal. In this episode, Rally breaks down whole grains versus refined grains, why the color of your bread may not mean much, and the one place to look that tells the “whole” truth. Plus, you’ll get easy swaps and the newest daily serving goal. If you care about your heart health, don’t miss this one!
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
RALLY:
Hey there, Beautiful People. Rally Preston here. Seventy-one years old. And welcome back to the Silver Beast Podcast.
So, quick question for you here. What did you have for breakfast today?
Now don’t ask me. I normally skip it. Which is not normal, as my wife reminds me all the time.
But all of you breakfast-of-champions eaters – what did you have? Toast? Cereal? Maybe a bowl of oatmeal?
Well, I’m betting there was some kind of grain on your plate.
But here’s the real question. Was it something made with whole grains? Or the other kind of grains? Refined grains — sounds a little more upscale, doesn’t it? Refined.
But is it? Well, we’ll see.
So today, we’re talking grains and your heart. We’ll connect the dots in a minute.
But I’ve got to warn you: this may change what you put in your grocery cart next time. So fair warning there.
Ok, quick refresher first. Let’s start with a whole grain. What’s that exactly? A wheat farmer in Kansas is rolling his eyes right now, but a lot of people don’t know this or maybe have kind of forgotten — yeah, me included.
So a kernel of wheat, oats, barley, brown rice, corn, and so on. That kernel has three main parts. A bran, a germ, and the largest part, called the endosperm.
Now, a whole grain, it gets to keep all three of those parts when it goes into food.
Now how about that fancy-sounding refined grain? Well, they strip out the bran and the germ parts, and use only the endosperm. Doesn’t sound so appetizing, does it?
But that’s what’s in your white bread. Your white rice. Your Pop-Tarts. Your, well — almost everything else. Yummy yummy.
And with the bran and germ parts gone – you lose a lot of the good stuff. Fiber. Clean protein. A bunch of vitamins and minerals.
So, most of us, growing up, probably ate the refined stuff. It’s not our parents’ fault – they just didn’t have Instagram back then. How would they know?
So, Wonder Bread builds strong bodies 12 ways. Remember that? But it was made with refined flour. So 12 ways stronger, really, seems, yeah, kind of sketchy.
And those sugary cereals you might have eaten as a kid? Not exactly whole grains. Refined stuff with food dyes. But I happened to love Raisin Bran cereal as a kid, so I guess I lucked out. Well, until I dumped a bunch of sugar in my bowl. Yeah.
But hey, times change. And maybe our grain choices should too.
Okay, listen to this. There’s a big study that just came out, focusing on the benefits of whole grains. This one looked at lots of research, clinical trials, thousands of people, all pooled together.
And here’s what they found…
Whole grains help your heart. Okay, that’s a given – we knew that.
But the real revelation here was whole grains work on a whole bunch of smaller things that add up to better cardiovascular health. So whole grains helped things like lipids, blood pressure, glucose regulation, inflammatory signaling – it’s a long list. And not big dramatic shifts in any one area, but overall they add up to really do some great things for you.
So your cholesterol level nudges down a bit. Your blood pressure eases up some. Blood sugar improves. Even inflammation in your body may calm down a little. All of these are linked to eating whole grains. You get small wins in each of those areas.
Now, some of you might be thinking, hey, I’m watching my weight here. All this whole grain talk…aren’t grains full of carbs? Can’t they really pack on the pounds?
Well, actually, the research says not so much with whole grains.
People who eat more whole grains tend to weigh less and have a smaller waist. There’s plenty of other research backing that one up.
Look at it this way: with whole grain, wheat, let’s say, you’re getting complex carbs, including fiber, and then slower digestion for longer-lasting energy. Refined wheat, you’re getting, after all the processing, essentially starch…which breaks down fast and causes a spike in blood sugar and insulin; and that’s a sure sign an energy crash is coming.
So it’s the refined stuff, white bread, white rice — those are more linked to those pounds creeping on.
And it makes sense, too. Whole grains still have their fiber intact. And fiber fills you up faster.
Alright, so we’ve figured out whole grains are the better choice, health-wise. So how much do we actually need?
Well, there’s a new number that came out of this big study, based on all the evidence: four to six servings of whole grains a day. That’s what ideally, you should be having. And that’s a bit more than past official recommendations.
Now, wow – yeah, that seems like a lot. But that’s not as much as it sounds.
A bowl of oatmeal. A slice of whole grain toast. Some brown rice with dinner. That’ll cover most of your day right there.
Again, aim for four to six servings of whole grains every day.
Now here’s the tricky part. Actually figuring out what’s whole grain versus what’s mainly endosperm — or excuse me — refined grains.
Well, packaged goods can be sneaky about this.
You ever see bread that looks all dark and hearty? You think, oh, that’s whole wheat, for sure.
Well, not so fast. Sometimes that’s just white bread with some caramel coloring squirted in there. That’s how they get you. Don’t look too close, and just toss it in your shopping cart.
Or this one’s a great example: multigrain. Yeah, you’ve seen that. Not just one grain but multiple grains. Oh, that sounds healthy. But that just means several different grains baked in there; it doesn’t necessarily mean whole grains. Whoops.
So if you want to be sure, in the grocery store, check the very first ingredient on the bread’s label.
If it says whole wheat flour or whole oats, you’re good. That’s the real deal.
Now if it just says wheat flour, or enriched flour, that’s refined. Even if the package looks all rustic and outdoorsy.
Yeah, I got fooled by this one before. Bought wheat bread, feeling all proud of myself. And then I find out it was basically white bread with some coloring and a lumberjack on the package. So yeah, watch out for that.
Alright, let’s get practical here. You want the good stuff, the whole grains – and I know your heart does.
So, here are some easy whole-grain swaps for you.
So, swap out white rice for brown rice, or I actually prefer wild rice – both of those are the good whole grains.
Swap out white bread for a genuine whole-grain loaf. And yes, it won’t taste like white bread. It’s gonna be nuttier, and denser – that’s how healthy whole grains taste. And a little cheat for you here…and I probably shouldn’t say on this podcast, but some whole-grain breads come with added ingredients like honey, molasses, brown sugar – you might like those better. But, you didn’t hear it from me, okay? Oh, and by the way, there are plenty of whole wheat tortillas, whole grain corn tortillas – don’t forget about those.
And the next swap here…try oatmeal instead of that sugary cereal we were talking about earlier. I personally like the steel-cut oats from Trader Joe’s if that’s an option for you. Full-on whole grains there.
And here’s another one for you: quinoa. I know your Grandma didn’t cook this one. It’s kind of new. But it’s 100% whole-grain and a complete protein, too. You might want to give quinoa a try.
So no crazy kitchen overhaul needed here to get your whole grains.
You can just start swapping out one thing at a time. Gradually work them in.
And here’s the good news. This isn’t some restrictive diet thing. You’re not giving anything up, really. I mean, toast is still toast. Rice is still rice.
You’re just upgrading what’s already on your plate.
Now, some of you are already whole-grain pros. Good for you; you keep going.
But if you’re like me, buying wheat bread that’s really just white bread in disguise? Well, now you’re on to that one too.
Alright, let’s get to your Silver Beast Action Steps for whole grains and heart health. Looks like we’re running long here, so I’ll make these quick.
Number one. Check the label. First ingredient should say “whole” as in whole grains.
Alright, number two. Swap out one refined grain this week for whole grain. Bread, rice, or cereal, whatever’s easiest.
Number three. Aim for four to six servings a day. Oatmeal, toast, rice, quinoa — it adds up pretty quick.
Number four. Don’t trust the color of the bread or Paul Bunyan on the wrapper. Read the label’s ingredients first to be sure.
You’ve got this, Silver Beasties. One small swap at a time. Very easy.
Now look, I’m not a doctor, so this isn’t medical advice. If you’ve got health concerns, gluten sensitivities, or you’re on medications, just run any big diet changes by your doctor first.
But for most of us? This one, switching to more whole grain foods, could really pay off for your heart in the long run.
Alright, this is Rally Preston. Hey, read the labels, eat more whole grains, and I’ll catch you next time, right here on the Silver Beast Podcast. Take care!