Whole grains and a healthy diet - Personal Trainer explains

Being a Singapore personal trainer and weight loss bootcamp instructor, where people love noodles and white rice, I tell my clients to stop eating white rice and white-flour noodles. Instead, they should eat very limited amounts of whole grains, like brown rice.

Large amounts of grains in the diet, including whole grains, are not advisable for most people as even whole grains significantly impact blood sugar and insulin levels -promotes fat storage! - due to their high starch content. Besides that, whole grains are highly allergenic and gram for gram, contain less "good stuff" - vitamins, fiber, phytochemicals etc than vegetables and other foods.

Still, whole grains, with the nutritional content and fiber, are far more sensible that white bread and white rice if you're eating for maximum weight loss, fat burning, muscle gain and improved health. White rice and other refined-grains products are practically zilch in nutrient value and - the one use for them is to stuff pillows or fragile items in crates.

Many of my fat burning boot camp and personal training clients ask, "What other whole grains, besides oatmeal and brown rice, are there?"

The answer is, "Plenty!"

Here's a list of several grains that you could incorporate to your diet (Quinoa's one of my favorites =) ):

Amaranth (amaranthus spp.): it has high amounts (for a plant) of protein and is gluten-free. It has every one of the 21 essential amino acids, therefore it is one of the few grains that are a complete protein.

Barley (hordeum vulgare): Barley fibre, along with oat bran, is useful for cholestorol control. Barley greens, harvested while still in the grassy stage then dried into a cholorophyll powder, is a part of many greens drinks. Barley malt is what you make beer and whiskey from!

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculent): Technically, buckwheat is not a grain even though its seeds look and act like grains but it's a plant related to rhubarb. Like amaranth and quinoa, it has a good amino acid profile, so it is also one of the few vegetable sources of a complete protein. It contains large amounts of rutin, an antioxidant nutrient that helps fight cholesterol. Buckwheat is gluten-free.

Corn (zea mays): Corn is high in natural starch sugars (which is why it can be used to make high-fructose corn syrup), high in niacin and anti-oxidants. Corn, when combined with beans, is a complete protein.

Millet (panicum miliaceum): A staple in large parts of India, China and Africa, millet is particularly high in B vitamins and minerals. It has a protein content similar to wheat but is gluten-free. If you add millet to bread, it should be cooked first, in order to make its full range of nutrients accessible to the body.

Oat (avena sativa): The pericarp is high in beta-glucans, a form of fiber that is water soluble and widely believed to be helpful in lowering LDL cholesterol. Steel-cut oats make the best, creamiest oatmeal.

Quinoa (chenopod quinoa): Quinoa is one of the few grains to be a complete protein, with the full range of amino acids. It is not really a grain, since the seeds of quinoa are from a vegetable, not a gass. Be sure to rinse it first, as the exterior is coated with bitter saponins, which are natural alkaloids.

Rice (oryza sativa): the pericarp (the outermost layer of the grain) of the whole grain is very thin, so has less fiber than other grains. It's easily digested and converts quickly to energy. Rice is also gluten-free.

Rye (secale cereale): the endosperm (inner layer of the kernel) of rye contains fiber, which is very unusual for grains. Rye contains more dietary fiber than wheat or oats, and this fiber might be more beneficial to health. This is because the lignans in the bran (the seed cover) of rye creates a favorable environment for beneficial bifid bacteria in the gut, as well as its fermentation products, butyric and propionic acid, which lower the pH of the colon and function as a kind of natural antibiotic.

Sorghum (sorghum supp): It is very high in carbohydrates that can be changed to sugars. (Don't sprout sorghum - it has a protective cyanide-generating mechanism in place when sprouting) It's gluten-free, so makes a good substitute for wheat, for those with gluten-allergies.

Teff (eragrostis tef): Teff is a sweet-tasting grain and contains high amounts of iron and calcium.

Wild rice (zizania spp): Wild rice is not actually rice but rather, the seed of a grass that grows in lakes. It is lower in minerals than traditional rice but is much higher in protein and fiber.

Enjoy these whole grains! And remember, the best time to consume whole grains is after a workout!


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Coach Jonathan Wong, is a sought after Singapore personal trainer , fitness author and fitness bootcamp coach who has helped hundreds of clients in Singapore achieve their fitness, fat loss and sports performance goals. Visit his Singapore personal trainer website website for a free 1500 page e-book and constant updates. For all wanting to be lean and sexy, 1 week trials available for his fitness and weight loss boot camps !