Cereals And Wholegrain Foods

Cereals And Wholegrain Foods

Humans have been enjoying grain foods for at least the past 10,000 years. Grain foods, which include cereals, are dietary staples for many cultures around the world. Current research around the world is discovering the many and varied health benefits that cereal foods can offer, particularly in reducing the risk of diseases such as coronary heart disease and breast or colon cancers. Common cereal foods include bread, breakfast cereals, cereal grains (such as oats, rice and barley), crackers, flours and pasta.

Nutritional content of cereals
Cereals provide a rich source of many essential vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. The typical cereal food is:

Low in fat

Cholesterol free

High in both soluble and insoluble fibre

An excellent source of carbohydrates

A significant source of protein

A good source of vitamins E and B-complex

A good source of many minerals - such as iron, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc.

A host of protective chemicals
Wholegrain cereals contain many different phytochemicals that researchers have linked to significant health benefits. These phytochemicals include:

Lignans - a phytoestrogen that can lower the risk of coronary heart disease, and regress or slow cancers in animals.

Phytic acid - reduces the glycaemic index of food, which is important for people with diabetes, and helps protect against the development of cancer cells in the colon

Saponins, phytosterols, squalene, oryzanol and tocotrienols - have been found to lower blood cholesterol.

Phenolic compounds - have antioxidant effects.

Coronary heart disease
Cereal fibre offers greater protection against the risk of heart attack than the fibre from fruits and vegetables. A heart attack is almost always preceded by a condition called coronary heart disease. Over the years, fatty deposits or 'plaques' build up inside one or both of the coronary arteries (atherosclerosis). This constant silting narrows the artery, until a blood clot blocks the passage of blood altogether. Too much blood cholesterol contributes to atherosclerosis. Regularly eating cereals that are rich in soluble fibre, such as oats and psyllium, has been found to significantly reduce the amount of cholesterol circulating in the bloodstream. Eating just 3gm of soluble fibre from oatbran lowers the blood cholesterol by as much as two per cent.

Diabetes
There is evidence that eating foods that are slowly digested and high in soluble fibre might reduce the risk of developing non-insulin dependent diabetes, by reducing the need for large quantities of insulin to be released into the bloodstream. Cereal fibre has been shown to be particularly protective against this condition. It is preferable for diabetics to consume wholegrain cereal products rather than refined cereals, due to the higher glycaemic index of refined cereal products.

Obesity
People who are obese tend to have energy-dense diets. High fibre foods, such as wholegrain breads and cereals, can be an effective part of any weight loss program. They take longer to digest and create a feeling of fullness, which discourages overeating. They also help to lower the energy density of the diet. Cereals are also naturally low in fat.

Constipation and diverticular disease
High fibre foods, such as wholegrain cereal products, increase movement of food through the digestive tract. The result is increased stool bulk, softer, larger stools and more frequent bowel action. This increased bowel action provides a good environment for beneficial bacteria, while at the same time decreasing levels of destructive bacteria. A high fibre diet including both soluble and insoluble fibre has been associated with decreased risk of colon cancer and diverticular disease.

Other health benefits
There are many health benefits that have been linked to a diet high in grain foods, for example:

A reduced risk of many different types of cancers, including those of the colon, stomach and breast.

A strengthened immune system, because wholegrain cereals are high in vitamin E, zinc and certain phytochemicals.

A reduction in the incidence of rectal polyps, particularly if oatbran is eaten regularly.

Protection against the development of diverticular disease, which is characterised by herniated pockets in the intestines.

Too many refined cereals pose health risks
When a cereal is processed to remove the bran and wheat germ, many of the vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals are lost. The refined cereal, such as white flour, generally has a higher glycaemic index than its wholegrain counterpart. This means that consuming refined cereals causes a sharp rise in blood sugars, demanding a strong response from the pancreas.

A diet full of high glycaemic index foods has been linked to the development of diabetes. Studies have also found that people who eat large amounts of refined cereals do so at the expense of more nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables. This increases the risk of certain diseases, such as some types of cancer.

Things to remember:
Cereals and wholegrain foods can reduce the risk of developing certain diseases, including coronary heart disease, colon cancer, diabetes and diverticular disease.

A high intake of refined cereals has been linked to diabetes and some types of cancer.

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source: http://www.wholefitness.com

2 ways

1. Start Exercising first thing in the morning

As soon as you wake up in the morning workout for at least 30 min to an hour. Studies show that working out in the morning has been shown to burn up to 3x as more fat as opposed to working out at any other time during the day. Here's Why:

During the day your body's main source of energy is the carbohydrates that you get from eating your meals. As you sleep at night for 6+ hours your body uses up all those carbohydrates as energy for various bodily functions that go on even while you sleep. When you wake up in the morning your body doesn't have any carbohydrates as energy to use and it will look to burn body fat instead for energy.

For you to take advantage of this morning fat burning opportunity you have to exercise first thing in the morning. Don't eat breakfast because if you do you'll just give your body some carbohydrates as a source of energy instead of the body fat that you want to burn for energy.

Another great thing about working out first thing in the morning is that your metabolism gets revved up after your morning workout. Morning workouts keep your metabolism elevated throughout the day. An elevated metabolism throughout the day only means that you'll burn more calories and lose more weight. If you workout at night you may still burn fat while you workout but as soon as you go to sleep your metabolism will slow down and you'll miss out on all the extra fat that you can burn during the day if you had exercised in the morning. When you sleep your metabolic rate is always at its slowest.

Other reasons why its good to exercise first thing in the morning is that you get the workout out of the way, and working out in the morning will also reduce your level of stress throughout the day.

Advanced Tip: Want to burn even more fat? Add another workout to your daily routine 4-6 hours after your morning workout. Keep your already high metabolism higher by adding a 2nd workout during the day. If you're seriously thinking about adding a 2nd workout to your daily routine then try to do your cardio workouts in the morning. Mostly fat calories are burned doing cardio at a moderate intensities. Make your 2nd workout of the day a workout with weights. Mostly carbohydrate is burned doing weight-training workouts. The muscle that you build from weight training will also help you burn fat. 1lb of Muscle burns 50 calories a day or 1lb of fat every 70 days. Not only will you be burning more calories, you'll look better – whatever your weight is.

2. Eat Breakfast

Another way to keep your metabolism revved up all day long is to eat breakfast. After you workout in the morning as discussed earlier, just have breakfast and you'll give your body the perfect 1-2 combination to jump start your metabolism.

Eating breakfast in the morning is what gets your metabolism started. Don't skip breakfast and wait until mid-morning or afternoon to eat, your metabolism will run slower causing you not burn any extra fat.

Think about this way-Your metabolism is a fireplace that'll burn fat all day long for you if you operate it correctly. When you eat breakfast you are basically throwing a log onto that fireplace to get it started burning fat.

Eating breakfast will help stop those cravings you may have later on in the day and along with working out in the morning, eating breakfast will also keep you energized throughout the day and lower stress levels.

Advanced Tip: Instead of eating only 2 more meals during the day like lunch & dinner, try to eat 4-5 more small mini-meals spaced 2-3 hours apart during the day. Remember the fireplace? By eating these mini-meals you'll be throwing just the right amount of "wood" on the fireplace to keep your metabolism burning calories throughout the day. Don't shut down your metabolism by eating big lunches or dinners, keep that metabolism of yours burning fat all day long.

Morning Checklist

• Workout for at least 30min after waking up in the morning
• Eat a healthy breakfast
• Burn fat & lose more weight during the day

Use these 2 tips to reveal that six-pack, fit into that dress for an upcoming event like a wedding or reunion, or to impress that special someone. Whatever your fitness goal is these 2 tips above will surely help you reach them.

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source: http://www.emaxhealth.com