Breads, Starch, Rice, and other Grains

Spring Break - Bonita Springs, Florida

Starch

I am not a believer in the system dictating that starch and starch like products should be the cornerstone of the American diet. It is one of the core reasons I no longer carry the title of "Dietitian". Additionally, overconsumption of these products has led us down the insulin resistant problem paths we encounter today. The insulin resistant path begins with obesity, then diabetes, then kidney disease, then calcification of tissues, then heart disease. This is a disturbing trend and the overconsumption of sugar is the trend setter.

A good dietitian and nutritionist however knows that in addressing these problems you also have the psychological and behavioral eating patterns that made and continue to make our clients what they are today. Personally, I believe in the power of sugar over the power of the calorie. There will be more of this psycho-babble in the near future.

All of this leads back to the concept of moderation. How much starch and sugar do I really need? How much starch and sugar do I really want? The want question dominates. As a human you really do not need much starch and simple sugars to survive. As a human you may want a lot of starch and simple sugar. Want is always going to win in todays society. We have the means to get what we want, we will get it. This dominates over any politically correct method of systemized eating----DIET against the course of your lifetime-----the long haul. Remember my continuing question. Do you plan on maintaining the current eating behavior for the remainder of your life?

Below is my hierarchy of grains, completed in conjunction with nutrition expert Dr. D. Allan Higginbotham.

Breads, Rice, Cereals, and Pasta - Recommended

Gluten Free Bread
Whole Wheat Bread
Oatmeal
Total and whole grain, low sugar cereal
Sweet Potatoes
Brown Rice
Rye Bread
Pumpernickel Bread
Winter Squash
Small, whole grain bagel
Whole Wheat Pasta

Breads, Rice, Cereal, and Pasta - Restricted

White Starches
Potatoes
All types of French Fries (sweet potato included)
Grits
Corn - white and yellow
Croissants
Biscuits
White Bread Rolls
Fried Rice
White Pasta
Granola
Sugar Cereals
Tortillas - fried and not fried
Popcorn
Pretzels