Are Grains Healthy?

well the all wonderful oatmeal of dieticians spikes my bg to 170, but eggs keep me below 110.  that's enough evidence for me.

i always thought the distinction to be between whole grains and refined grains- that is, "eat more healthy whole grains" implies eating more whole grains and less (dastardly)refined grains- the classic example is whole wheat bread v. white bread- so "eat more WW bread" implies eating less white bread- i would agree that this distinction is not picked up on unless specified, however i would not agree that the health implications are spurious- whole grains contain minerals and fiber, both of which are beneficial in preventing DM, eg. Mg status and insulin resistance, and the blunted glycemic response to high fiber meals- whole grains may not be 'healthy', but they are marginally better for diabetics in terms of prevention/glycemic control than refined grains

So I'm having salmon with lemon and dill for dinner..no?  Love fish refuse to give it up, along with my glass of high mortality wine!

I'm on Atkins, keep my net carbs to 20-25, eat no grains ( as a diabetic I find them to be unhealthy for me) and no fruit. I do however eat a large variety of veggies & keep m  blood glucose levels in the 80's & 90's. My A1C is 5. Think I'll keep doing it, seems to be working well! Oh & my high mortality glass of vodka & crystal light.

I suspect that most people who are sophisticated enough to read these shareposts know that grains, whole or not, will make their BG go up. The problem is the people who know nothing about nutrition and apply the guidelines they see in the popular press or that they get from their dieticians.

Saying it's OK to eat more whole grains because they're better than refined grains is sort of like saying it's OK to eat more white bread because it's better than deep-fat-fried candy bars.

Most whole foods contain vitamins and minerals, and I'd rather get mine from vegetables than from whole grains.

I have about gotten to the point where I do not believe any of these studies. They take highly different societies and try to make comparisons based on diet alone. In fact, I read recently that in all these studies on the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, they just noticed that in many cases, the area in which these folks live is quite hilly and their daily activitiy equals the equivalent of walking up 6 fllights of stairs! So, is it the diet or the exercise or their genetic makeup or something else altogether?

I know that we are all looking for that pot of gold lifestyle that will keep us healthy well into our later years, but I don't believe anyone knows what that is or if it even exists.

And, as long as I'm being contrary, I think it possible that just lowering one's blood sugar levels may be treating the symptom rather than the disease. The studies done in the past that claim there is a real benefit from lowering the numbers are deeply flawed and reported in terms of reduction of relative risk, not absolute risk. In other words, we know less than we think we do about diabetes, obesity, diet, and how to improve longevity.