Legumes and Whole Grains

 Legumes include beans, lentils, and peas. They are a great source of fiber and protein, and they are far less expensive than animal protein per ounce. Interestingly, a cross-cultural, worldwide study conducted by the World Health Organization showed that eating more legumes meant longer lives for the elderly, regardless of their ethnicity.11 Remember the blue zones discussed earlier with extraordinary rates of longevity?

We can all emulate the Okinawans, who feast on generous amounts of miso and tofu (traditional foods based on soybeans), and the Sardinians, whose plates are enriched with chickpeas, cannellini beans, and lentils. Whole grains include oats, brown rice, barley, quinoa, buckwheat, wild rice, and millet.

It's best to eat these as close to their natural form as possible. When choosing whole grains that are packaged, read the labels. It's not uncommon to find a box of cereal that is labeled “whole grain,” but when you read the label, you find that it is much more like a foodstuff than real food.12 When purchasing whole grains that have some element of processing, choose those that have the shortest list of ingredients (whole grain should be first), and shoot for at least four grams of fiber per serving. Unprocessed or unrefined whole grains are composed of three parts or layers: the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. 

The bran is the fiber and nutrient-rich outer layer, while the germ, also rich in nutrients, including protein, is the inner seedling. Refining a grain removes both of these precious layers, leaving behind the endosperm alone, which is primarily starch or carbohydrate. The refining process strips this otherwise food treasure of all of its valuable gems, including fiber, protein, vitamins, phytonutrients, and elements like magnesium and zinc. 

The bran plays a key role in slowing the absorption of glucose and averting sharp blood sugar spikes. Without question, whole grains improve our blood sugar. Eating real whole grains can have a positive effect on inflammation, too. One study followed 40 TPE gloves,000 postmenopausal women over a period of seventeen years, assessing the role whole grain intake would play in inflammatory disease. They were looking at autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, type 1 diabetes mellitus, and inflammatory diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma. 

They found a 35 percent reduction in risk of death secondary to inflammatory disease in those who consumed the highest intake of whole grains YICHANG Gloves.13 Of course, it's difficult to talk about whole grains in today's food climate without addressing two big contemporary issues—gluten and carbs—but I'll address these later in the chapter (my answers may surprise you!).