Re: Whole grains

[Guest guest]

>

> I just wanted to add that I'm starting to find this scary, I think

I

> might really struggle with it.

>

> Someone has told me that porridge oats don't count as whole grain

> either unless they are oat groats. I like those but they are very

> hard to get, though I could have another look in the health food

> shops. (They have them in Scotland a lot but they don't seem to

have

> migrated south.)>>

** Yes, oat groats are the form of oats you want.

Why panic? Instead, call around and see where you can get them.

<< May I ask why wheat grains and oat groats are OK, but not when

they

> are ground up to make oatmeal or flour?>>

** Because when they are processed they are no longer while

grains.

<< Presumably we DO need grains. Surely we need the serotonin they

help

> our bodies to produce, among other things. I agree with the opinion

> here that serotonin may not be the wonder-neurotransmitter that the

> pharmaceuticals have made it out to be, but presumably it's still

> very important. People who have been on low-carb diets have told me

> they've felt awful.>>

** No actually, the human body does not need grains to survive.

Grains are a relatively new thing to our lives evolutionarily

speaking.

http://www.answers.com/topic/paleolithic-diet

Serotonin is not made from grains, it is made from amino acids.

Grains do not make neurotransmitters. Grains can increase serotonin,

but that is unnecessary, and in the case of people who have taken

SSRIs, undesirable.

People who do " low carb " dieting make the mistake of limiting

vegetables because they are carbohydrates. These should not be

limited at all. And as I said, there's nothing wrong with a serving

of a whole grain a few times a week.

<< Just getting kinda panicky. Do I want to do what it takes to heal?

> Yes. I just don't know how restrictive I can manage to be,

especially

> how I'm feeling now; it is a big chore to cook at all.>>

** It doesn't have to be complicated. Meats can be roasted and

vegetables can be steamed. Enough can be done for leftovers for a

few days. How would you normally cook?

You can do whatever you decide you want to do. Again, you are a

role model for a child. What do you want to show her people do when

they run into difficulty?

<<Sorry but I

thought I'd mention how I felt, because if I bottled it up the

worries would still be there causing me problems.>>

** Have they ceased being a problem because you 'spoke' them?

Regards,

[Guest guest]

,

Thanks for your post. I guess I'm still getting an idea of the kind

of eating you recommend here.

OK oat groats, I liked them when I was in Scotland and made an

effort to get them here, but they've since disappeared from the one

source I found. Quite probably a local health food shop has them; I

will look. In the meantime I have half a bag from last autumn; the

supermarket down the road from my parents' house in Denver sold

them. And my little girl ate them with me, which was great.

Processed whole grains -- are they off limits because they are too

easy to digest and therefore bad for blood sugar levels?

So we don't actually need grains? I'm not surprised because since I

came here I've liked the idea of trying to eat the way our bodies

were, and still are, programmed/evolved for.

I'm thinking Radiant Recovery again here, that's all. Perhaps having

the carbs is akin to eating the nightly potato. They actually say

that people start by having a 2:1 ratio of brown carbs to veg, then

1:1, then 1:2 when they lose weight. Especially if you are

depressed, they caution you not to skimp on the browns.

I'm not trying to argue with what you're saying , I'm just

trying to understand. How do we set up the net so that when we stop

having the artificial serotonin boosters, we're OK? I'm frightened

of my depression getting worse (it already does during long cloudy

spells, like we're having now). If I kick out the crutch, I don't

want to fall hard on the floor. Is it the supplements, the vitamins

and fish oil and so-forth, that build us up so that we can stop

having the other stuff safely?

You mention a serving of a whole grain a few times a week. I was

really surprised. A few times a week -- not a day? Each of my meals

consists of protein, a brown carb and a veg. Well breakfast didn't

contain veg at all, but since I came here I added it in.

Are you saying that the vast majority of meals need to be protein

and veg? Maybe with some fruit here and there, or a small amount of

a whole grain once in a while? If I do that, I'll feel OK? How much

protein and veg then? Presumably a LOT of veg?

>

> ** Have they ceased being a problem because you 'spoke' them?

In a way, yes. When I encounter something that requires change, I

get a little frightened at the moment -- though of course I wouldn't

be here if I couldn't cope with that. My instant reaction is, " No

way, I can't do that, forget it. " This isn't how I normally am, by

the way. It's because I'm ill. But that's no excuse not to try.

Thanks again for listening, and when I'm more certain about what

meals needs to mainly consist of, and amounts, I'll start to adjust

what I'm eating accordingly. And what's a good snack?