BlogHer - Recipes for Whole Grains to Help You Lose Weight and Reduce Belly Fat - Comments

Weight Loss

Cherish — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 07:32:38 -0500

Yes the recipes for whole grains are really helpful to lose weight. I had been taken low carb diets and whole grains foods to weight. Now I have lost 20 pounds weight. When you really want to lose weight so please follow these foods in our daily diet including low carb and whole grains foods.

That really surprised me

ejm — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 14:48:51 -0600

That really surprised me that whatever company is selling oats as "gluten-free" is getting away with that. My dad is celiac and has to be very strict about adhering to a gluten-free diet. Oats are categorically off-limits. (Although, when he was first diagnosed a million years ago, I seem to recall that oats were allowed and then taken off the list of allowed foods about 4 years into his gluten-free days)

However, I just took a look at the guidelines about oat consumption on the Canadian Celiac Association website (http://www.celiac.ca/Articles/PABoats.html) and I see that "consumption of pure, uncontaminated oats is safe in the amount of 50 to 70 grams per day (1/2 – 3/4 cup dry rolled oats) by adults and 20 to 25 grams per day (1/4 cup dry rolled oats) by children with celiac disease"

But the article goes on to say that there is still a small percentage of celiacs who will not be able to tolerate even a small amount of uncontaminated oats. I suspect that my dad is not going to do any testing to see if he can start eating uncontaminated oats. The consequences are a little too risky.

Health Canada: Celiac Disease and the Safety of Oats

Elizabeth
blog from OUR kitchen

P.S. I'm fascinated with the study that eating whole grains can help to reduce fat from one's middle. Thanks for posting about it, Kalyn.

Eventually I will Get It

Kalyn Denny — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 23:38:04 -0600

I know I've seen packages of oats labeled "gluten free" so I guess I assumed that's what you were using since you mentioned allergies. Sorry, but I think I have it now.

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

Well now I'm just being a

CrunchyParent — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 20:18:31 -0600

Well now I'm just being a pain, but it's not GF either (oats are generally not considered to be GF) but it is WHOLE GRAIN and yummy!

Crunchy Parent
SAHM PhD. crunchy attachment parent to my two girls.
This crunchy parent has a crunchy attachment parenting blog http://crunchyparent.com/

Sorry, and duh, I knew that

Kalyn Denny — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:36:28 -0600

Oh yes, I do remember now that yours was a gluten-free recipe and I'm sorry I forgot to make the title broader. I'll fix that now.

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

Thank you (and a minor correction)

CrunchyParent — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:34:02 -0600

Kalyn,
Thank you for including my recipe for 100% whole grain zucchini bread in your roundup of great whole grain recipes. I wanted to point out though that my recipe does not contain whole wheat. My recipe uses oat flour and brown rice flour, making is a great wheat-free alternative for those who cannot eat wheat, or who do not enjoy baked goods made with whole wheat. There are many wonderful whole grain options available, and I hope that this recipe will continue to have a place among them.

Thank you again!
Crunchy Parent
SAHM PhD. crunchy attachment parent to my two girls.
This crunchy parent has a crunchy attachment parenting blog http://crunchyparent.com/

Very interesting

Kalyn Denny — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 11:02:06 -0600

The longer I am trying to faithfully eat this way, the more I am realizing how the "typical" American diet is unhealthy in so many ways.

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

I can testify that it works

Kalyn Denny — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 11:00:58 -0600

When I started the South Beach Diet back in 2004, I remember the cover of the book said "lose belly fat first" and I thought to myself, "yeah, right." But when I did give up eating things like potatoes, white bread, and white flour (all the things that turn to sugar quickly in your bloodstream) I was amazed at how I lost the fat on my belly.

Now I'm trying to keep the fat off, which is another challenge! I'm getting back on track in 2008 after doing way too much diet cheating at the end of 2007.

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

"I heard it on NPR"

Alanna Kellogg — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 07:28:03 -0600

... yesterday that just in the last 10 years, that women of age 35 - 54 have increased their weight by an (alarming number of pounds) and added a whole (two inches) to their middles, increased their BMIs and -- tripled their risk of stroke.

Alanna Kellogg, A Veggie Venture

Kalyn! I love the recipes.

Dana J. Tuszke — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 18:44:00 -0600

Kalyn! I love the recipes. I definitely need to lose some belly fat! I'm so excited to try them all!

Oh good!

Kalyn Denny — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:07:40 -0600

So glad to know you like it. There are more grains I'm planning to write on in the future too!

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

Whole grain recipes!!

bbanne — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 14:55:50 -0600

Thank you. This is just what I have been looking for.

Recipes for Whole Grains to Help You Lose Weight and Reduce Belly Fat

Kalyn Denny — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:48:17 -0600

Want to lose weight, especially around the middle? Cooking with more whole grains can help, according to a study released earlier this year. Even better, whole grains may have other health benefits.

A study from Pennsylvania State University reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who cut calories and consumed more whole grains not only lost weight, but also lost belly fat and lowered their levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) which is a measure of chronic inflammation, when compared with dieters who ate refined grains. All the dieters also decreased cholesterol levels.

I've been sold on eating whole grains myself for a few years now, ever since I became converted to the low-glycemic index way of eating. However, I've discovered that for people who don't cook, finding whole grain baked goods can be a challenge. Many types of bread list "wheat flour" as the first ingredient, but if you're looking for whole grain products, the ingredient list list should say "100% whole wheat flour" or "whole grains" should be the first ingredient listed.

Products that contain whole grains and refined grains both (as most breads do) should have at least 51% whole grain flour, according to the author of this study. Many good cooks have become sold on the idea of white whole wheat flour, which can often replace white flour in recipes but has the health benefits of whole wheat flour.

Luckily, there are also plenty of ways to get whole brains besides bread. Here are a few ideas to get you started cooking with more whole wheat, brown rice, barley, and oatmeal, some of the most common whole grains.

Whole Wheat and Whole Grain Baking
Whole Wheat Orange Spice Muffins from Pinch My Salt
100% Whole Grain Zucchini Bread from Crunchy Parent
100% Whole Wheat Lemon Poppy Muffins from Green Lite Bites
Whole Wheat Pita Bread from Wild Yeast
Sourdough Whole Wheat Bread from Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska
Whole Wheat Yogurt Waffles with Blueberries from Almost Vegetarian
Raisin Banana Scones from The Perfect Pantry

Brown Rice
New Method for Cooking Brown Rice from Mark Bittman at The New York Times
Oven-Baked Brown Rice from Kitchen Parade
Stir-Fried Brown Rice from A Veggie Venture
Baked Brown Rice Risotto from Karina's Kitchen - Recipes from a Gluten-Free Goddess
Afghani Fried Brown Rice from Trini Gourmet
Brown Rice and Green Tea Porridge from Just Hungry
Brown and Wild Rice from Lisa's Kitchen
Rapini with Brown Rice and Chickpeas from The Well-Seasoned Cook
Quick Veggie Brown Rice from Dani Spies

Barley
Barley Risotto with Pesto from A Wee Bit of Cooking
Beef and Barley Stew from Closet Cooking
Mediterranean Barley Salad with Roasted Eggplant from FamilyStyle Food
Wild Black Rice with Barley from Almost Turkish Recipes (That's Burcu's photo of this delicious looking dish at the beginning of this post.)
Chicken, Leek, and Barley Soup from Ambrosia and Nectar
Banana Barley Muffins from Baking Bites
French Barley Salad from Eat Me, Delicious
Estonian Barley Mousse from Nami Nami
Barley with Carrots, Onions, and Marsala from Lucullian Delights

Oatmeal
Check my earlier post Beyond Cereal: Are You Eating Enough Oatmeal? for loads of ideas for cooking with oatmeal.

There are many more delicious whole grain options, and countless other good recipes for the four grains I've spotlighted here, so if you have a good recipe idea, please leave a link in the comments.

BlogHer Food Editor Kalyn Denny also blogs at Kalyn's Kitchen where she uses whole grains in dishes like Zucchini Stuffed with Brown Rice, Ground Beef, Red Pepper, and Basil and Brown Rice with Cashews and Herbs.