whole grains | Central Illinois Natural Health Clinic https://www.illinoisnaturalhealth.com Holistic Medicine for the Whole Family Fri, 19 Jun 2026 18:04:35 +0000 en-US hourly 1 111096018 Seeds of Heart Health for the New Year https://www.illinoisnaturalhealth.com/seeds-of-heart-health-for-new-year/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=seeds-of-heart-health-for-new-year Tue, 08 Jan 2013 23:08:00 +0000 http://www.illinoisnaturalhealth.com/wp/seeds-of-heart-health-for-new-year/ You’ve probably heard my mantra for a healthy diet (borrowed from author Michael Pollan):  “Eat food.  Not too much.  Mostly plants.”  To expand on this, we can look to the Mediterranean diet — that style of eating that is based on whole grains, vegetables, nuts, legumes (beans), and smaller amounts of animal-based protein.

The post Seeds of Heart Health for the New Year first appeared on Central Illinois Natural Health Clinic.]]> You’ve probably heard my mantra for a healthy diet (borrowed from author Michael Pollan):  “Eat food.  Not too much.  Mostly plants.”  To expand on this, we can look to the Mediterranean diet — that style of eating that is based on whole grains, vegetables, nuts, legumes (beans), and smaller amounts of animal-based protein.  This simple approach works well for maintaining a healthy body weight, and preventing chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease.

A review (1) in the journal Clinical Lipidology (yes, you read that right; “lipidology” means the study of cholesterol and other fats) looks at dietary factors most associated with lowering cholesterol.

“The foods with the most evidence for cholesterol reduction are nuts, legumes, whole cereals rich in soluble fiber, and cocoa and its main commercial product, chocolate.”

OK — this sounds a lot like the Mediterranean diet.  What the author goes on to point out, though, is that all of these foods are actually seeds.  Obvious once someone points it out, isn’t it?  Yet with as many years as I’ve taught patients and students about nutrition, this struck me as a beautifully concise revelation.  Even whole grains like oats are seeds.  And chocolate?  Yes, please!

Seeds contain fiber, healthy fats, and disease-busting phytonutrients.  Think of them as plant foods bursting with concentrated potential.

1.  Ros E.  How Important Is Dietary Management in Hypercholesterolemia?  Clin Lipidology. 2012;7(5):489-492.

The post Seeds of Heart Health for the New Year first appeared on Central Illinois Natural Health Clinic.]]> 8680 Great Science on What We Should Eat https://www.illinoisnaturalhealth.com/great-science-on-what-we-should-ea/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=great-science-on-what-we-should-ea Thu, 30 Aug 2012 14:00:00 +0000 http://www.illinoisnaturalhealth.com/wp/great-science-on-what-we-should-ea/ In recent years, medical researchers have recognized some common denominators in chronic degenerative diseases:  insulin resistance, long-term inflammation, high blood pressure, and cholesterol imbalance (to name a few).  In fact, several of these factors have been grouped together to form metabolic syndrome, a constellation of symptoms including at least 3 of the following 5 conditions:

  • Fasting blood sugar (glucose) ≥100 mg/dL
  • Blood pressure ≥130/85 mm Hg
  • Triglycerides ≥150 mg/dL
  • HDL-C (“good cholesterol”) <
The post Great Science on What We Should Eat first appeared on Central Illinois Natural Health Clinic.]]> In recent years, medical researchers have recognized some common denominators in chronic degenerative diseases:  insulin resistance, long-term inflammation, high blood pressure, and cholesterol imbalance (to name a few).  In fact, several of these factors have been grouped together to form metabolic syndrome, a constellation of symptoms including at least 3 of the following 5 conditions:

  • Fasting blood sugar (glucose) ≥100 mg/dL
  • Blood pressure ≥130/85 mm Hg
  • Triglycerides ≥150 mg/dL
  • HDL-C (“good cholesterol”) < 40 mg/dL in men or < 50 mg/dL in women
  • Waist circumference ≥40 inches in men or ≥35 inches in women

I often talk to patients about dietary factors to reduce these risk factors, mainly focused on low glycemic index foods — healthy foods that stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels throughout the day.  In a recent study (1), researchers used a dietary intervention for overweight middle-aged adults that significantly improved many of these markers for cardiometabolic risk.  Key components of the diet included the following:
  • Antioxidant-rich fruits and veggies
  • Omega-3 fatty acids (from fish oil)
  • A focus on low glycemic index meals
  • Viscous dietary fiber and plant sterols/stanols
  • Whole grains, soybeans, and almonds
  • Probiotic bacteria supplement
Sound familiar?  If you’ve been through FirstLine Therapy with me, this sounds an awful lot like that diet plan.  Most of these factors are available through sensible consumption of whole foods.  Some are more easily obtained through supplements (probiotic bacteria) or medical food meal replacements (viscous fiber, plant sterols/stanols).  And the results for good adherence to this diet?
  • Total cholesterol decreased by 26%
  • LDL (“bad cholesterol”) decreased by 34%
  • hs-CRP (a marker of systemic inflammation) decreased by 29%
  • Systolic blood pressure dropped by 8%
Once again, science is showing that a common-sense, supplemented Mediterranean diet is as good as pharmaceuticals for improving cardiometabolic health — without the side effects.
1.  Juscelino Tovar; Anne Nilsson; Maria Johansson; Rickard Ekesbo; Ann-Margreth Åberg; Ulla Johansson; Inger Björck.  A Diet Based on Multiple Functional Concepts Improves Cardiometabolic Risk Parameters in Healthy Subjects.  Nutr Metab. 2012;9(29).  Accessed August 29, 2012 at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/766177
The post Great Science on What We Should Eat first appeared on Central Illinois Natural Health Clinic.]]> 8694