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If your own insulin production is too low, you are diabetic and need to take insulin from external sources to compensate.
The most "notable" function of insulin is to remove excess glucose from the blood. Excess glucose is toxic, and insulin maintains a safe, healthy level of glucose in your bloodstream. Excess glucose is not always caused by eating too many sweets, or too many carbs, or whatever else. But those are the most common dietary causes of excess glucose. And that is why diet/weight/insulin share such a close relationship with each other.
Insulin also has effects on memory and cognition, and serves several other functions as a hormone produced naturally by the pancreas. Without insulin, these functions can't be served, OR can't be served efficiently, and the body suffers to one extent or the other.
Insulin, just like other hormones in produced by organs, serves at least one critical function, and several lesser functions. It shares a symbiosis with other hormones (meaning, they all work in tangent - they rely on each other to work efficiently as a whole).
Of course you body can't function very well w/o insulin--w/o insulin you are a type I juvenile diabetic. I read an article last year that was most fascinating to me b/c it talked about what people did before supplementary insulin became available on the market--basically people ate only fats and proteins and it kept them alive for quite awhile but of course they could not keep their weight up and ended up looking like a concentration camp victim and non-compliance was a huge problem. This was of interest to me b/c my father was a juvenile diabetic and he became one about 10 years after insulin became widely available.
I would have to doubt your implication though that not eating grains keeps your insulin level too low and hurts your body in so many ways. I've heard that your brain produces insulin as well b/c it's so critical to your brain health to keep your glucose levels even but insulin is inflammatory and much of the alzheimer's research being done is pointing to AD as being a third type of diabetes--but I doubt that it's from not eating enough sugar and grains in your diet! On the contrary, it's because you eat too much of these things and your brain cells become resistant and the inflammatory nature of being bathed in too much insulin day in and day out kills off the brain cells. If you keep your blood sugar low, not as much insulin will need to be released by your body but of course there will be some, which is probably what nature intended. And then I've heard it said that what is good for the heart is good for the brain as well and vice versa, and that's surely true of too high of insulin levels b/c those who are insulin resistant generally develop heart problems and are more prone to having a stroke.
If you're diabetic or insulin resistant or have low blood sugar, your body is doing what it's supposed to but you're not feeding it properly and need to find a better way. I think CAVA is correct that veggies will give you the carbs you need--if you drop the grains out of your diet and you feel better and more even, then that's a really good sign that you're on the right track.
And while I don't believe everything that Dr. Mercola says and I always check it out by reading up on things of interest, I think he's not the nut you claim he is either--I've benefitted greatly from much of his diet and exercise advice.
Huh? I never implied that not eating grains keeps your insulin level too low. You're reading into, and responding, to things I never said, or implied. Also, your brain doesn't produce insulin. Your pancreas produces insulin.
Really - you need to do just a little fact-finding. Just a little. Not mercola conspiracy editorial crap. Real actual fact finding. Like maybe a visit to a basic primer like a high-school anatomy/physiology text book. Or call your local teaching hospital and ask an actual doctor.
Also, people with low blood sugar are unhealthy. People with high blood sugar are unhealthy. Low is not better than high. It's just a different form of sick.
But I worry that when I want "snacks" I eat either steel cut oats or oat bran w/ plain greek yogurt & whey protein. I add some fruit & this is my fav snack. The worry is too many carbs via this, or when I eat pearl barley or wild black rice or brown rice or quinoa.
I feel guilty as even though I mix in good absorption & digestion-slowing fats like, avocados/olive oil, or coconut oil or even all kinds of healthy protein-rich beans/legumes, I'm not sure this negates the insulin response from any of the above mentioned carbs?
These are my ONLY grains, really, other than Sprouted Ezekeil's low sodium breads w/ some marmelade. The rest of diet is fish, very little, if any, poultry (no red meats or lunch meats or pizzas, etc.) tempeh, nuts/seeds, all kinds of fruit & alot of veggies like, celery, leafy greens, kale, sprouts, brussels, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, bell peppers, etc. as much of this organic as I afford/find & some milk & more yogurt.
movintime, are you diabetic? Or, do you have any other insulin/glucose issues? Is your pancreas infirm?
If not, then you don't need to worry about having starch as snacks *as long as* you're eating modest portions.
So, a cup of yogurt with a tablespoon or two of oats in it for crunch, is not something to be even -remotely- concerned about. If you're adding fresh strawberries, even better.
The only people who need to be worrying about their insulin levels, are people who have insulin problems OR people who are *knowingly* at high risk for insulin problems. OR, people who are consuming lots and lots of really crappy food laden with high sugar content AND massive amounts of starch (such as - having 4-6 slices of that ezequiel bread every day, PLUS a cup of white rice, PLUS a big bowl of oatmeal with 4 tablespoons of brown sugar, PLUS 2 oranges, PLUS a half-pint of ice cream)
movintime, are you diabetic? Or, do you have any other insulin/glucose issues? Is your pancreas infirm?
If not, then you don't need to worry about having starch as snacks *as long as* you're eating modest portions.
So, a cup of yogurt with a tablespoon or two of oats in it for crunch, is not something to be even -remotely- concerned about. If you're adding fresh strawberries, even better.
The only people who need to be worrying about their insulin levels, are people who have insulin problems OR people who are *knowingly* at high risk for insulin problems. OR, people who are consuming lots and lots of really crappy food laden with high sugar content AND massive amounts of starch (such as - having 4-6 slices of that ezequiel bread every day, PLUS a cup of white rice, PLUS a big bowl of oatmeal with 4 tablespoons of brown sugar, PLUS 2 oranges, PLUS a half-pint of ice cream)
i personally feel for someone with no blood sugar problems 70 - 100 grams of starchy carbs /fruit is fine for one day. That is not alot but plenty when you start finding the right starchy carbs! Over 120 grams I feel is too much for the average person. This to me is a good guide to stay healthy and maintain your weight and feel good!
Well this doesn't mean that a person shouldn't be concerned about how much starches they're consuming. I'm just saying that "insulin" shouldn't be a concern, when someone is considering their starch intake, UNLESS they have some medical reason to worry about insulin.
Foods high in starch and/or sugars are the kinds of carbs you should try to keep to a minimum, in general, because they have less nutritional value than foods containing less starch and/or sugar. For instance: a cup of corn kernels, which is loaded with starch AND sugar, is less nutritionally valueable than a cup of snap peas. A cup of mashed potatoes, is less nutritionally valueable than a cup of fresh baby spinach with black olives, mushrooms, green pepper, grape tomatoes, sunflower seeds and olive oil and lemon juice drizzled over it.
The trick is to try and get the "best bang for your buck." If you're already healthy and fit, and have no medical or weight problems, then eat whatever you want, because whatever you're doing right now is working. Just be aware that the body changes with age, and our nutritional needs change as well. What I was able to eat "and get away with" when I was 20, would probably give me a stroke today at 50.
American diabetes assoc supports the consumption of whole grains.
Personal anecdote, I ate whole grains while lowering my blood sugar (i also lost weight and reduced my consumption of sugars and non whole grain starches)
I suppose someone eating a lot of veggies doesnt need whole grains. But for someone who wants and likes whole grains, its not necessary to eliminate them.
American diabetes assoc supports the consumption of whole grains.
Personal anecdote, I ate whole grains while lowering my blood sugar (i also lost weight and reduced my consumption of sugars and non whole grain starches)
I suppose someone eating a lot of veggies doesnt need whole grains. But for someone who wants and likes whole grains, its not necessary to eliminate them.
This right here. Even diabetics can eat bread. They just have to eat it conservatively and at health-appropriate times. You won't find a diabetic who values his life, scarfing down a whole loaf of garlic bread. But you sure might see one have a single slice of it.
Veggies and grains provide different types of fiber: insoluble and soluble. For some people it is easier to get the mix of fibers from grains. Dietary Fiber: Insoluble and Soluble Fiber
Sources of insoluble fiber: whole wheat, whole grains, wheat bran, corn bran, seeds, nuts, barley, couscous, brown rice, bulgur, zucchini, celery, broccoli, cabbage, onions, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, green beans, dark leafy vegetables, raisins, grapes, fruit, and root vegetable skins.
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