9 replies to this topic

[helpchicken]

hey seppo, i was wondering if you could recommend the least inflammatory cereal that i could eat for breakfast when im in a rush and dont have time to make something better? i was going to eat some type of oatmeal but i would rather avoid grains and whole grains because they cause inflammation. I also want to find a cereal that is low GI as well, so cornflakes are out. Any other suggestions of a cereal that doesn't have any grains and has low GI index? that would be great, thanks

[Seppo]

I'm not sure I can think of any such cereal. That said, I don't see much harm in eating a bowl of oatmeal in the morning. That's what I have for breakfast nowadays. Sure oatmeal might be somewhat inflammatory (not sure if it really is), but you can balance it out with other meals. I make a bowl of oatmeal and mix it with ground flax seeds, handful of almonds, cinnamon and some raisins. Unless you strive for absolutely 'perfect' diet I don't see any harm in breakfast like that. Of course this assumes that you have no problems with oats.

[helpchicken]

oh. so i guess my real question would be, are whole grains THAT inflammatory? For example, say i want to make a sandwich for lunch, would it be better to go for plain white bread or an italian roll, or go for whole wheat bread, which i know has more whole grains and such in them? And for cereal, would that mean an All-Bran cereal that has whole grains would be ok if i put some cinnoman and almonds in them too? Because I Know all-bran is low GI and its quick to make and tasty haha

[Seppo]

I think you misunderstood me a bit. My point was that having a bowl of oatmeal might not be strictly optimal, but at the same time it's not the end of the world also. You don't have to be perfect with your diet.

I didn't mean to give a blanket approval for all sorts of grains. I still don't recommend you eat bread. 1, for the high gluten content of wheat, and 2, for the fact that bread is low in nutrients. Oats have fat less gluten (contaminants from wheat processing) and it's fairly nutritious.

And you definitely shouldn't eat processed breakfast cereals. Stick to real foods, please

[helpchicken]

Oh ok i see what you mean now. And by oatmeal, would that mean something along the lines of Steel Cut Oats? Would GLuten-free Steel cut oats be the best option then? I happen to have some of those lying around

[Seppo]

Some 'experts' say you should only have the old-fashioned, slow cooking oats, but I'm not sure it makes much of a difference. It might be better to avoid instant oatmeals (again, not sure if instant are any worse than others), but other than that just take what's convenient for you. If you can find gluten-free oats then go for those. If not, just get what's available for you.

[helpchicken]

On the topic of oatmeal, could grains not really have an affect on my acne? I was tested for a gluten allergy and it turns out i have no intolerance or allergy to gluten, and also, instead of eating the oatmeal with a fat or protein, i mainly just eat it with cinnamon. So if i'm not allergic to oats, wouldn't that mean that oatmeal basically has no effect on my acne, except that it might irritate the digestive track a little bit?

and just wondering, what is so bad about processed cereals if they have a low G.I and low sugar count? is it just because they are processed and even harder to digest then oats and such?

and last question, if you had to eat something that contains grains, should you opt for the one with more whole grains? like if i HAD to choose between having white bread and whole grain bread or whole wheat bread, and white english muffine and multi-grain english muffin, which is a better choice? THanks

[Seppo]

Of course if you have to eat grains then by all means go for the whole grain versions.

What's so bad about processed cereals? I presume you are talking about boxes breakfast cereals here? First, they contain almost no nutrition. They are just empty calories. Second, they most likely contain trans-fats and other not so great additives.

If your test for oats came out clean then they probably have no effect on your skin.

[helpchicken]

oh ok. cause there is this cereal called fiber one all-bran cereal that has no trans fat or saturated fat, little sugar, low GI, and pretty good nutricion.. don't see anything wrong with them hehe and they taste good

[Seppo]

I seriously doubt that processed breakfast cereal would have good nutrition. Breakfast cereals are often 'fortified' to make them look nutritious, but that's not a substitute for nutrients found in foods. Anyway if you want to eat it then by all means do so