Eat More Whole Grains to Reduce Diabetes Risk

Abundance Over Restriction

We all know that watching your sweet tooth reduces the risk of diabetes.  So we’re used to thinking we need to cut down on certain foods to avoid bad things.  But did you know that you can actually eat more (delicious) things to avoid bad things too?

Abundance over restriction? 

More of that please! Read on as I break down the latest evidence and offer tips to create your perfect healthy plate and give you some ideas to add to your next shopping list.

Eating whole grain foods reduces the risk of Type II Diabetes.

A recent study published in the BMJ found that higher intake of several commonly eaten whole grain foods decrease the risk of Type II Diabetes.

This included:

-whole grain breakfast cereal

-oatmeal

-dark bread

-brown rice

-added bran

-wheat germ

Even after adjusting for lifestyle and dietary risk factors for diabetes (i.e age, ethnicity, BMI, smoking status, alcohol status, multivitamin use, physical activity, healthy eating index and family history of diabetes)

Those who had the highest whole grain consumption had a lower rate of type 2 diabetes compared with those in the lowest group

Limitations

These findings were from three famous studies – the Nurses’ Health Study, The Nurses’ Health Study II and the Health Professionals Follow up study.  Needless to say, this sample is not representative of the entire population as it relates largely to white health professionals.

 I’ve always found this a puzzling sample choice, why nurses? 

““Nurses were selected as the study population because of their knowledge about health and their ability to provide complete and accurate information regarding various diseases, due to their nursing education.””

The Health Professionals Follow Up study was designed to complement the Nurses Health Study by analyzing male health professionals and started in 1986.  Between them both, they have studied hundreds of thousands of people over 30 years.

Conclusion:

Healthy eating = eat more whole grains! It’s good for your gut (see articles on the microbiome), good for your brain and reduces your risk of diabetes.

 My top 5 grains

Ok. I confess. I’m a grain nerd. That can be the only explanation for listicle like this.  After reading a lot about the gut microbiome, I’m really keen on making sure I feed my microbiome a varied, wholesome, unrefined diet.  As well as a diet high in fruit and veg, I also eat a LOT of whole, unrefined grains.  These are my top 5 grains to that make a good alternative to brown rice:

1.     Quinoa – it took a trip to Peru before I realised it was not pronounced Qwi-no-wa. Fun fact – it’s actually a seed and is high in protein.

2.     Amaranth – mostly because it makes me feel fancy.  Not great if you want to have a big plate of something filling.  The grains are tiny but have a nutty taste to them.  Reminds me of semolina.

3.     Pearl barley – love this stuff.  Cooks beautifully (or is that because it’s got the word ‘pearl’ in it?) and has a really satisfying, filling texture and bite.

4.     Bulgur wheat – because it’s absurdly easy and quick.  Even possible with a toddler in tow. Cover with boiling water and a lid and it cooks itself. I do it the ever-so-slightly-long way: fry some onion and garlic in a little oil and then when translucent, add a teaspoon of cumin.  I then add the bulgur wheat and mix and then top up with boiling water, put on a low heat and cover.  Cooks quickly and tastes lush.

5.     Buckwheat groats – despite having a name that sounds like a character in a fairytale (billy goats gruff anyone?), these are not as commonly eaten as they should be – they taste really good!

References:

Hu, Yang, et al. "Intake of whole grain foods and risk of type 2 diabetes: Results from three prospective cohort studies." bmj 370 (2020).

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