The good carbs: How whole grains can expedite weight-loss and metabolism

Research finds eliminating carbs completely is not healthy

While it’s tempting to banish carbs completely while on a diet, a team at Tufts University has discovered that people who ate whole grains absorbed fewer calories from their food, reported Reader’s Digest.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that swapping white rice for brown rice and whole grain cereal for more sugary options, increased calorie loss. In fact, the whole grains consumed by subjects reduced the amount of calories they absorbed during digestion and also sped up their metabolism.

The research included 81 men and women, aged 40 to 65, over a six-week study period. Participants were divided into two groups: those eating whole grains and those eating more refined grains including white bread, rice and pasta. They even underwent blood testing to make sure they weren’t straying from their assigned grains group.



At the end of six weeks, Dr Phil Karl reported that differences in calorie intake were measurable. The first group took in fewer calories a day than the second, who ate the same diet with typical processed grains. The change in grains could add up to a loss of five pounds a year. “People who were eating whole grains compared to people who were eating refined grains had a larger excretion of energy in the stools, so they were not absorbing as many of the calories that they were eating,” Phil confirmed.

He continued, “There was about 100 calories per day difference in energy deficit in the whole grain group. There also seemed to be a slight difference in resting metabolism, how many calories a person burns while sitting still, as the whole-grain eaters had a slightly faster metabolism.”

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