VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 to Lose Weight and Restore Your Health . . . for Good

by Mark Bittman

Starches are carbohydrates composed of chains of sugars, and like “simple” sugars, they’re not all the same. Wheat, which we eat in many forms and which is a staple for many people around the world, is a fine example to explore. The wheat berry—the seed of the wheat plant—is a whole grain; only the chaff and stems have been removed. Each wheat berry has three layers: the outside (or bran), the middle layer (the bulk of the grain, called the endosperm), and the center (or germ). The bran and germ contain most of the nutrients, not only in wheat but in all grains. Whole grains like the wheat berry are a terrific source of prolonged, sustained energy. When you cook and eat wheat berries (sadly, the least familiar wheat product), the body begins to convert most parts of the grain to glucose. But because the berry contains many other components—not just starch, but also protein and fiber—this happens slowly and provides a steady source of energy for several hours, without the sugar crashes associated with highly processed carbohydrates. Hyper-process that wheat berry and everything changes. To make white flour, the bran and the germ are removed—the very parts that take the longest to digest—leaving the starchy endosperm and only a little of the kernel’s fiber, protein, and fat. It’s not surprising then that the starch in white flour is digested and converted rapidly; our bodies treat that starch more like sugars than like whole grains. The result is that hyper-processed grains ...