Go for the grains!

If you have had weight loss surgery, you probably understand the importance of eating nutrient dense foods. As a result of the surgery, a small stomach pouch is created, limiting the amount of food you can eat. This small stomach pouch fills quickly, which helps you feel satisfied with less food intake. It is therefore very important to eat healthy foods rather than to fill up on highly caloric, less nutritional foods such as sweets, fried foods, juice smoothies, milkshakes, etc. Highly nutrient dense foods contain more beneficial components such as protein, healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals than they do calories per serving. Whole-grain foods are an excellent example of a nutrient dense food source.

WHAT ARE WHOLE GRAINS?

Whole grains are grains that contain the entire grain kernel: the innermost germ, the endosperm that surrounds the germ, and the outermost bran that surrounds both.

• The germ contains B vitamins, vitamin E, trace minerals, and healthful unsaturated fats, phytochemicals and antioxidants
• The endosperm portion contains complex carbohydrates, protein, and smaller amounts of B vitamins
• The outer bran layer is full of fiber, B vitamins, 50 to 80 percent of the grain’s minerals and phytochemicals...click here to read more.