A Boston University study (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 80, No. 5, 1237-1245, November 2004) discovered that regular intake of whole grains was instrumental in controlling middle age weight gain: " The increased consumption of whole grains was inversely related to weight gain, and the associations persisted after changes in added bran or fiber intakes were accounted for. This suggests that additional components in whole grains may contribute to favorable metabolic alterations that may reduce long-term weight gain.
Adding 1 cup of oatmeal, 3/4 of a cup of brown rice, or 2 slices of real whole grain bread a day to one's diet can block weight gain of as much as 3.5 lbs.
This should mean that as of reading this, people will instantly decide not to eat white bread except on special occasions, when it can be thought of as cake: in my childhood, my Swedish foster mother baked rye and whole grain breads for everyday, and white bread for special feast days and treats. 100 grams of white bread has .2 grams of fiber: whole wheat has 1.6. White rice has .3 grams of fiber, brown has .9 per 100 grams. One half cup of oatmeal has 7.7 grams of fiber - you get the picture!
