Processed Foods - Why?

Why were foods ever refined. Why did we make white rice if it’s so depleted of its nutrients and fibre?

1. Refining prolongs shelf life (less nutritious to pests... but also to us)

2. Easier to digest and quicker sugar hit (fibre has been removed)

3. The big money is all from processing foods, not from selling them whole

4. Only the wealthy could afford refined grains adding to their prestige.

Eating whole grains reduces all cause mortality. Literally death from ALL CAUSES. Lower rates of diabetes, heart disease and cancer to name a few of the big ones. Maybe it’s because of the fibre, the B vitamins, the folic acid, the antioxidants, or all the minerals that are packed into whole grains. Although studies have tried to add these nutrients back into peoples diets and the conclusion - whole grains are more then the sum of their nutrients.

The main question is, does it matter why? Or which specific nutrient? Or is a really simple thing to do is just swap out white, refund carbs like pasta and rice and sub them back in, in their original, whole, form. Plus from a convenience perspective, you’ll stay fuller for longer, loose weight and have less of those up and downs that come with poor blood sugar regulation..... the downer coming after the spike, telling you you’re hungry again, and making you eat more.