Amadeus Schmidt wrote:
> When we eat a whole grain, we are getting exactly the amount of
> micronutrients needed to digest the amount of carbohydrates in that
> grain--no more and no less. If we eat a grain that has been refined,
> all we have left are the carbohydrates. All the micronutrients have
> been removed to feed to animals. ..
This is too simplistic and there is at least one major flaw with it.
That is that the grains own metabolism is the same as ours and the
nutrients that are essential to it are also essential to us (here
essential meaning something that must come from the outside). There
is no reason to believe that grains cells need the same nutrients in
the same proportions as we do. There are many very simple organisms
that are able to manufacture many nutrients as they need them (while
our bodies can't make the same nutrient - e.g. yeast can make almost
everything it needs out of carbs, a few proteins and minerals).
Thus to assume that a grain has exactly the right nutrients for
digestion by humans is completely unwarranted. Therefore to suggest
that refining grains (thus stripping some nutrients) is what's responsible
for hunger and obesity is not warranted either.

Ilya