Eating Chappati/Rotis and not losing weight?

If you are watching your diet or trying to lose / maintain a healthy weight, eating whole grain products is a good choice. But are you actually eating whole grain products is the question you have to ask yourself.

I find most of people who have Indian food mention they have rotis or chappatis as a part of their meal if they are trying to lose weight. Since they are made with wheat, they think it is healthy rather than having white rice or white flour products.

Well it is true, whole wheat is high in fiber compared to the all-purpose flour/white rice. A grain is considered whole when all three parts – bran, germ and endosperm – are present. In olden days, people had the time to clean the whole grains, dry it and then take it to the grinding mill to get fresh ly ground flour. But now, we don’t have the time, so we take advantage of buying the ready made wheat flour which we find in supermarkets.

The label does mention whole wheat, Duram wheat and so on. But the truth is most of the fiber is removed from the wheat flour, so that the end product ie the Chappatis or Rotis are soft . These companies need to sell the product, they don’t care about our health. For competition sake they mention whole wheat on the label and mix all purpose flour or make it refined( remove the wheat bran and wheat germ) to get a soft and smooth products.

WHITE FLOUR is made from the endosperm only = NOT a whole grain

WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR combines all 3 parts of the wheat berry = a whole grain

Here are few tips which helps you realize if you are using whole wheat or not

Check the fiber content on the back of package (8-20% for every 100grams).
If you get very soft rotis immediately after you make the dough, it means it is not whole wheat flour.
Dough made with whole wheat flour needs 1-2 hrs resting time to give soft rotis.( Tip: Mix dough with warm water and close it with lid for better results)
When you touch and feel the flour, it should not be very smooth. Whole wheat flour cannot be ground completely, so it will have an uneven/coarse texture.
Most of Indian brands doesn’t have whole wheat, so try buying the flour from american stores or if possible buy the whole wheat and get it grounded.
Foods labeled with the words “multi-grain,” “stone-ground,” “100% wheat,” “cracked wheat,” “seven-grain,” or “bran” are usually not whole-grain products.
Color is also not an indication of a whole grain. Brown does not necessary mean whole wheat or whole grain! Some brown bread has brown coloring added to achieve the brown color!
When determining if a packaged food product contains whole grain or not, look for the word “whole” in the ingredient list.

Benefits of whole wheat :

Women who consumed more whole grains consistently weigh less than those who ate less of these fiber-rich foods, but those consuming the most dietary fiber from whole grains were 49% less likely to gain weight compared to those eating foods made from refined grains.
Whole grains are a good source of B vitamins, Vitamin E, magnesium, iron and fiber, as well as other valuable antioxidants not found in some fruits and vegetables.
Whole grains have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease by decreasing cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and blood coagulation.
They may also help regulate blood glucose in people living with diabetes.
Whole wheat also contains powerful antioxidants. It protects against free radical damage to our cells.
The recommended daily intake for whole grains is at least three, one-ounce servings per day.