Can you overdo whole grains?

You can always overdo foods.  A key principle that's been documented in the last few decades is that if you are a lean and active, you can tolerate more carbohydrate.  If you're not, a high carbohydrate diet can exacerbate insulin resistance.

What's interesting is that if you're really eating whole grains, you won't overeat them. I think of my Kashi pilaf as a paradigm because it's a blend of intact grains.  We're not talking about whole grain bread or Kashi breakfast cereals.  I can tolerate only 30 to 40 percent of calories form intact grains because more causes gastrointestinal disturbances.  The healthiest whole grains are self-limiting.

Walter Willett is chair of the Dept. of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health and professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School.  He has published over 1,400 scientific articles on diet and disease. Excerpt from Nutrition Action Healthletter