Why whole grains are a whole lot better for you

Guess what you get rid of fast when you eat oatmeal instead of a doughnut and make your sandwich with two slices of 100 percent whole-grain bread instead of white? A fabulous 10 percent of your deep belly fat. Deep, visceral belly fat - the kind that wraps around your abdominal organs like the upholstery on Uncle Mort's favorite chair and increases your odds for diabetes, heart disease, dementia and some cancers.

Who wouldn't want to get rid of that? All it takes: enjoying three or more servings of whole grains a day and no more than two servings of the refined stuff. A new study shows you'll not only weigh less but you'll have less visceral fat. And your waist will be about an inch and a half trimmer than if you stuck with white rice, white noodles and refined breakfast cereals.

How come? Going for whole grains discourages a spare tire by releasing an appetite-satisfying "I'm full now" hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1. Plus, the fiber in whole wheat, brown rice and other good grains makes you feel full longer and makes your body more sensitive to insulin, the hormone that controls blood sugar.

Refined, white or processed grains do the opposite: They boost your appetite, make your blood sugar rocket up and down like the Coney Island Cyclone and send a "store me" message to your fat cells, so calories aren't burned off. And you wondered how those extra pounds sneaked up on you?