whole grain food products

Anybody know where to buy whole grain products. I have bought oatmeal at Hero, which I assume is whole grain. There must be whole grain brown rice avaliable somewhere. I would really like to find whole wheat bread and cereal. I'm not too optomistic about the prospects of finding these products.
I may have asked this question before. If so I am sorry but I don't recall any definitive answers.

Hi Tom
For many years, Pearl at Santai Beach Inn in Mangsit used to get a brown rice done especially for Santai. It is not usually available - or if it is, it is not polished so 'dirty'. She doesn't do it anymore. I never found brown rice for sale anywhere. Or other wholegrains. I must admit, after a while I gave up and went with the flow with the local diet.

I am sure many of you out there have noticed the high incidence of daibetis in Lombok. I was a bit perplexed over this. Until I thought about how much of the daily caloric intake is white rice. Among locals I mean. Possibly close to 80%. White rice is a refined carbohydrate and high on the glycemic index. Meaning it metabolizes quickly causing a spike in blood sugar. I'm not a trained dietician so correct me if I'm wrong.
I read an article about a community in one of Lombok's most productive farming area. Narmada possibly. The population farmed many healthy sources of nutrition but were malnourished. They would sell their farmed produce to buy white rice because they believed that is what they need to maintain their health.
I certainly don't expect to persuade any locals to eat brown rice. Yes... "dirty". But I am hoping to be able to feed my family (kids especially) healthy food. It would be nice to be able to make yogurt but I think I would need to start with having a cow since there's no fresh milk. It's hard enough keeping the thieves from a goat. A cow would require 24 hr security.

Hi Tom
Indonesians have been eating white rice for decades, yet it is only in the last 20 years that there has been a rise in adult onset (Type2) diabetes. In 1982 the percentage of diabetics was around 1.6% that has risen dramatically, with places like Jakarta as high as 12%! Historically, many countries that eat rice 3 meals a day do not have high rates of diabetes. Yes, white rice has a relatively high GI, but don't be fooled by GI alone. Icecream has a GI of 37, rice has 100 - which is the healthier food?

The primary contribution to the rise in diabetes is an increase amount of sugar in the diet, and a more sedentary life. Have you seen some of the crap that Indonesians eat? and the amount of sugar they put in their coffee?? There are other more highly processed foods than white rice to worry about. Mie is horrible stuff. Fried lard, chemical flavours, and salt with pretty much no nutritional value, yet is served up almost every day as it is cheap and convenient.

Malnutrition is a problem in Indonesia, often due to poor diet, and often due to a lack of education about what to eat. Even just simple things like eating leafy greens many locals don't know about. Other issues also happen like iodine deficiency and vitamin A deficiencies. The list goes on.

You and your family can be completely healthy by eating a traditional diet, keep away from the western foods. A bit of white rice in the diet is heaps better than bread on a daily basis. The trick to keeping your blood sugar stable is about regular small meals. Obviously not full of refined carbs, sugar and salt, but white rice is not the same level of 'refinement' as flour and bread. It is still very nutritional. Add to that a bit of kampong ayam, which is very lean, or fish or tempe, and some fresh sayor and you will be very healthy. If you can get freshly squeezed coconut oil for your cooking that is also very healthy.

If you really want low GI rice, you are better sourcing basmati rice, which has the lowest GI count.

Also, even brown rice has a certain level of processing to make it edible. When I referred to brown rice being 'dirty' it is exactly that unless it has been polished, and not really suitable for cooking and eating. If you can find a farmer that has a rice polisher, you could get him to do brown rice for you.

Lastly, I have been making yogurt using powdered milk for years. You don't need a cow.

Oh, and if you are concerned about blood sugar, keep away from alcohol.

You certainly seem to be well informed Freo. I was told that whole grain flour is much more nutritional than white rice. I think small regular portions of rice is a good fix but the locals I have seen don't practice that. They literally put a mound of rice on their plate with their meal. Sources of lean protein is not a concern for me.I know those well. I would like to experiment making yogurt while I am in Lombok. I have no experience with that. As for alcohol, I don't drink so that's not a concern for me.

This was posted recently by "David" on the Home In Bali Forum. I found it very interesting and thought you might as well.

BLACK RICE (Pulut Hitam) - The New CANCER-FIGHTING Super food
This is not a hoax.......

I believe this is "Pulut Hitam" that is being referred to.
How absolutely wonderful - that bowl of "Pulut Hitam" cooked with gula malacca (proper term for 'gula malacca' is actually 'palm sugar' extracted from the coconut palm which is not only much more flavorsome than white cane sugar but a much healthier choice too (!) being far richer in minerals (potassium, magnesium and zinc) and B vitamins than white cane sugar and also much lower in glycemic index than cane sugar and honey!) and topped with coconut cream, is a local favourite dessert which is not only YUMMILY DELICIOUS BUT ACTUALLY GOOD FOR US!

BLACK RICE IS THE NEW CANCER-FIGHTING SUPERFOOD, CLAIM SCIENTISTS

BLACK RICE (Pulut Hitam) - The New CANCER-FIGHTING Super food
This is not a hoax.......

Anthocyanins provide the dark colours of many fruits and vegetables, such as blueberries and red peppers. They are what makes black rice 'black'.
Research suggests that the dark plant antioxidants, which mop up harmful molecules, can help protect arteries and prevent the DNA damage that leads to cancer.
Food scientist Dr Zhimin Xu said: 'Just a spoonful of black rice bran contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than are found in a spoonful of blueberries, but with less sugar, and more fibre and vitamin E antioxidants.
'If berries are used to boost health, why not black rice and black rice bran? Especially, black rice bran would be a unique and economical material to increase consumption of health-promoting antioxidants.'
Centuries ago black rice was known as 'Forbidden Rice' in ancient China because only nobles were allowed to eat it.
Today black rice is mainly used in Asia for food decoration, noodles, sushi and desserts.
But food manufacturers could potentially use black rice bran or bran extracts to make breakfast cereals, beverages, cakes, biscuits and other foods healthier, said Dr Xu.
When rice is processed, millers remove the outer layers of the grains to produce brown rice or more refined white rice - the kind most widely consumed in the West.
Brown rice is said to be more nutritious because it has higher levels of healthy vitamin E compounds and antioxidants.
But according to Dr Xu's team, varieties of rice that are black or purple in colour are healthier still.
They added that black rice could also be used to provide healthier, natural colourants. Studies linked some artificial colourants to cancer and behavioural problems in children.
The scientists presented their findings today at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston.
Victoria Taylor, senior dietician at the British Heart Foundation, said: 'In reality, it's unlikely there's a single food out there that will have a great impact on lowering your risk of heart disease. Healthy eating is about a balanced diet overall.
'It's great if you can eat more of some groups of healthy foods, like having five portions of fruit and veg a day, but there is still no conclusive evidence that 'super foods' alone make a real difference to your heart health.'