If whole grains are so healthy, why do 80% of us eat them less than once per day?
To start, it doesn’t help that many people don’t know what whole grains are. What makes something whole grain anyways? What foods are they in? How much do we need to see health benefits?
Whole grains contain all the essential parts and naturally occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed. The food products should deliver the same rich balance of nutrients that are found in the original grain seed.
Basically, whole grain means the food contains the entire whole grain kernel. Each part of the kernel contains important nutrients our bodies need. The bran contains the fiber, the endosperm the starch and the germ vitamins and antioxidants. By keeping the entire whole grain kernel in a food, we are making sure we are getting all of these nutrients we need for our health.
The main benefits of whole grains:
- stroke risk reduced
- type 2 diabetes risk reduced
- heart disease risk reduced
- better weight maintenance
Other benefits:
- reduced risk of asthma
- lower risk of colorectal cancer
- healthier blood pressure levels
- less gum disease and tooth loss
Examples of whole grains:
Foods like oatmeal, bulgur wheat, brown rice, popcorn are whole grain and great to eat for both you and your children.
It gets trickier with foods like breads, crackers, pasta, and tortillas to tell if they are whole grain or not. It doesn’t make it any easier that manufacturers go out of their way to make their products look and sound healthy, even when they aren’t. Putting words like “100% wheat,” or “multi-grain” on a package of food does not necessarily mean it is whole grain.
We need to know how to tell if a product is considered whole grain or not if we are going to eat more whole grains.
There are 4 things to look for:
1.The Health Claim: diet with soluble fiber, and low saturated fat and cholesterol, may decrease risk of heart disease.
2.Soluble fiber should be listed on the nutrition facts label.
3.Whole grain label statement of being an excellent source of whole grain should be on front of the product.
4.Whole grains should be listed as the first ingredient on the box.
When a food does not have one of these 4 things on the food package, then it is a refined grain instead of a whole grain.
A refined grain has been changed from its natural state, generally involving the removal of bran and germ.
Refined grains are foods like white bread, pastas, baked goods, saltine crackers, white rice.
Since in refined grains the bran and the germ are taken out, we are also taking out the fiber and vitamins within these parts.
Fiber is especially important to our health. The more we get, the better. Fiber has many health benefits: it prevents constipation, lowers your risk of colon cancer, makes you feel full longer, and helps keep the digestive system healthy.
Recommended Daily Intake:
The Institute of Medicine recommends that adult females get 21-26 grams of fiber/day. As for children, 1-3 year olds should get about 19 grams of fiber/day and 4-8 year olds should get about 25 grams of fiber/day.
The Institute of Medicine recommends that adult females get 21-26 grams of fiber/day. As for children, 1-3 year olds should get about 19 grams of fiber/day and 4-8 year olds should get about 25 grams of fiber/day.
As for whole grains:
Dietary Guidelines for Americans: “Consume at least half of all grains as whole grains. Increase whole-grain intake by replacing refined grains with whole grains.” This means that at least three servings of whole grains are recommended for all Americans age 9 and up.
Next time you are at the grocery store, pick out some of those whole grain products!
References
The Whole Grains Council. http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org/
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