Celebrate Whole Grains Month in September by making sure youre buying the real thing.
If youre trying to include more whole grains in your diet, youre not alone. The whole world is catching on to the health benefits of whole grains, according to a new report from Global Industry Analysts, with global sales of whole-grain products headed to reach $27.6 billion by 2017. Food and beverage companies have adopted whole grains as a major strategy for revitalizing their products and brands, said the report. By providing whole grain products that provide long-term health benefits, food companies are allowing consumers to make a transition towards healthy diet.
According to Mintels Global New Products Database, launches of new whole-grain products in 2011 totaled almost 20 times those in 2000. In the US, which represents the largest regional market for whole-grain products, the greatest growth has been among Millennials (ages 18 to 34). But we still have a ways to go, as whole grains accounted for only 11% of total grain consumption as of 2009.
As manufacturers scramble to jump on the whole-grains bandwagon, however, theyre leaving some confused consumers in their wake. Some packages trumpet, More whole grains than any other ingredient! or With whole grains first ingredient! But does that make these products, such as cereals, a significant contributor to your daily whole grain needs? Not always. The second ingredient in many such products is often refined grain. How about Made with whole grain? Again, check the ingredients-made with merely means includes, and such products can also be made with processed grains. Partially whole-grain foods can be helpful as youre getting used to the nuttier, fuller taste of whole grains, but those made with 100% whole grain will provide the most health benefits.
Its worth doing the supermarket detective work to make sure youre really buying whole-grain foods, according to Tufts research. For example, Nicola McKeown, PhD, a scientist in Tufts HNRCA Nutritional Epidemiology Laboratory, and colleagues have found that whole grains may help reduce the belly fat thats linked to heart disease and diabetes. On the other hand, refined grains like white bread and pasta can cancel out those benefits.
McKeown adds, Observational studies have seen improved health outcomes in people consuming, on average, three or more servings of whole-grains-such as reduced cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes risk and some cancers. Earlier this year, for instance, British researchers found that people who ate three daily servings of whole grains were 17% less likely to develop colorectal cancer.
Most people are consuming refined grain foods and missing out on the fiber and nutrients concentrated in whole grains, McKeown says. But she cautions against adding whole grains to the diet without replacing those existing refined grains you currently eat.
How can you be certain youre getting those good-for-you whole grains? First, it helps to understand what makes a grain whole. For a grain to be called whole, it must contain all the essential parts of the natural grain seed-the bran, germ and endosperm. (In most refined grain products, such as in white flour, only the endosperm is used.) Most grains we consume have been processed-e.g., cracked, crushed, rolled, extruded. In that case, they should still deliver approximately the same components found in the original grain seed.
An easy way to make sure youre getting whole grains is to look for the 100% Whole Grain stamp from the Whole Grains Council www.wholegrainscouncil.org, which certifies that all the grain is whole and that a product contains at least 16 grams of whole grains per serving. The councils basic stamp identifies products made with a mix of whole and refined grains; check the number on the stamp to see how these foods contribute to your daily need for 48 grams or more of whole grains.
Since not all food packagers participate in the stamp program, look for the phrase 100% whole grain. The label might specify the type of grain instead, such as 100% whole wheat.
Check the ingredients list. Ingredients that indicate whole grains, according to the Council, include: whole grain [name of grain, such as wheat, rye or oats], whole wheat, whole [other grain], stoneground whole [grain], brown rice, oats, oatmeal (including old-fashioned oatmeal, instant oatmeal) and wheat berries. (See the next page for a summery salad using wheat berries.)
Many common ingredient terms fall into a maybe gray area, such as: wheat, wheat flour, semolina, durum wheat, organic flour, stoneground (without the word whole, you should assume these are refined grains) and multigrain, which may describe several whole grains or several refined grains, or a mix of both. The Council advises, These words are accurate descriptions of the package contents, but because some parts of the grain MAY be missing, you are likely missing the benefits of whole grains. When in doubt, dont trust these words!
Other terms clearly signal the ingredients are not whole grains: enriched flour, degerminated (on corn meal), bran and wheat germ. The latter two have other health benefits, in part because bran and wheat germ are high in fiber, but cant be classifed as whole grains because theyre missing other components.
Dont count on fiber amounts, which vary by grain, ranging from 1.8 grams in an ounce of brown rice to over 4 grams in barley and bulgur. High-fiber products sometimes contain bran or other added fiber without actually having much if any whole grain. Both fiber and whole grains have been shown to have health benefits, the Council notes, but theyre not interchangeable.