Tips About Food
Whole Grains ( What Are They, Health Benefits...)
Super Food: WHOLE Grains!
With the fad diet movement of low-carb eating plans, many consumers have unnecessarily taken healthy sources of carbohydrates out of their diet. Health experts have advised consumers that limiting whole grains can have negative effects on your long-term health. Read on to find out more about where to find whole grains and how they can protect your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, obesity, and digestive issues/disease.
What are Whole Grains?
Many people are confused as to what the word “whole grain” actually means and how to spot them in the grocery store. A whole grain refers to the entire seed or kernel of the plant. The seed or kernel is made up of 3 main parts: the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. Many food products do not contain the entire whole grain since often the three parts are separated and milled out. Examples of whole grains include wheat, barley, oats, corn, rice, rye, amaranth, buckwheat/ kasha, cracked wheat/bulgar, kamut, millet, quinoa, spelt, flax. These whole grains can be used whole, milled into flour or used to make baked goods such as breads or cereals.
Key Nutrients in Whole Grains
The bran is the multi-layered outer skin of the kernel, and is tough enough to protect the other two parts of the kernel from assaults by sunlight, pests, water, and disease. It contains important antioxidants, B vitamins and fiber.
The germ is the embryo which, if fertilized by pollen, will sprout into a new plant. It contains many B vitamins, some protein, minerals, and healthy fats.
The endosperm
is the germ’s food supply, which provides essential energy to the young
plant so it can send roots down for water and nutrients, and send sprouts up for
sunlight’s photosynthesizing power. The endosperm is by far the largest
portion of the kernel. It contains starchy carbohydrates, proteins and small
amounts of vitamins and minerals.
Whole grains contain all three parts of the kernel. Refining normally removes
the bran and the germ, leaving only the endosperm. Without the bran and germ,
about 25% of a grain’s protein is lost, along with at least seventeen key
nutrients. Processors add back some vitamins and minerals to enrich refined
grains, so refined products still contribute valuable nutrients. But whole
grains are healthier, providing more protein, more fiber and many important
vitamins and minerals.
Whole grains may be eaten whole, cracked, split or ground. They can be milled into flour or used to make breads, cereals and other processed foods. If a food label states that the package contains whole grain, the "whole grain" part of the food inside the package is required to have virtually the same proportions of bran, germ, and endosperm as the harvested kernel does before it is processed.
Health Benefits of Whole Grains
Whole grains have many health benefits and can reduce your risk of many major chronic diseases in the future. Choose a healthy amount of whole grains to reduce your risk for:
-Bowel disorders/diseases
(such as constipation, diverticulosis, hemorrhoids, colon cancer)
-Cancer (such as cancers of the colon, rectum, prostate, stomach, pancreas,
endometrium, and ovaries)
-Heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol levels, and high blood pressure
-Obesity (whole grains are high in complex carbohydrates and fibre which help
you feel full and delay hunger)
-Type 2 Diabetes and high blood sugars
Identifying Whole Grain Products
Check the label. Look for claims like "Contains only whole grains," Excellent Source of whole grain" or "100% whole wheat" as producers sometimes print "whole grain" on products containing only miniscule amounts of whole grains.
Check the list of ingredients. If the first ingredient listed contains the word "whole", the product is predominately whole grain. If only the second ingredient listed is a whole grain, the product may contain between 1-49% of the whole grain.
Phrases that
mean “whole grain”:
whole grain [name of grain]
whole wheat
whole [other grain]
stoneground whole [grain]
brown rice
wild rice
Phrases that
DO NOT mean “whole grain”:
100% wheat
(means that only wheat is used as a grain source but we don’t know if the
food contains the WHOLE part of the grain)
Multigrain
(means it may have several WHOLE grains or several refined grains, or a mix of
both)
Stone Ground
(means the grain is coarsely ground but we don’t know if it includes all
parts of the WHOLE grain)
Unbleached flour; wheat flour; semolina; durum wheat; organic unbleached flour;
enriched flour
(means some parts of the grain are missing)
Getting More Whole Grains in Your Diet
• Read your labels on bread and get one advertising whole grain
• Choose whole wheat, or whole grain pastas
• Try brown and wild rice (my favorite is brown basmati rice)
• Try a whole wheat or barley pancake mix or make one
• Make a bowl of oatmeal, or other hot whole grain cereal
• Try a new grain as a side dish such as kasha, bulgar, barley, millet,
quinoa etc. If you are not sure how to make these – type in a search on
the internet and you will be amazed what comes up.
• Substitute whole wheat flour or barley flour into baking recipes
• Look for cereals, crackers, and other packaged foods that contain at
least some whole grains.
• Add some ground flax on top of yogurt or cereal
Looking for further information?
http://www.wholegrain.umn.edu/Default.cfm
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/foods/grains/