When
we speak of grains many foods come to mind such as breads,
cereals, crackers, pasta and rice. Whole grains are a good
source of complex carbohydrate, dietary fiber, plant protein,
vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Recent research indicates
that the entire grain, not just the fiber provides health
benefits. As an example, whole grain wheat and oats are comprised
of hundreds of phytochemicals, such as phytoestrogens, antioxidants,
phenols, as well as, vitamins and minerals. It is thought
that these compounds may act together to play important roles
in disease prevention. They have been studied for their ability
to reduce risk of cancer, heart disease, constipation, diabetes
and obesity. Grains form the base of the food pyramid and
represent the food group that we need most abundantly in our
diets.
In
1999 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a whole
grain health claim: "Diets rich in whole grain foods and other
plant foods, that are low in total fat, saturated fat, and
cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease and certain
cancers." The FDA's authorization has allowed manufacturers
of foods which contain 51% or more of whole grains to identify
the connection between whole grains and reduced risk of chronic
diseases on their package labels. Last year when the U.S.
Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and
Human Services published the Dietary Guidelines for Americans
2000, they emphasized the need to include more whole grain
foods: "Choose a variety of grains, especially whole grains."
What
are whole grains? A whole grain is the entire edible part
of any grain such as corn, rice, wheat, oats, barley, millet,
spelt, amaranth, and others. The whole grain consists of the
bran, the endosperm and the germ. During the past century
refined flour and grain products became popular in this country.
The refining process separated and removed the germ and bran
from the endosperm. The endosperm, which is rich in carbohydrate,
was milled into refined white flour, which produced popular
products with a soft texture and a longer shelf life. Scientists
and government agencies soon realized that many of the grains'
nutrients, which are in the bran and germ had been removed.
They then mandated enrichment of white flour with thiamin,
riboflavin, niacin and iron. Recently the FDA mandated fortification
of enriched grain products with folic acid because of the
importance of folic acid in decreasing the risk of neural
tube birth defects. We now know that there are many health
promoting substances in whole grains that are not replaced
by traditional enrichment and fortification of refined flours.
A
whole grain contains all three components of the grain: the
bran, the germ and the endosperm. You will know a food product
is a whole grain if:
-
it has one of the new manufacturers' labels declaring it
a whole grain with the health claim
- or
if the grain is the first ingredient listed in the ingredient
list and the words whole or whole grain precede the name
of the grain, such as whole grain oats, whole wheat flour,
whole grain corn, or brown rice.
Next week we will discuss the recommended amounts of grain
and whole grain products for a healthy diet, as well as, a
little more information about determining if you are actually
purchasing and consuming whole grains.
|
