Originally published October 20 2005
U.S. government clarifies the meaning of whole grains
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Dietary guidelines recently put into place by U.S. health officials stipulate that for a bread to be considered "whole grain," it must have all three components, including the germ, bran and endosperm.
You grab multigrain crackers, 12-grain bread that says it's "made with whole grains," a package of "oat-bran" muffins and "100 percent wheat" bagels.
There's a good chance that none of the items in your basket provides much in the way of whole grains.
Meanwhile, some familiar whole-grain foods you may have passed by --- wild rice, oatmeal and even popcorn --- often aren't advertised as such.
Advertisement Nutrition experts and the U.S. government's most recent dietary guidelines say the distinctions are important.
Research shows whole-grain foods provide essential vitamins, fiber and antioxidants that cut the risk of obesity, cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
But to impart those benefits, a grain must stay intact, including its three components: the germ, the bran and the endosperm.
Kraft recently introduced versions of Fig Newtons and Chips Ahoy chocolate-chip cookies with whole grains.
Meanwhile, nutritional experts say, food labels have become so crowded with health messages --- about trans fats, fiber, calcium, carbohydrates and now grains --- that consumers have trouble sorting it out.
The Whole Grains Council, a group of 93 industry and commodity organizations, has tried to clear up some of the confusion by developing a stamp that identifies a good or excellent source of whole grains.
The government dietary guidelines recommend at least three 1-ounce servings of whole-grain foods a day, with each serving containing at least 16 grams of whole grains.
If you don't see the words "whole wheat" or another whole grain --- such as rice, corn or oats --- in the first three or four ingredients, it's probably not a whole-grain product, said Noralyn Mills, a registered dietitian in Columbia and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.
Despite the growing availability of whole-grain products, Americans, still coming off a low-carb diet craze that demonized all kinds of bread and crackers, have been slow to the table.
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