Originally published February 21 2006
Spotting healthy whole grain products can be difficult thanks to latest marketing ploys
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Barbara Quinn, a registered dietitian at the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, offers consumers tips on how to identify the most nutritious whole grain products at food retailers.
Sometimes I think my horse eats better than I do.
She eats whole oats for breakfast every morning.
And she tops off the day with whole corn, wheat and barley - all whole grains.
We humans get far fewer whole grains in our food supply.
Current research backs up the health claim on food labels that "Diets rich in whole-grain foods and other plant foods and low in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers."
It's the entire seed of a plant - germ, endosperm and bran.
Bran is the coarse outer layer where most of the fiber, B-vitamins, protein and minerals such as iron, copper, zinc and magnesium reside.
Beneath the bran lies the endosperm - where the seed stores starch, protein and more B-vitamins.
Farther inside the seed lies the germ - a major storehouse for healthful fats, antioxidants and minerals.
In the old days, mills simply ground wheat and other grains to make flour - germ endosperm, bran and all.
As we became more refined, the germ and bran were separated out to make beautiful white flour with just the endosperm.
"Enriched" white flour has B-vitamins and minerals added back to make up for some of this loss.
Why the big push to get us back to whole grain foods?
Because numerous research studies say these foods improve our health much better than Ho Ho's and Twinkies.
Why whole grain foods instead of fiber supplements?
More than 50 research papers and 12 prospective studies show that the greatest health benefits are found when all the components of whole grains - fiber, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, sterols and stanols, lignans to name a few - work in concert with each other.
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