“Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation.You cannot control what happens to you in life, but you can always control what you will feel and do about what happens to you.”
-Victor E. Frankel
What is all this hype about eating whole grains? Does it really make a big difference to choose wheat bread over white bread? Are there whole grain impostors that offer little nutritional value?
Whole grains are grains that have not been refined, and haven't had their germ and bran removed from milling. Due to this, whole grains can have 2-3x the fiber as commercially-processed white bread. Nutrients are added back to refined grains, but they do not hold the nutritional value. Although whole grains may seem to have more calories, the bran, germ and endosperm cause them to have a significant amount more fiber and protein naturally. The outer bran layer contains healthy fiber, B Vitamins, and phytochemicals. The endosperm label provides complex carbohydrates, protein, and B Vitamins. Finally, the germ layer is full of Vitamin B, Vitamin E, phytochemicals, unstaturated fats, and antioxidants.
Examples of whole grain:
-Barley
-Brown Rice
-Buckwheat
-Bulgur
-Millet
-Oatmeal
-Popcorn
-Whole-wheat bread/pasta/crackers
-Wild rice
All too often, the food industry puts misleading labels that only make us think we are getting the healthy benefit. Multigrain does not always mean whole grain. When in doubt READ THE LABEL! Look for the word whole on the box and make sure whole grains is in the first few ingredients. A true whole grain food should contain at least 3 grams of fiber per serving. Words such as enriched and bromated can indicate a whole-grain impostor.
-"100% WHEAT"-This product may only contain wheat grain but not the 3 components of whole grain
-"MULTIGRAIN"-This product contains a variety of grains, not always whole grains being one of these
-"STONE GROUND"-typically only contains the germ and not the bran. Often refined flour is the first ingredient
-"PUMPERNICKEL"-despite it's coarse, dark color, it is usually made with rye and wheat instead of whole grain
Whole grain foods provide energy and can benefit by fighting diseases. Whole grains reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, bowel disorder, cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol, stroke, obesity, and high blood pressure. It is recommended that we eat 6-11 servings of grains a day, with the majority of these being whole wheat.
Eating your servings can be easier than you think!
-Try switching to whole wheat pasta
-Eat oatmeal or whole-grain cereal for breakfast
-Use brown rice, bulgur, couscous, or quinoa in salads
-Add barley or brown rice to soups
-If you can't stand a huge bowl of brown rice-mix it 1/2 and 1/2 with white rice
-Substitute whole wheat flour when cooking (you'll never taste the difference)
Know what you eat,
Megan
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