Have your pasta, and eat it too!
What are Whole Grains?
I decided to write this post to help clear the air about whole grains. Much like everything else with the food company, they may make claims that their product is whole grain, but it really is just good advertising. When you think about it, a “whole grain” is self-explanatory – a grain that is whole. That is, the grain contains all three essential parts, the bran, germ and endosperm. A refined grain is no longer a whole grain because the bran and the germ have been removed. The two parts of the grain that have been removed are the most nutritious and are loaded with protein and fiber.
Types of whole grains:
Wheat
Oat
Barley
Corn
Brown Rice
Quinoa
Sorghum
Rye
Why are whole grains refined?
Money! Food companies use refined grain because the endosperm (the only part that is not removed) does not contain any oil and therefore makes for a lighter product that can expand and only look bigger. I don’t like to see it as whole grain products are more expensive, but rather, refined products are cheaper. Refined grains also have a much longer shelf life than non-refined, whole grain food products. Taste is another reason. People may not like the tastes of whole wheat bread or pasta so they will just eat refined bread or pasta.
What is white whole-wheat flower?
Don’t like that taste of whole wheat bread, but still want the benefits? There is a naturally accruing albino variety of [whole] wheat, but still has a great nutritional benefits of the brown colored whole wheat. This white whole wheat is softer and has a taste more comparable to refined white flour we are all so used to.
How do I know if it is whole grain?
Read the ingredients and not the huge text of the front of the package. If it were up to me, I would have the nutrition information on the front of the box rather than on the tiny sliver of the side panel. They key word is “whole”. The first or second ingredient should be something whole. For example, true, whole grain bread would have whole-wheat flour or whole grain wheat flour as its main ingredient. Whole grain pasta would have whole-wheat flour as its main ingredient. Whole grain oatmeal would have would have whole grain oats as its main (or only) ingredient. The only ingredient in brown rice would be brown rice (white rice is refined brown rice and therefore no longer a whole grain). Whole wheat, oats and whole brown rice are all types of whole grains.
For instance, brown rice is 100% whole grain. So if you eat 1 gram of brown rice then you are eating 1 gram of whole grain. If you eat 48 grams of brown rice, then you are eating 48 grams of whole grain. Oats are whole grain, so if you eat 20 grams of oats, then you are eating 20 grams of whole grain. Bread and pasta is a little more difficult to do the math because there could be extra ingredients such as water sugar.
The sugar, fiber and protein content are good indications if the bread, pasta, rice, oatmeal, etc. is whole grain. If it is low in sugar, high in fiber and high in protein, then chances are the food is whole grain. Again, just read the ingredients to be sure: look for “whole wheat flour”, whole oats, whole grain brown rice, etc.
In regards to pasta, Semolina is not whole wheat, but rather a fancy word for refined white flour. Durum is a type of wheat, so if the ingredient is durum whole wheat pasta, then that is whole grain pasta. People tend to find durum whole wheat more enjoyable than regular whole wheat pasta.
The Whole Grain Stamp
The easiest way to know if the food you are about to consume is whole grain is to look for the Whole Gain Stamp on the package. Also the health claim: “Diets rich in whole grain foods and other plant foods, and low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease,” can only be on the package if the food has a significant amount of whole grains per serving and contains no refined sugars. There are two types of the whole grain stamps: the basic stamp and the “100%” stamp. The basic stamp states that the particular product only contains SOME extra bran or germ with refined flour, while the 100% stamp states that all of the grain that is in the product is whole grain.
Please note: Just because the stamp is not on the package, does not mean the product is not whole grain. It just means that particular company is not associated with the Whole Grains Council, which is the company that created the stamp. There are plenty of 100% whole grain foods that do not bear this stamp, so do not be put off by the lack of the whole grain stamp, once again; it is just a marketing ploy (a good one at least).
Whole grain gimmicks!
Despite the nifty colors and seducing packaging, if you do not see “whole” anywhere in the ingredients or in the part that is less than 2% of the following, then it is not whole grain. Period. End of story. That’s all folks. Enriched wheat flour, wheat flour or unbleached wheat flour is NOT whole-wheat flour. The enrichment process is a vain attempt to restore the nutrients that were removed from the grain by refining it. However, the nutritional content is nowhere near the original whole grain.
Be alert for gimmicks and false claims like “multi-grain” goodness! Or Great multi-grain taste! MULTI-GRAIN DOES NOT MEAN WHOLE GRAIN! Multi grain just means that they are using more than one grain, such as wheat and oats, or wheat and barley. However a food can be multi-multi grain and whole grain, it would have to contain more than one whole grain. Again, multi-grain is not whole grain. It is a weird concept, but only something that is whole grain can be whole grain.
Molasses can be added to bread to make it appear darker so that one would think it is whole wheat. Nothing against molasses, it is the key ingredient to baked beans!
Are there any health benefits from eating whole grains?
Yes! Not only is eating whole grain food considered to be good for you, but also eating white, refined food is bad for you! Whole grains have been known to reduce the risk the risk of heart disease, diabetes and various types of cancers. See the sources below for more specific health information. Frankly, speaking of the health benefits of whole grain is an entire post so I will save that for a later date.
Sources:
World’sHealthiestFoods.org
The Whole Grain Guide
MayoClinic.com
There are plenty more sources out there, but these few are backed by experiments and are free for public internet viewing. Of course, consult your doctor for the best source of your heath information.