Samara Felesky-Hunt, RD
In the past whole grains were thought to provide nothing more than fibre. The latest research studies reveal that whole grains offer high levels of antioxidants and other healthy phyto-nutrients. One of the dietary principles in chronic disease prevention is to eat an abundance of plant foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Simply replacing everyday white bread with bread containing whole grains could reduce your risk of coronary disease and stroke by 40 percent. Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating recommends that half of your daily intake of grain products be whole grains.
Recently, research studies have measured the antioxidants in whole foods to determine their functionality. The ORAC measurement (or oxygen radical absorbency capacity) signifies a food's ability to neutralize cell damaging free radicals. Some the highest ranking foods in terms of average antioxidant capacity in lab measurements, next to fruits and vegetables, are whole grains.
Discovering true "whole grains"
Today, people are unfamiliar with whole grains now that they have let white and refined, fast and easy foods into their diet. We are so accustomed to the presence of refined flour in almost all of our cereal products that we forget just how much the refining process peels away most of the valuable parts of the grain.
True "whole grains" contain all three parts of a grain: the bran, the endosperm and the germ making them nutrient rich:
The bran, is the outside layer composed of mostly dietary fibre, B vitamins and certain trace minerals.
The germ is the embryo of the seed; the inner part of the grain is nutrient dense and full of B vitamins, vitamin E, healthy fats and minerals.
The endosperm, the largest portion of the grain, provides the germ's food supply and includes protein, and carbohydrates.
In refined foods, not only are the nutrients lost but the starch is pulverized, stripping it of its fibrous bran hull and oil rich germ to create a form that is rapidly digested. Refined cereals or other processed food products increase blood sugar levels, producing significant amounts of insulin in the body. As a result, a diet containing these types of foods and along with less physical activity, contributes to the rise of diabetes and obesity. The slow-digesting carbohydrates of whole grains however, help to control blood sugar levels and minimize weight gain.
Finding whole grains
Increase your variety of grains. Your diet should be made up with a variety of whole grains such as brown rice, wild rice, barley, bulgur, kasha, millet, rolled oats, spelt, kamut, quinoa, sorghum and other whole grain products.
Be sure to read labels and ingredient list for "whole grains". Many foods containing whole grains will have the words whole grain followed by the name of the grain as one of the first ingredients. Foods made only with bran are not whole grain products. Also, high fibre is not always equivalent to whole grain.
Check the ingredient list for whole grains among the first ingredients. The Whole Grain Council, a non profit education organization, has provided consumers with a useful tool to identify products contain whole grain. The Whole Grain Stamp appears on products that contain at least 8 g of whole grain per serving. For instance, one cup of whole grain brown rice beverage contains 1 full serving (16 g) of whole grains.
Try a new whole grain each week. Switch over to brown rice. Try a wild rice salad. Find a tasty recipe for quinoa for a nutty side dish. Add whole grain brown rice beverage into a fruit smoothie.