The Whole Grain and Nothing But..
Wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley and other cereal grains start off as whole grains – but far too often, by the time they reach the supermarket shelves as ingredients in various foods, most grains have been refined to the point most of their health value is lost.
Whole grains contain the entire grain kernel; examples include whole-wheat flour, oatmeal and brown rice. Refined grains have a finer texture and a longer shelf life, which makes them more appealing to manufacturers and stores, but the dietary fiber, iron and many of the B vitamins have been removed. Examples of refined grain products include white flour and white rice. Many manufacturers then "enrich" the grains by adding back certain B vitamins and iron after processing – but it's just not the same, health-wise, as keeping the whole grain intact.
The amount of grains you need to eat each day depends on a number of variables including age, gender and level of physical activity. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says most Americans consume adequate grains – but not whole grains. The USDA recommends at least half of the grains you consume daily should take the form of whole grains.
The USDA offers the following tips on how to incorporate more whole grains into your daily diet. For information on the health benefits of whole grains and other foods, visit www.mypyramid.gov.
1. Substitute whole-grain products for refined products. This is as easy as eating whole-wheat bread or brown rice instead of white bread or white rice.
2. Use whole grains in mixed dishes such as soup and casseroles, or make spaghetti with whole-wheat pasta.
3. Use whole-grain bread or cracker crumbs in meatloaf or on dishes that require breading (eggplant parmesan, baked chicken or fish).
4. Substitute whole-wheat or oat flour for up to half of the flour in pancake, waffle or muffin recipes.
Snack on whole-grain cereals or popcorn (with little or no added salt or butter) rather than potato chips.
Fibrous Facts
Our traditional understanding of fiber and its nutritional benefits has been mainly in the area of regularity. Fiber keeps us ”regular”; almost everyone, it seems, knows that. Despite this knowledge, however, there is a huge discrepancy in actual fiber intake in the United States.
While the recommended daily intake of fiber is 25-38 grams per day, the vast majority of Americans consume far less. But that trend is changing. Research from as early as 1986 in the journal Gastroenterology highlighted the beneficial effects of colonic bacterial fermentation of complex carbohydrates such as fiber. Since then, multiple additional studies by other researchers such as the British Journal of Nutrition and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition have provided even more insights into this critical process.
Food manufacturers have obviously responded to consumers' demand for fiber and digestive-health products, and there are now more products with fiber or digestive-health claims in the marketplace. In fact, according to the Global New Products Database, the number of new products in 2006 with a fiber descriptor on the label surpassed the number of new products with more traditional and established claims like "added calcium" or "reduced fat." Even more astounding, the number of new products with digestive-health claims introduced into the marketplace was second only to products with a vitamin fortification claim. In 2007, the term prebiotics was used on at least 54 food and beverage products, a remarkable increase from approximately 23 a year earlier. Next year, expect that the term “probiotics” will see a dramatic increase. What do these terms mean? Well, it’s important to note that almost every term in nutrition has a specific meaning. Prebiotics are things that bacteria eat. Probiotics are actual bacteria that people ingest. Dr. Carr’s prediction: Probiotics will really come into their own in yogurt, where there bacteria are normally left anyway, so why not promote it, right?
One of the best sources of probiotics is available from your Seattle chiropractic office. We get ours from right in Redmond, Washington: Pharmax.
Okay, back to fiber. “Normally”, fiber was advertised in bakery and cereal products. While these products still are abundant, the discovery of new sources of soluble fibers in particular has enabled food and beverage manufacturers to add fiber to nontraditional products, such as beverages and dairy products. There are now prebiotic fibers in beverages, yogurt and bars. Dietary supplements containing prebiotic fibers also are very common.
Surveys show American consumers are actively looking for products that contain fiber. Over the past five years, the number of consumers increasing their use of fiber has risen steadily. A Health Focus Trend Report showed that in 2006, more than 42 percent of consumers reported they were actively increasing their fiber intake, while 9 percent reported increasing their use of carbohydrates that promote digestive health. Ask your doctor for more information about the right foods to eat to promote digestive health.
