Sunday, February 20, 2005

Arizona Republic on Whole Grains

The whole truth about whole grains

Mary Beth Faller
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 8, 2005 12:00 AM
The government's new dietary guidelines, released last month, emphasize that Americans need to eat fewer calories and exercise more. More specifically, the food we eat should be more nutritious.
One way to do that is to substitute whole-grain foods, such as brown rice or whole-wheat bread, for refined-grain foods, such as white bread and bagels. It isn't that hard to do, says Kelli Morgan, a registered dietitian at Paradise Valley Hospital.

How's this for why to look for whole grain products:
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Q: Why is whole grain better?
A: Whole grains have more fiber, double the calcium, six times more magnesium and four times more potassium.
Some people probably don't know that the antioxidants found in grains are not present in fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants are important for fighting cancer. Studies have shown that people who eat whole grains have lower body- mass index, lower total cholesterol and a lower waist-to-hip ratio. Epidemiological studies on a variety of different populations noted that people who eat three daily servings of whole grains reduced their risk of heart disease, stroke, type-2 diabetes and digestive-system cancers.
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Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Selling Wholesomeness in the Breakfast Bowl

Interesting piece in the NYTimes on Whole Grains in the market and the new marketing push

click here for the article Eating Well: Selling Wholesomeness in the Breakfast Bowl

"Whole grains" are buzz words for 2005. One market research firm, Mintel, has declared them the ingredient of the year. On Monday, Post cereals announced its lineup of whole grain cereals. The rush brings back memories of the late 1980's and the oat bran craze , which lost steam as soon as oat bran potato chips appeared on the market.

But whole grains are different. They are not unnatural additions to food, the way oat bran was for most products. White flour did not become popular until after the Civil War, when the invention of the steel roller mill made the refining process cheap. But the process of refining grains strips them of much of their vitamin, mineral and fiber content. That is why ready-to-eat cereals are fortified with many - though not all - of those lost vitamins and minerals. Fiber is not added back.

The whole grain movement received an important boost when the federal dietary guidelines, released last month, suggested that half of the recommended grain servings consumed by Americans be whole grains, particularly because of their fiber content. Whole grains now make up only 5 percent of the grains eaten by Americans.

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

Initial posting

This posting is to display font and general text appearance

Over time, we’ll post information that relates to the health benefits of whole grains, in particular, spelt, with citations and links to other sites with relevant information

We may solicit client/customer feedback and post recipes

We will be able to post announcements of new products and promotions

Much more to come down the road