Feature Articles: Food, Fitness and Health
Whole grains for heart health
Janet Hackert, regional nutrition and health education specialist, Harrison County, University of Missouri Extension
It has been known for a while that whole grains help
reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and high blood
pressure. Soluble fiber in whole grains also helps decrease
blood cholesterol. A recent study, reported in Tufts
University’s Health and Nutrition Letter, shows that by
“eating an average of one additional serving of whole grain
per day participants were 7% less likely to suffer heart
failure over the course of the (13 year) study.” This study,
which observed over 14,000 people in four different
communities in the United States, gives one more reason to
choose whole grains over refined grains.
Whole grains have become quite popular with food
manufacturers since the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for
Americans and its companion symbol, MyPyramid, came out
recommending that we should “make half our grains whole
grains.” But don’t be taken in by marketers’ ploys to
attract consumers to their foods. Looking at the front of a
food package may be misleading. Package designers use
eye-catching lettering for “whole wheat” or “whole grain” to
draw us in. To know for sure if a food can legitimately be
considered a whole grain or not, turn your attention from
the front/back of the label to the ingredient list, often
found on the side.
When a food is a whole grain, its first ingredient - the
one that is the most by weight - will be a whole grain. It
may use the word “whole,” as in “whole wheat flour” or
“whole grain corn meal.” Or it may use a word that denotes a
whole grain, such as “brown rice” or “popcorn.” Other words
that can indicate a whole grain include wild rice, bulgur,
cracked wheat, amaranth, millet, quinoa, sorghum and
triticale. Words that do not guarantee whole grain are
multi-grain, stone-ground, 100% wheat, 7 grain and bran.
“Fortified” or “enriched” also sound impressive, but if
these are first in the ingredient list, that food is not a
whole grain.
To help protect your heart, consider substituting some or all of the processed grain foods you eat with a comparable whole grain food.
Last update: Tuesday, May 05, 2009
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