It’s not uncommon to see bread, crackers, cereals, or pasta packages stamped on the front, advertising in large print that they are whole grains. In fact, they may not contain as much real whole grains, new research suggests.
Researchers at Tufts University say an analysis of 20 years of data on American diets reveals that people are increasingly choosing whole grain foods, but they are eating less It became clear that they were not eating enough in their diet. .
According to USDA recommendations, at least half of the grains consumed daily should be whole grains.
Part of the problem is that it’s not always possible to determine which foods contain healthier amounts of whole grains. That’s because they have different definitions of what constitutes a whole grain product, Tufts researchers say.
Food labels simply tell consumers that each serving contains at least 8 grams of whole grains, as defined by the Whole Grain Council, according to study co-authors Nutrition Epidemiology and Data. Dr Fang Fang Zhang, interim chairman of the department, said. I studied science at the Friedman School of Nutrition, Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston. The Whole Grain Council is an industry-sponsored group that “stamps” labels on food packaging.
However, 8 grams may be only a small percentage of the total serving, and the product may have a lot of added sugar.
For the FDA to label whole grains on a food, 51% of the total weight must be whole grains. The Grain and Grain Association of Research Group requires 8 grams of whole grains for every 30 grams of food. The American Heart Association also calculates carbohydrate-to-fiber ratios when defining whole grain foods.
“Consumers need to be careful when shopping for whole grain foods,” Zhang said. “You should look at the back of the package, check the nutrition facts, and determine if whole grains are at the top of the ingredient list.
What matters is the percentage of total grains in foods that are actually whole grains, Zhang said. Identified as containing 50% or more by weight of whole grain ingredients.
So what are whole grains?
Whole grain foods contain three core ingredients.
- Bran is the husk of grains and the main source of fiber.
- The germ, a small internal structure, is the source of essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.
- The endosperm is the largest part of the grain and the largest component of flour and bread. Provides carbohydrates, protein and B vitamins.
Consuming whole grain foods is important because it is associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer and heart disease, Zhang said. If we can improve it, it has the advantage of reducing the burden of disease,” she added.
To explore trends in whole grain food consumption, Zhang and her colleagues turned to dietary data from the 2003-2018 National Health and Nutrition Survey. .
For the analysis, Zhang and her colleagues looked at data from 39,755 US adults aged 20 years and older. Overall, consumption of whole grain foods increased during the study period.
How to tell if it’s whole grain
Zhang said the only way to know if a product is truly whole grain is to look at the ingredient list.
If whole grains are on top, that means the product can actually be called a whole grain, she said.
Jennifer Cholevka, a metabolic support dietitian at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, said the issues addressed in the study need to be more widely known.
“People are trying to make healthy choices, and there are a lot of health buzzwords in the marketplace today,” said Cholewka, who was not involved in the new study.
For example, when a product is described as being made with whole grains, that doesn’t mean it’s 100 percent whole grains, Mr. Cholewka said. is to look at nutrition labels and ingredient lists.”
Whole grain foods include:
- Whole-grain bread
- oatmeal
- whole wheat pasta
There are many sources of whole grains that people might not immediately think of, such as popcorn, quinoa, barley and farro, Cholewka said.
Nutritionist Samane Farsijani said it was a carefully done study.
Farsijani, an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, said: “The 24-hour food recall is one of the best in terms of accurately assessing food intake.”
Falcigiani recommended the description of the USDA Dietary Guidelines “MyPlate” as the best way to find out how much whole grains you should consume each day.
