Look for whole grains when grocery shopping

By Mary Caskey,
a health and nutrition educator, University of Minnesota Extension
According to the updated food pyramid, half of the grain foods we eat in a day should be whole grain. National dietary intake data from 1999-2000 told us that nine out of 10 Americans were not eating half of their grain foods as whole grain. There are more whole grain products on the grocery store shelves to choose from today than ever before, so there is hope that the next data released will show improvement.

Eating whole grains provides several health benefits such as a reduced risk of some chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers, and may help with weight management.

A whole grain contains the entire kernel: bran, endosperm and germ. When grain is milled, the flour is usually darker and coarser than white flour. The refined white flour most of us eat contains only the starchy part of the kernel, the endosperm. When the bran and germ are removed to make the refined white flour, some key nutrients are lost. According to the Wheat Foods Council, 95 percent of white flour is enriched with iron and 4 major B-vitamins to make up for those lost in the process to make refined white flour.

How can you tell if the grain product you purchase is whole grain? Look for whole grain as the first ingredient in the ingredient list to help determine whether the product is whole grain. There may be several sources of whole grains in one food. Look for words such as: whole wheat, whole rice, whole oats, whole corn or brown rice.

Another way to identify a whole grain product is to look for the FDA authorized health claim. A product has to be a whole grain in order to use this claim. You might have seen it on bread or cereal packaging in your grocery store. The claim states “Diets rich in whole grain foods and other plant foods, and low in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers.” To use the health claim, the product must contain 51 percent whole grain by weight.

You might also see percentage labeling on packages. For example: 100-percent whole wheat on a bread label means that all the wheat contained in the bread is whole grain. You can also look for the Whole Grains Council stamp as another way to determine if the food product you are purchasing contains whole grains.

There are a variety of whole grains to choose from such as: whole wheat, whole corn, whole oats, whole rye, brown rice, wild rice, popcorn and oatmeal. When purchasing breakfast cereals, breads, crackers, pasta, bagels, English muffins, rice or tortilla shells, choose more of those foods containing whole grains for better health.