Is Your Whole Grain Bread Really Better Than White Bread?

"If you have a body, you are an athlete."
-Bill Bowerman

Anyone that seeks to train their body, whether it be for weight loss purposes, entertainment, or competition, is an athlete.  Nutrition is a vital component of an athlete's training regimen.  When I was working in AmeriCorps one of our key lessons for the kids was "Choose Brown Over White," meaning choose whole grain products.  In the past few years this concept has been widely publicized and many people are choosing whole grain products over refined products, but several people don't have an understanding of why these products are healthy, and even worse some products are being marketed as "whole grains" but have been stripped of the healthy benefits.

What is a whole grain?

Whole grains are grains in their natural state-i.e. they have not been stripped of any of their natural components.  Whole grains contain three parts; the bran, the endosperm, and the germ.  Whole grains contain all the essential parts and naturally-occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed in their original proportions.  

Source: The Whole Grain Council

Why are whole grains healthier?

Whole, unprocessed grains contain several beneficial nutrients such as B vitamins, vitamin E, magnesium, iron, and fiber.  Fiber is especially important because it helps slow down the digestion of foods leaving you with a "full" feeling for longer, which can aid in weight loss.  Whole grains are also higher in protein than refined grains.

Other health benefits that have been shown in diets higher in whole grains include:

• Decreased cholesterol levels
• Lower risk of obesity
• Reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, digestive cancers, and hormone related cancers

How do I know what I am eating is a whole grain?

Once you have decided to choose whole grains it can be difficult to determine which products are actually whole grains.  In order to make this process easier the Whole Grain Council has developed the Whole Grain Stamp, which companies can place on their products so consumers know the product they are buying is in fact a whole grain.

If there is no stamp you should check the ingredients list, several companies will list the amount of whole grains in grams so you can be sure of the content.  In addition if the package says "100% whole wheat" you are good to go!

Terms to stay away from (Red Light):

• enriched flour
• degerminated (or corn meal)
• bran
• wheat germ

Terms to be cautious about (Yellow Light):

• wheat, or wheat flour
• semolina
• durum wheat
• organic flour
• stoneground
• multigrain (may contain a mixture of whole grains and refined grains)

Terms that are good to go (Green Light):

• whole grain [name of grain]
• whole wheat
• whole [other grain]
• stoneground whole [grain]
• brown rice
• oats, oatmeal
• wheatberries

For more information visit the Whole Grain Council website!

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