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April 28, 2005
'Enriched' means it isn't a true whole grain bread.
Cheryl Ann Macellaro wrote:
One of the new dietary guidelines this year recommends adding three or more whole-grain products to your daily diet. Whole grains are important for reducing the risk of heart disease and high cholesterol. They help control blood sugar and have been shown to help prevent cancer and bowel disorders.
Whole grain foods include breads, pastas, cereals and rice. Grain is made up of three parts: the bran, endosperm and the germ. Whole grains come from all three parts. Milled or refined flours come from the endosperm only, leaving out the nutrient-dense portions.
Reading the labels is the best way to ensure you are buying whole-grain foods. The first ingredient should read "made with whole wheat flour, whole oats or brown rice." If the label contains words such as "enriched wheat flour," that's the best way to tell it's not a whole grain product.
The best sources of whole grain foods are:
100 percent whole wheat bread;
Oatmeal
Whole grain pastas;
Cheerios, Kashi and Total cereals
and brown rice.
Because they come from plants, they are low in fat and are a good fiber source.
Brown rice takes longer to cook but is more nutrient dense than the milled white rice. Trying whole wheat pastas, substituting whole wheat flour in place of white flour and making brown rice side dishes are just a few ways to add whole grains to the diet.
Posted by Lisa at April 28, 2005 11:22 AM
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