The Benefits of Including Whole Grains in Your Diet

Americans are becoming more health conscious with our diets. We've been taught to read labels, and are more aware of the impact the foods we eat have on our bodies. What we're not always clear about is exactly what that impact is. Take whole grains. I've often heard that whole grain bread is healthier than white bread.

It turns out, there's a lot more going for whole grain bread, and whole grains in general, than just more fiber, although there is plenty of that. It has a host of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that your body needs to function at its best.

The USDA's Food Guide Pyramid recommends that we eat 6 to 11 servings of grain each day, and over half of those should be whole grains. While most Americans are meeting their total grain requirements, we fall well short of the amounts of whole grains. Most of the grains we do eat are in foods made with refined flour.

So what is the difference between whole grains and refined flour?

Whole grains are just what the name implies, the whole grain. It contains the bran, germ, and endosperm. This whole grain is then ground into whole grain flour. Refined flour goes through a milling process that removes the bran and the germ. This process makes for finer flour, and it also increases the flour's shelf life. However, the process also removes much of the dietary fiber, iron, magnesium, selenium, and many of the B vitamins from the grain. In order to counteract this, many flour manufacturers "enrich" their flour by adding iron and certain B vitamins like thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folic acid, back into the flour. So if you do use refined flour, at least make sure you are using enriched flour.

It is one thing to know what is in whole grains, but it's also important to know what the benefits are. The more we know about how our diet affects our health and the health of our families, the easier it is to stick to a healthy eating plan.

Let's start with the one we always hear about, fiber.

There are numerous health benefits that come from eating a diet rich in dietary fiber. Having adequate fiber in your diet helps reduce blood cholesterol levels, especially the fiber in whole oat grains, like oatmeal. High cholesterol levels have long been linked to coronary heart disease. The American Heart Association lists high cholesterol as a factor in the occurrence of strokes in young women, particularly African-American women.

Fiber is also useful for the body's digestive process. It helps waste pass through the digestive tract quicker, reducing constipation. Because waste spends less time in the digestive tract, it helps reduce the risk of diverticulosis and colon cancer.

Soluble fiber in the diet has been shown to reduce the risk of Type-2 diabetes. For people who already have diabetes, fiber can help control their blood sugar. By slowing the time the stomach empties it allows more nutrients to be absorbed, helping to reduce the rise in glucose and insulin levels.

Another benefit of dietary fiber is its ability to help with weight management. Fiber helps provide a feeling of fullness without having to consume more calories. When we feel full, we are less likely to eat too much, which also helps to reduce the amount of calories we consume. Controlling calorie intake is the first step in most weight loss programs.

Fiber isn't the only thing whole grains offer. Whole grains are rich in B vitamins, which play an important role in the body's metabolism, and are essential in maintaining a healthy nervous system. Another of the B vitamins, folate, helps the body form red blood cells. It has also been shown that eating a diet fortified with folate before and during the first trimester of pregnancy may reduce the risk of neural tube defects, spina bifida, and anencephaly in babies.

Other minerals found in whole grains include iron, which is used to carry oxygen to the blood, magnesium, used for building bones and for releasing energy from muscle tissue, and selenium, which helps protect the bodies cells from oxidation and is used to help maintain the immune system.

Whole grains are a great source for antioxidants, containing up to 5 times more antioxidants than many fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants attack free radicals in the body which bounce around damaging healthy cells. Free radicals in the body have been linked to many types of cancer. Some studies have indicated that some whole grain antioxidants may also act as tumor growth suppressants.

In analyzing 45 studies of 20 different types of cancer, whole grains were found to have a protective effect in 43 of those studies. These studies were looking at incidences of cancers of the colon, rectum, stomach, pancreas, endometrium, and the prostate.

Eating a diet with adequate whole grain foods has been linked to a 15 to 25 percent reduction of premature death form most health related causes.

Including whole grains in your diet is easy to do. Many foods now come in whole grain varieties including breads, pancake mixes, pasta, snack bars, and cereals. You can also experiment with replacing part of the flour in a recipe with whole grain flour. When making recipes that use rice, you can substitute brown rice instead. For breakfast, eat oatmeal. If you want a whole grain snack, pop some popcorn. Type in "whole grain recipes" and you'll be flooded with choices of dishes using whole grains.

When looking for items at the grocery store, make sure you read the ingredients list. The whole grain should be the first item on the list. Make sure it says whole grain. Terms like multi-grain, cracked wheat, 100% wheat may sound healthier, but they're usually not indicators of a whole grain product. Also, don't be fooled by the color. Brown bread doesn't necessarily mean whole grain. Some foods are colored by other ingredients, like molasses.
Whole grains pack a lot of good stuff into that little kernel. Take advantage of what it has to offer. Enjoy not only the great taste, but the great benefits, too.