Whole Grains Truth

By: Nicole Olson

Whole grain products are getting a lot of hype and every bread, pasta, and tortilla manufacturer is jumping on the band wagon in an effort to make more products from whole grains. You may be wondering if this is a trend that you should embrace or if you should pass this one in an effort to stay with your low-carb craze? The answer is simple:

This is no trend!
Whole grains are great!

At Camp La Jolla we certainly are not about “fad” diets. We encourage you to eat healthfully and sensibly and a diet rich in whole grains fits the bill. Let us explain why…

Refined, enriched, and whole… What is the difference?

A grain, let's take wheat for example, contains three parts. The parts are the bran, germ, and endosperm. The bran is the outer hard shell of the grain. It is the part of the grain that provides the most fiber and most of the B vitamins and minerals. The germ is the next layer and is packed with nutrients including essential fatty acids and vitamin E. The endosperm is the soft part in the center of the grain. It contains the starch. Whole grain means that the entire grain kernel is in the food.

If you eat a whole grain food, it contains the bran, germ, and endosperm so you get all of the nutrients that whole grains have to offer. If you eat a refined grain food, it contains only the endosperm or the starchy part so you miss out on a lot of vitamins and minerals. Because whole grains contain the entire grain, they are much more nutritious than refined grains.

How do I tell the difference?

Whole grains include nutrients such as fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals which are mostly lost in the refining process. Refining diminishes the natural nutritional value of the whole grain causing manufacturers to “enrich” their products in an effort to replace all the good nutrients that were there in the first place. Please note: enriched wheat flour is not the same as a whole grain. And the color of the product can be deceiving as some manufacturers add dye to color their pastas, for example, brown. The best way to tell if you are truly eating whole grains is to flip the package over and take a look at the ingredient list. Look for the first listed ingredient to be whole wheat floor, brown rice, rye flour, or oats.

Now that you know the difference between whole grains and enriched grains, we hope that you will take a little extra time to read labels and give your body the best nutrition possible.