For starters whole grains are plant seeds. The seed has three layers and when the outer layer is not stripped away, the grain remains “whole” and unprocessed.
Don’t Be Fooled by Labels
Often people mistake some processed grains to be whole grains because the misleading labels on the front and the brown color of the product. But do not be fooled, let me clarify… a whole grain will have as its first ingredient “whole” in its name. For example, you may find: 100% whole wheat, whole oats, brown rice, or wheat berries. The only way to know for sure is to read the labels!
The reason it’s so beneficial to eat whole grains is because they are not stripped of their nutrients and fiber during processing. In addition to the fiber which helps keep you full, whole grains offer other nutrients. They are rich in vitamin B, folate, magnesium and selenium. And another key point is they play an integral role in managing weight or losing weight.
Common Processed Foods
Examples of processed foods are white rice, white bread, pastries, pasta, etc. These foods provide little to no nutritional value but instead they are simple carbohydrates that spike blood sugar and insulin levels which lead to a myriad of negative effects, particularly insulin resistance over the long haul. But I won’t go into all that now.
So how can you incorporate more whole grains into your diet? Here is a list of substitutions you can start making today!
| Processed | Whole Grain |
| wheat bread | whole wheat bread |
| white rice | brown or wild rice or quinoa |
| pasta | whole wheat pasta or brown rice pasta |
| flour tortillas | corn or whole wheat tortillas |
| chips | popcorn |
| pancakes | oat or buckwheat pancakes |
For those that are on a gluten free diet, there are great whole grains that you can enjoy. For instance, quinoa, buckwheat, millet, amaranth and gluten free oats. And a bit of a side note, just because a product is gluten free do not mistake it to be healthy. Many of these products are filled with processed ingredients such as maltodextrin (highly processed form of starch), potato starch, tapioca starch, and arrowroot.
Anu Morgan
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