By: Jennifer Smith, MS, NASM-CPT, NASE-CSS, AFAA-PGEI
Prevention and Wellness
With all the hype out there it can be confusing to determine which choices are the most nutritious –especially when it comes to carbohydrates. For instance, a bread or pasta could be labeled 100% wheat leading consumers to believe it’s a healthier choice when in actuality, the bread might be a refined grain with a little molasses or another ingredient added to make it appear darker brown in color like many whole grains are. (Remember a whole grain contains all three parts of the grain –the bran, germ, and starchy endosperm. Where as, a refined grain has the nutrient rich bran and germ stripped.)
Likewise, another product may perhaps be labeled multi-grain leading consumers to believe this too is a healthier choice. The reality is multi-grain simply means the product contains multiple grains. The grains could be refined, whole, or a mixture of the two. According to the ADA, foods labeled with the words multi-grain, stone-ground, 100% wheat, cracked wheat, or 7-grain are usually not whole-grain products.
The key is to look for the word “whole” in the ingredient list. I find it easier to ignore all the healthy sounding marketing jargon and just flip the product over to see if the first few ingredients actually say “whole”. Using the Nutrition Facts panel to compare which product has the higher percent daily value of fiber is another good indicator of the amount of whole grain the product contains.
Tags: Auburn, Auburn Campus, Maine, Multi-grain, Nutrition Facts, Prevention and Wellness, St. Mary's Regional Medical Center, whole, whole grain
