Gretchen Scalpi, RDN

There’s a lot of talk about whole grains these days, and food manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon to entice consumers to select their products.   You can find many products with the words whole grain on the package, but what does that really mean?  Is whole grain the same as fiber?  What’s the best way to select a product?

Dietary fibers are found in foods containing whole grains, however, dietary fibers are also found in legumes, fruits and vegetables.  The recommended amount of dietary fiber lies somewhere between 25-38 grams daily, yet most adults and children are getting about half of  that amount. Start by looking for products with 4 or more grams of dietary fiber per serving.  There are actually two categories of fiber found in food:  insoluble and soluble fiber.  Soluble fiber is found in foods such as oatmeal, legumes or the pulpy part of fruit.  Insoluble fiber is found in grain products where the bran (outer) layer has been left intact.  Each category of fiber is essential for good health.  To get adequate amounts of both types of fiber, eat plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables and grain products that have not been refined.  Whole grains  have more fiber than refined grains, because the bran layer and germ of the grain has not been removed during the milling process.

Package labeling is helpful, but for some consumers, it adds to the confusion.  The Nutrition Facts Panel contains information about dietary fiber, because fiber is considered a nutrient.  Whole grains, are not defined as a nutrient and therefore information about whole grains is not found on the Nutrition Facts panel. Whole grain information may be present on other parts of the package.  Some packaging now posts the grams of whole grains per serving  on the front of  food package.  This indicates the amount of whole grains per serving.  There is also the Whole Grains Stamp which may be found on certain packages.

The Whole Grains Council allows manufacturers (for a fee) to promote the whole grains in their products for any product containing at least 8 grams of whole grain ingredients. Not all whole grain products have the Stamp, however.  Words like multi-grain, seven-grain or stone-ground  may not necessarily mean the product is a whole grain.  You really need to check the ingredient list to see whether whole grain, and not enriched flour is the among the top one or two  ingredients.

So where does all of this information leave the consumer?  I suspect confused,  judging from the amount of time I spend  explaining whole grains to  my clients.  What is comes down to is some foods are 100% whole grain, while others contain some whole grain, and that’s the difference.  So, to get the maximum amount of whole grains look  for the words 100% whole grain (such as 100% whole wheat).  Choosing products that have 4 grams or more fiber, or those sporting the Whole Grains Stamp (if it’s there) will also help you make sense of all of this!

Tags: whole grains