Should All of my Grains be Whole Grains?
Why white pasta can still make an appearance on your plate.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends making “half your grains whole”, which is a cute way of saying that 50% of the grain foods you consume each day should be in the form of whole grains.
As a refresher, grains include foods like rice, bread, tortillas, pasta, cereals, oats, corn and popcorn.
So if making “half your grains whole” each day is good, isn’t making ALL of your grains whole even better?
Not necessarily.
What is a whole grain?
Whole grains are grains that contain all of the naturally-occuring nutrients of the entire seed, including the bran, germ, and endosperm. They may be processed to some extent, such as with rolled oats or cracked wheat, but no essential parts of the grain have been removed during processing.
Whole grains provide many essential nutrients, including B vitamins, fiber, potassium and protein. Many people do not get the recommended amount of these nutrients in their diet. This is especially true of fiber, as a recent study demonstrated that only 7.4% of adult Americans are consuming enough fiber each day.
In contrast, refined grains are those in which the seed’s components have been dissected and removed, leaving behind only a portion of what was naturally-occuring in the grain. Oftentimes, the bran and germ components have been stripped-off.
Enriched grains are refined grains that have had some nutrients added-back to the food product in order to compensate for those lost during processing.
You may have noticed that some enriched grains have gotten a bad rap recently, coinciding with the recent dietary trend to cut carbs. White pasta and white breads have been kicked to the curb for many people.
However, consider some of the benefits of enriched grains before ostracizing them from your diet.
Enriched grains fill many of the nutrient gaps common in the average diet. Some of these nutrients include Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folate, and Iron. Historically, these nutrients have been added to grains in an effort to avoid nutrient deficiencies among the population.
For example, the addition of Folic Acid (Folate) to grain products has helped to meet the needs of pregnant women and reduce the incidence of Neural Tube Defects (NTD) among their babies.
Another example is that of Iron Deficieny, which is estimated to affect up to 25% of the world’s population. The addition of iron to basic grain products has helped to combat the prevalence of Iron Deficiency Anemia, especially among women and children.
So, while whole grains have a lot of benefit to offer, enriched grains can also help to fill many common nutritional gaps.
Making half of your grains whole grains and the other half enriched grains can add up to one healthly diet!
Practically, this may look like having oatmeal (whole grain) for breakfast, brown rice (whole grain) with your lunch, and white pasta (enriched grain) with your dinner.
It is important to note that enriched grains can quickly become sugary indulgences, and extra sugar in the diet is void of important vitamins and minerals, providing only additional calories. Most people do not have trouble meeting their daily calorie needs. It is these indulgent refined grains, rather than the staple refined grains, that can lead to chronic disease.
Next steps:
Write down all of the grain foods that you eat over a 3-to-5 day period. Take note of how many of your grains are whole grains versus refined grains.
If you are not meeting the goal of making “half your grains whole”, find ways to make simple swaps. Consider brown rice in place of white rice, whole wheat pasta instead of white pasta, or whole grain bread rather than a baguet.
If many of your refined grains are indulgent, or have added sugars, consider ways to reduce the excess sugar in your diet.
Once you meet your daily whole grain goal, feel free to enjoy some enriched staple grains! A enriched white tortilla works perfectly for fish tacos, as an example.