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The Whole Story
The Appeal of Whole Grains
By Kelly Burgess
When a manufacturer "improves" a food by replacing it with something that has more whole grains, it's definitely a better choice than the original, but it still may not be your best source of fiber. Levine says the consumer has to look at the whole picture, not just the advertising on the front of the box.
"A product may advertise that it's whole grain, but when you look at the amount of dietary fiber on the label it may be very low," says Levine. "Also, it may not be a healthy food overall; you have to also take into account the amount of sugar and fat in the product."
These are Levine's recommendations for increasing whole grains in your diet:
- Read and compare labels.
- Introduce new foods slowly.
- Mix different fibers, not just grains, but also fruits, vegetables and legumes.
- Eat a variety of grains so you get a variety of fiber.
Karen Spring of Deptford, N.J., has been trying to ease more whole grains into her family's diet since her kids went off baby food a couple of years ago. She looks for cereals and breads made with whole grain and uses brown rice in recipes where it's not noticeable, such as pilafs.
"The brown rice got a good reception," says Spring. "I flavor it well and make it into a pilaf as opposed to just slapping the rice unseasoned in a bowl and expecting the family to eat it."
Good approach, says Sonja Connor. Co-author with her husband, Dr. William Connor, of The New American Diet (Simon and Schuster, 1989), Connor says it's important when introducing more whole grains not to touch any sacred cows. In other words, Connor has seen too many health tips that blithely suggest to anyone who wants to eat more whole grains to just substitute whole-wheat pasta for white pasta.
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