Why Choose Whole Grain Bread and Other Whole Grain Products?

By Tania Reuben

When feeding my family I buy 100% whole grain and 100% whole wheat products almost exclusively.

There are many documented health benefits associated with whole grains, lowering stroke risk, reducing heart disease risk and maintaining healthy weight.

White flours and breads act much like sugar when they enter your body. They cause your blood sugar to spike. One article I read said it like this – White Flour–The Other Sugar.

On occasion we eat white flour products, primarily at restaurants (most of them) that doesn’t offer alternatives. They are treat, for my calories, if I’m going to have a treat I would much rather have an actual sweet treat, rather than something my body interprets that way. I say skip the white bread and pass the ice cream.

It’s all about your glycemic index – keeping it low and steady. White flour products spike it, like sugar. Whole grain products break down slowly and release the sugar into your body in a slow and steady manner. Good.

It’s shocking to me that approximately 80% of Americans haven’t made the switch to Whole Grains. It’s so easy! Yes, some of the products will taste a little bit different at first, but if I can get my husband, my Jewish In-Laws, and two toddler’s to eat them, anyone can do it.

Things I do:
– 100% whole wheat or whole grain bread
– 100% whole grain cereals
– 100% whole wheat or whole grain bread
– 100% whole wheat or whole grain tortillas
– 100% whole wheat or whole grain pasta – BTW – these are $1.29 at trader joe’s.
If Whole Grain Pasta is new to you, consider, the Barilla Whole Grain – it’s not 100% whole grain, but it has a good amount and it’s a great transitional product. The elbows are good for pasta salads too.
– 100% whole wheat no boil lasagna noodles.
– 100% whole wheat stuffed pastas, tortellini, raviolis
– Whole Grain bread crumbs – I make my own – but you can buy them.
– Rice – we use brown basmati rice – organic when I can find it in bulk otherwise regular.
– Whole Grain Pancake Mix, I also like buckwheat pancakes, which are a great whole grain, their dark color and nutty flavor aren’t for everyone.

For baking & cooking I use 100% whole grain pastry flour – a lighter texture than wheat, with whole grain benefits. I don’t bake cakes, so I can’t speak to it’s effectiveness for a light and fluffy cake, but I bet it could be done!

Some of the items I regularly purchase are not available at every grocery store, like the lasagna and the ravioli’s, so I purchase quite a few when do find them. You can also find some of the products online.

PAY ATTENTION TO THE LABELS!
It can be tricky to decipher the whole grain market. Look for the 100% whole grain logo on products for simplification. Pay attention to how many grams of Whole Grain per serving – you’ll want to find a minimum of 8gm. If you are choosing whole wheat which can be considered a whole grain – only select %100 Whole Wheat. Read the ingredients – wheat flour is not whole wheat flour – it’s plain white flour (which is made from wheat – thus wheat flour)!

There are so many choices for Whole Grain products on the market – there really is something for everyone’s taste buds.

The whole grain item that was probably the most difficult to track down was Whole Wheat No Boil Lasagna. It’s listed here my amazon selections, so you know what to look for or can purchase from Amazon and support Diva in the process.