Eat To Live: Eaters Take To Whole Grains

WASHINGTON, DC (Wednesday, January 25, 2006) - Take a bow, people. When the USDA speaks, sometimes it seems we pay attention!


At a conference last week Dr. Eric Hentges, executive director of the USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, reported that recommendations in last year's Dietary Guidelines were being supported by a number of food manufacturers and the buying patterns of the general public. That's us.

He was speaking at a convention in Orlando organized by two non-profit organizations: Oldways, the Boston-based food issues think tank, and the Whole Grains Council, a consortium of industry, scientists and chefs.

Just a year after new Dietary Guidelines recommended an increase to at least three servings a day of whole grains, sales have been steadily climbing. We're eating 18 percent more whole-grain bread and 20 percent more whole-grain pasta.

Even some fast-food chains are on board with the program. McDonald's, Panera, Blimpie, Bruegger's Bagels, Fazoli's, Great Harvest Bread Co. and Olive Garden have put more whole grains on their menus. Schools and hospitals are finding ways to add them to their daily options, while shelf talkers in military commissaries have been installed by the Department of Defense to urge troops to pick whole-grain products.

Industry giants like General Mills, Quaker, Frito-Lay and George Weston (Arnold Bread, Thomas' English muffins) are members of the Whole Grains Council and sponsors of the conference along with Knorr-Lipton Sides, National Sorghum Producers, Panera Bread, Nature's Path, Barbara's Bakery, Bob's Red Mill, Harvest Time Bread, King Arthur Flour, Roman Meal, Rubschlager Baking, Snyder's of Hanover, Uncle Ben's/Masterfoods USA and the USA Rice Federation -- all manufacturers of processed foods with influence over our diets.

But changing these is not plain sailing, as a survey from Knorr-Lipton and the Whole Grains Council revealed. Forty percent of American consumers indicated that finding whole grain foods in their stores was a challenge.

Oldways President and Whole Grains Council leading founder K. Dun Gifford acknowledged that is a big reason the Whole Grains stamp on packaging had been created. 'Eating healthier is easy if you look for this stamp on packaging,' he said.

'Good Source' signifies half a serving of whole grains and 'Excellent Source' a full one. A '100 percent Excellent Source' stamp contains a full serving of whole grains with no refined grains.

'Whole grain' refers to the entire grain seed. Commonly called the kernel, it includes the bran (the outer layer of the kernel), the germ (the nutrient-dense embryo) and endosperm that contains the greatest amount of proteins and carbohydrates. Cracked, crushed or flaked grains can only be termed 'whole grain' if they retain nearly the same proportions of those three elements as the original kernel. In refined grains, such as wheat that has been milled for enriched or bleached white flour, the bran and germ have been processed out.

Eating whole grains has been found to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, certain cancers and obesity. They can also taste better.

Wheat berries are showing up on high-end restaurant menus all over the place. This recipe, adapted from one by Nigel Slater in his new The Kitchen Diaries (4th Estate) for bulgur -- a grain that has been stripped of its bran -- can be eaten on its own or as a side dish.

-- Wheat berry Eggplant

-- Serves 2 as a main dish

-- 6 tablespoons olive oil

-- 1 small onion, finely sliced

-- 1 bay leaf

-- 2 banana-shaped eggplants, cut into 1 inch pieces

-- 2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

-- 8 ounces wheat berries

-- 1 generous pint chicken or vegetable stock

-- 4 canned tomatoes, roughly chopped

-- 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

-- 20 chopped fresh mint leaves

-- lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste

-- Warm the olive oil in a sauté pan, add the onion and bay leaf and cook gently till soft and gold.

-- Add eggplant and garlic and cook till gold and soft, adding more oil if necessary.

-- Pour in wheat berries and stock and bring gently to boil.

-- Simmer till bulgur is tender and almost dry, 15-20 minutes, adding more liquid if necessary.

-- Half way through, add the tomatoes.

-- Once all is cooked, stir in mint and pine nuts.

-- Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice and serve.

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E-mail: consumerhealth@upi.com

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