Nutrition Science and Everyday Application - beta v 0.1

FIBER - TYPES, FOOD SOURCES, HEALTH BENEFITS, AND WHOLE VERSUS REFINED GRAINS 221
Figure 4.27. Average Whole & Refined Grain Intakes in Ounce-Equivalents per Day by Age-Sex
Groups, Compared to Ranges of Recommended Daily Intake for Whole Grains & Limits for Refined
Grains.
Looking for whole grain products at the grocery store can be tricky, since the front-ofpackage
labeling is about marketing and selling products. Words like “made with whole
grain” and “multigrain” on the front of the package make it appear like a product is whole
grain, when in fact there may be very few whole grains present.
The color of a bread can be deceiving too. Refined grain products can have added caramel
color to make them appear more like whole grains.
To determine if a product is a good source of whole grain, the best place to look is
the ingredient list on the Nutrition Facts panel. The ingredients should list a whole grain
as the first ingredient (e.g., 100% whole wheat), and it should not be followed by a bunch of
refined grains such as enriched wheat flour.
Getting familiar with the name of whole grains will help you identify them. Common
varieties include wheat, barley, brown rice, buckwheat, corn, rye, oats, and wild rice. Less
known varieties include teff, amaranth, millet, quinoa, black rice, black barley, and spelt.
Most, but not all, whole grains are a good source of fiber, and that is one of the benefits
of choosing whole grains. Keep in mind that some products add extra fiber as a separate
ingredient, like wheat bran, inulin, or cellulose. These boost the grams of fiber on the
Nutrition Facts label and may make the product a good source of fiber, but it doesn’t mean
it’s a good source of whole grains. In fact, it may be a product made mostly of refined grains,
so it would still be missing the other nutrients that come packaged in whole grains and may
not have the same health benefits. Therefore, just looking at fiber on the Nutrition Facts label
is not a good indicator of whether or not the product is made with whole grains.
Also, some products that are 100% whole wheat but do not appear to be a good source of