Whole Grains 101:

Whole grains this and whole wheat that. What is the big deal? Well, apparently, it's a very big deal! In order to understand the importance of whole grains, I think it's important to understand their history. (Maybe that is just me being a huge dork, but so be it).
Grain has been around since....forever. So, my question was, if "refined" white grain is so bad for you, why did people start making it in the first place. Well, back in the "olden days" (I'm talking Romans, men wearing skirts, chariots, the pulley) it was discovered that less-course, fine flour could be made by sifting out bran particles from the grain.

This flour was expensive to make, so it became a symbol of status and only the wealthy had access to it. This type of extractment (similar to the white bread made today) extracts up to 40% of the product taking out the bran and wheat germ. This removes over 50% of the vitamin B1, B2, B3, vitamin E, folic acid, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, iron, and fiber in the product. At the time, they couldn't foresee the problem with this. Also, in the beginning, a very small portion of the population even had access to this "refined" flour.

It wasn't untill he invention of the roller mill (around 1870) that a less expensive way to manufacture this soft, fine, "refined" flour came about.

This made it possible for this flour to be available to the masses, plus removing the bran and wheat germ gave the product a longer shelf life. During the following 100 years there was a worldwide epidemic outbreak of pellagra and beriberi (vitamin B deficiencies). This lead to "enrichment," the restoring of B1, B2, B3, and iron back into the "refined" product - although in far less amounts than the original grain - ("Enrichment" of grain products became a law in 1941.)

beriberi - B1 deficiency

(Its also interesting to know that wheat did not originally grow in the western hemisphere. It wasn't brought here until after Christopher Columbus arrived.)

So after all that - the Romans and their fancy pants ways had pretty much ruined it for everyone. Super.

So, back to the original question. What is the big deal? What do whole grains provide? The key nutrients that whole grains provide include manganese, dietary fiber, tryptophan, and magnesium. They reduce the risk for metabolic disorder, help with weight control, decrease cholesterol, decrease blood pressure, decrease risk for heart disease, and decrease risk for type II diabetes.

Whole grains include...
wheat
oat
barley
maize (a grass)
brown rice
rye
triticale (a wheat and rye hybrid)
teff (a grass)

Whole grains can easily be worked into the diet - one of my favorite recipes is...
Homemade Sandwich Thins pizzas:
I take a whole wheat or whole grain Sandwich Thin and top it with pizza sauce and 2% Mozzarella cheese
(I eat them cold like Pizza Lunchables, but you can also bake them until golden brown on top)