Are Your 'Whole Grains' Truly Whole? Maybe. Maybe Not.

Kellogg's probably wouldn't sell a lot of Eggo waffles of any variety if their labels proclaimed that the waffles were "made with water" and "mostly white flour." Yet water and white flour are the top two ingredients in Eggo Nutrigrain Whole Wheat Waffles, whose labels tout their "whole grain" and "whole wheat" content.

That's typical of many deceptive whole grain claims found in the supermarket. In preparation for a meeting with officials from the Food and Drug Administration, we at the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest toured the supermarket to find examples of foods that made some kind of attempt to capitalize on the whole grain craze.

It's easy to see why food manufacturers are making whole grain claims. The federal government's Dietary Guidelines for Americans and ChooseMyPlate.gov urge people to "make half your grains whole." Some manufacturers are actually adding more whole grain to products in order to capitalize on whole grain's reputation for healthfulness. But some food manufacturers making whole grain claims or using words like "multigrain" on labels are just trying to obscure the fact that the products are mostly made with highly-refined white flour.

It's our hope that the FDA will require companies that are making such claims to disclose exactly what percentage of the touted grains are whole.

For more by Michael F. Jacobson, click here.

For more on diet and nutrition, click here.

 

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Comments

[Mary Hendrick]

11:29 PM on 04/12/2012

Foods that are high on the glycemic index should be avoided as they convert to sugar, which if not metabolized soon after ingestion, will convert to fat. Foods such as corn, rice, potatoes, and bananas, although the latter is high in potassium, ought to be eliminated or reduced signficantly. Animal fat and carbs eaten together will convert to fat as in sugar and flour, for ex. or a baked potato w/butter and sour cream, although that is the ideal way to eat a baked potato, imo. :o)

Lost 30# after giving up gluten, sugar, and dairy (except butter). Also increased exercise to walking 4 miles per day (fast) and lifting weights w/a personal trainer 2x a week. Weight lifting (free weights) increases your metabolic burn by an add'l 200-400 calories per hour in a resting stage. Have never been in better shape and felt the best in years and this was at the age of 53. Unfortunately, I stopped the weight training and started eating gluten and sugar on occasion. Gained back 20# which I am now working to take off, although I haven't been as diligent as I was 3 yrs ago. I realized the benefits and necessity of staying w/such a program of eating well and working out. Being in menopause and getting older have been factors, but not an excuse as I can get back to that weight. Just have to set my mind to doing so and stay disciplined as before.

[bmpydoodle]

06:58 PM on 03/23/2012

The FDA allows deceptive labeling on most of our foods. I'm also concerned about the lack of enforcement of COOL (country of origin label) laws. I read the article by M. Jacobson about the battle between the state of CA and Coke & Pepsi over their labels not stating that their products contain known carcinogens. This is supposedly illegal under CA prop 65. Can Mr Jacobson explain to me how the beef industry gets away with selling beef, milk and cheese in CA when it contains bovine growth hormone, or r-bst, when this is a known carcinogen with links to breast, colon and prostrate cancer? Whole grains is the least of our problems.

[DrP]

09:59 PM on 02/17/2012

It is pretty much impossible to eat grains without processing them - true whole grains require hours of cooking to make them palatable.
Even if people were really eating whole grains, there is nothing healthy about them as the carb content will cause insulin spikes in everyone and serious spikes in those of us with insulin resistance.
It's best just to eliminate grains altogether and get your fiber and other plant nutrients from non-starchy vegetables.

[BluebirdofUnhappiness]

11:14 AM on 02/17/2012

Oh noes. Sugar in breakfast cereal. Because no one ever dumps a couple of spoonfuls on plain corn flakes of homemade oatmeal.

[I-US]

10:34 AM on 02/14/2012

Despite what the anti-grainers say, there are important vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to be found in whole grains--not the processed, refined grains but actual whole grains. Iron, B vitamins, manganese, magnesium, folate, amino acids, and so on. Grains have sustained civilizations for thousands of years. So when we talk about "current obesity, diabetes, and heart disease" problems, we are talking about a new (hence "current") phenomenon. Considering cereal consumption has declined in this country over the last decade, and brown rice, quinoa, amaranth, wild rice, and so on are not staples in the majority of our kitchens, we should stop scapegoating whole grains as the cause of our health problems. We should look instead toward industrial foods, high caloric consumption, lack of exercise, and high stress as just some causes of this current crisis.

[vc462]

04:12 AM on 02/14/2012

Deceptive or incomplete food labeling , not to mention out & out adulterants & possibly dangerous chemicals-usually for the sake of greater profits.
There are honest & ethical ways to make products & profit. Isnt the other route a con & a fraud-things that are usually considered crimes?

[eviljack13666]

02:43 AM on 02/14/2012

They shuold be made to print " hole grain " on the packaging. The hole is where the grain goes.

[jozey57]

12:04 AM on 02/14/2012

Whole grain=white flour with bran added then stuck together with molasses to look like a palateable version of whole grain. Have you ever seen chicken feed? That's whole grain, put a handful of that in your bread machine.

[bcrosstheboss]

11:37 PM on 02/13/2012

There is an excessive quantity of benighted individuals pertaining to this topic. It is superfluous for a person to consume grains if the remainder of his\her diet are whole foods. Instead of purchasing grains, transition into investing towards a whole food diet influenced and consisting of multifarious vegetables. The human body is not dependent on grains as a source of energy, which the inverse is regurgitated among the health and fitness community. Nevertheless, I'm projecting off subject.

[George Ky]

11:23 PM on 02/13/2012

Hmmm, wondered why my blood sugar spiked when eating "whole wheat" pasta. Gotta read those label more closely. Stupid me.

[jaguar6cy]

10:26 PM on 02/13/2012

Don't worry about labels at all. If what you eat comes with a label, it is not good for you.

[NevaforLeadership]

10:17 PM on 02/13/2012

Are our whole grains truly whole? No. Stay away from bread.

[Curlee]

10:07 PM on 02/13/2012

Lucky Charms has only 10g of sugar per serving? Is that a misprint? 10g is less sugar than many of the "healthier" cereals. Kids could eat worse, much worse.

[rdschuler]

09:46 PM on 02/13/2012

I'm 80 years old.How did I ever get this far ,when very few products years ago mentioned food value,ingrediences ,calories,fats,proteins,etc ? Ate fresh veggies out of the garden,fruit from a tree that was void of insecticide ,and meat that was cut up on one of the dirtiest meat blocks in the butcher shop .Drank water straight out of the well,and made sure the out house was a distance from that well .Ate the snow,after brushing the yellow stuff away .Cooked everything in lard,made from the fat of slaughtered pigs and cows ,hanging from the tree limb in the back yard .Shared a bottle of pop with my 5 siblings ,because that's all we could afford ,Just made sure we cleaned the opening with our sleeve after each took a swig ,to make sure we didn't get any germs .lol

[NevaforLeadership]

10:19 PM on 02/13/2012

Hope you've now moved into the 21st Century.

[Jackie1992]

03:57 AM on 02/14/2012

really think she needs any advice....my great-grandmother was the same....ate what she wanted and lived to almost 100 .. of course she came over from Italy and made her own pasta and ravioli by hand and pop made his own wine....chopped their own meat, never bought chopped meat...she was with us for a very long time with wit and senses and her OWN REAL TEETH...so don't knock it...maybe moving into the 20th century should have been avoided...this person is doing great...keep it up and hope to hear from you on your 100th birthday..GOD BLESS

[boobe]

11:37 AM on 02/14/2012

Our food today has been adulterated since your time. They've taken all the natural nutrition out and put in the artificial nutrition (so-called nutrition). They've added preservatives (there are thousands of them to choose from by now)....and the food colorings, fake sugar, etc....all those twinkies and hostess cupcakes back in the 50's tasted soooooooo much better because they used REAL wholesome ingredients...now....it's all crap and they taste aweful.....same with candy and ice cream. No wholesome real food anymore. All artificial and our cells know the difference. The food today may sustain us, but we feel like crap and don't enjoy abundant health. And lifestyles are so much different today. Hard labor back then (farming, etc) worked off the lard calories much more than sitting at a desk today would. AND...a lot has to do with an individual's body. We are all unique. I'm sure it was like that back in the day...not everyone lived to be 80 or 90. My family seems to have longevity, but not with very good health. I blame the transitioning of food and the down-hill spiraling of it's true natural nutrients. My opinion, of course.

[zatoichiblack]

09:48 AM on 02/15/2012

I agree boobe and something else if you want natural good deserts now you have to pay top dollar. What was once the staple of normal cooking back then is now considered chic and you pay for it out the wallet. Here in the DC area you pay top dollar at some gourmet cake at the local cupcake shop. My mom and grandparents cakes were just as good back then.

[Autora]

09:27 PM on 02/13/2012

That's an article? That was about four paragraphs, saying what others have been saying for YEARS.

Gee, I'm really impressed.