June 1998
News from the
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Prairie Grains is the
official publication of
the Minnesota
Association of
Wheat Growers,
North Dakota Grain
Growers Association,
South Dakota Wheat,
Inc., and the
Minnesota Barley
Growers Association.
U.S. per capita flour disappearance climbed to 150 pounds in 1997, up from 149 pounds the previous year, according to the final figure recently released by the Census Bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The up-trend in domestic flour consumption is good news for the nation's grain processing industry, and the nation's wheat producers.
"For the first time in history, U.S. flour consumption has risen above 400 million hundredweight, which is over 900 million bushels of wheat. This not only confirms the importance of the domestic market, but the vast opportunity for U. S. wheat producers, right here at home," says Art Brandli, chair of the Minnesota Wheat Research and Promotion Council's domestic promotion committee. A Warroad, MN producer, Brandli also serves as the 1998/99 secretary/treasurer of the Wheat Foods Council.
Since the Wheat Foods Council's inception in 1972, when flour disappearance was at an all-time low of 110 pounds per person, per capita consumption has increased 40 pounds or 36%. Even though the Council has made great strides, there is still room for improvement.
According to a 1997 U.S. Department of Agriculture report, Americans are only consuming 6.7 servings of grain products each day - barely the minimum recommendation. It appears most Americans are about two servings short of the USDA's Food Guide Pyramid goals. Sedentary women who should be consuming six servings are only eating four; children are consuming seven instead of nine; and active men and teenage boys are consuming nine instead of 11 servings.
If Americans met the USDA's six to 11 servings recommendation, flour consumption would soar to 185 pounds per person. This would translate into an additional $1 billion for U.S. wheat producers.
Flour consumption continues to grow as Americans become educated that grain-based foods are nutritious, low-fat and a great energy source. By investing in the Wheat Foods Council through the wheat checkoff, producers, as well as millers, bakers, cereal, tortilla and pasta manufacturers, develop programs to increase grain consumption via nutritional, educational and promotional programs.
New report confirms importance of carbohydrates to health
A joint report released in April by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the importance of carbohydrates in the diet, noting that a high-carbohydrate intake can reduce the risk of obesity and protect against nutrition-related diseases.
The FAO/WHO report, titled "Carbohydrate in Human Nutrition," concluded that "diets containing at least 55% of energy from a variety of carbohydrate sources, as compared to high-fat diets, reduce the likelihood that body fat accumulation will occur." Foods rich in carbohydrates include grain foods such as bread, cereal, pasta, tortillas and rice, as well as fruits and vegetables.
Other key findings:
No evidence exists that sugars and starches promote obesity. Excess food energy consumption in any form, on the other hand, will promote body fat accumulation if intake is not matched by energy expenditure.
No evidence exists that sugars and starches play a role in factors leading to coronary heart disease. Rather, FAO and WHO experts agree that increasing the intake of carbohydrate-rich foods at the expense of decreasing fat consumption can help to reduce coronary heart disease risk.
No evidence proves that sugars are directly correlated to factors leading to adult-onset diabetes. The expert panel recommends avoiding all calorie-dense foods in order to reduce obesity.
"These findings further strengthen the Food Guide Pyramid's recommendation to get six to 11 servings of grain foods each day," says Wheat Foods Council President Judi Adams, M.S., R.D.
Further, Adams says the report debunks myths promoted in a current stream of fad diets that push protein instead of carbohydrates. "The report notes that there is no evidence to link carbohydrates with obesity, and that, in fact, a high-carbohydrate eating plan is likely to reduce the risk of obesity in the long-term," Adams says. "The bottom line remains that excess consumption of any kind can lead to weight gain."
Europeans healthier than Americans, due in part to grains
Throughout Europe, bread is an important part of each meal. According to a recent study by Roper Starch Worldwide, 75% of Europeans when surveyed reported that they had eaten bread in the past 24-hour period, nearly 18% more than reported by Americans.
How does this higher bread intake affect the health of Europeans? A study conducted by Dr. Audrey Cross, associate professor of nutrition at Columbia University, compared grain food consumption and nutrition-related diseases in the United States versus Europe. Her conclusions indicate that the European penchant for bread and other grains is reflected in their collective good health.
Europeans are thinner than Americans
Europeans, who tend to eat less fat and more complex carbohydrates than Americans, are thinner with overall lower body mass indexes. BMI- a measure of weight versus height- declines as carbohydrate intake increases, and increases as fat intake increases. Correspondingly, studies indicate that as fat intake increases, weight also increases. Obese and overweight individuals tend to consume more calories from fat than from either carbohydrates or protein.
Part of the reason for obesity-rate differences between Europeans and Americans may lie in the fact that on a gram-per-gram basis, carbohydrates and protein provide fewer calories than fat. And, most individuals convert little carbohydrates to body fat. By contrast, fat in a diet is burned as energy only after other energy sources are exhausted. The body is more efficient at storing fat than at burning it; thus, high-fat foods such as bacon and butter are more likely to contribute to weight gain than carbohydrate-rich foods such as toast and cereal. Evidence also reveals that once a person becomes overweight, he or she is less able to oxidize or burn calories from fat and more likely to store these calories as body fat.
Europeans have lower rates of coronary heart disease than Americans
A World Health Organization report concluded that dietary fat intake is the most important factor influencing high cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. Research comparing the U.S. to Europe supports this conclusion: Europeans, who consume more of their calories from carbohydrates, also have lower CHD incidence. Researchers also note that carbohydrate-rich foods that include fiber can decrease cholesterol levels and slow development of fatty deposits which can block arteries and contribute to CHD.
Europeans have lower rates of diabetes than Americans
According to statistics, Europeans enjoy a 20% lower incidence rate of Type 1, or insulin-dependent diabetes, than Americans. Although statistics for Type II, or non-insulin-dependent diabetes, are available for less than 2% of the world's population, it is estimated that at least 11 million people in the U.S. have Type II diabetes, which can often be controlled or prevented through weight control, lifestyle modifications and exercise.
Many people mistakenly believe that carbohydrates cause diabetes. In part, this misunderstanding may result from the fact that food is converted to a simple carbohydrate called glucose, a type of sugar which is the body's primary energy source. To move blood glucose or blood sugar from the blood stream to the cells requires the help of a hormone called insulin. People with diabetes either do not manufacture insulin (Type I) or do not respond appropriately to the insulin which their body makes (Type II). They are unable to move sugar from their blood to the cells where it is needed for energy.
Carbohydrate-rich diets cut cancer risk
Although specific cancer rates are not available for European countries, a 30-year comparison of deaths from cancer in five European countries concluded that to reduce cancer deaths, we should consume less fat and derive more calories from carbohydrate-rich foods, such as breads, pastas and other grain foods common to the Mediterranean diet. Dietary advice from the U.S. supports this conclusion. Indeed, the benefits of fiber-rich foods in cancer prevention are well-documented. More recently, researchers have focused on the potential of whole grains to reduce cancer risk. In addition to their fiber content, whole grains are a source of lignans, phytoestrogens, trace minerals, antioxidants and resistant starch- all components which may help prevent cancer.
"For most Europeans, a meal is incomplete without bread on the plate. Their collective good health reflects the wisdom of this deep-rooted culinary practice. It also underscores the importance of a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet as recommended by the nutrition community," says Judi Adams, head of the Wheat Foods Council. "Consuming breads, grains and other complex carbohydrate-rich foods is a convenient and versatile way to meet nutrient needs, balance energy sources and help control appetite and weight." n