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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.

High-fiber foods continue to gain attention for their functionality- positive effects on health when consumed as part of a regular dietary program. According to the American Heart Association, low-fat diets that regularly include fiber-rich whole-grain foods can reduce total blood cholesterol by 10 to 15%.

Aside from cholesterol reduction, there are other health related benefits to including fiber as part of a healthy diet. According to a recent USDA study, high-fiber foods may help the body absorb smaller amounts of fat and calories from food. Weight-loss experts have long known that high-fiber foods help keep weight off by creating a full, satisfied feeling. However, researchers recently found that high-fiber diets may actually prevent the body from absorbing fat. Health experts recommend that at least three of the recommended six to 11 grain foods servings per day come from whole-grain sources.

Grain foods can also help ward off some cancers. A study recently released by the International Journal of Cancer showed that grain foods, particularly breads and pasta, may help to protect against a variety of cancers, including those affecting the stomach, colon, rectum, liver, pancreas, gall bladder, upper respiratory tract, breast, prostate, ovary, bladder and kidney.

Grains contain insoluble fiber and pass quickly through the digestive tract. According to researchers, decreasing transit time may lower the risk of cancer by "mopping up" cancer-causing substances.

All of these benefits cannot be realized, of course, unless fiber is included in the diet. That’s one of the key educational messages disseminated across the nation by the Wheat Foods Council, funded in part by producers through the wheat checkoff.

Grains play role as antioxidants

A diet rich in whole grains, leafy green and yellow-orange vegetables and fruits, raisins and nuts supplies plenty of antioxidant-substances that prevent and reduce oxidation in the body’s cells, according to a study involving USDA-Agricultural Research Service scientists at the Human Nutrition Research Center in Grand Forks, ND. Oxidation in cells appears to play a role in aging and chronic diseases. More details can be found online at:

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/oct98/diets1098.htm.

Wheat foods web site ranked high for nutrition info

Tufts University’s Nutrition Navigator has ranked the Wheat Foods Council’s web site, http://www.wheatfoods.org, as "Among The Best" for finding sound nutrition information on the Internet.

Created to help the public quickly sort and find information they can trust, the Massachusetts-based TU Nutrition Navigator at http://navigator.tufts.edu is the first online rating guide that evaluates nutrition web sites based on accuracy, depth, and usefulness of information. The criteria were developed by an advisory board of U.S. and Canadian nutrition experts.

"‘Among The Best’ ratings are only awarded to web sites that serve as outstanding resources and maintain a high level of integrity in nutrition reporting," says Jeanne Goldberg, Ph.D., R.D., director of the Center on Nutrition Communication at the TU School of Nutrition Science and Policy. "The Wheat Foods Council is a leader in the electronic nutrition information arena."

The Wheat Foods Council promotes increased consumption of grain-based foods through nutrition, education, and promotional programs. WFC members include millers, bakers, cereal, cracker, tortilla and pasta manufacturers, and producer groups including the Minnesota Wheat Research and Promotion Council, which supports WFC programs and activities through the Minnesota Wheat Checkoff. The MWRPC has a link to the WFC on its own web site, www.smallgrains.org.

Specialty breads gaining in popularity

We’ve seen the friendly neighborhood microbrewery, coffee shop and bagel bar grow into national chains. Now the once exclusive specialty bread shop is baking its way into big business, becoming one of the fastest-growing categories in the food industry, according to the Food Channel.

Companies such as St. Louis Bread Company, Boudin Bakery and La Madeline have reintroduced the corner bakery concept to Americans on a much larger scale. Now many consumers are willing to pay anywhere from $3 to $10 for a quality loaf of whole-wheat, rye, sourdough, pumpernickel or French bread.

Health and nutrition experts believe increased consumer interest in healthful foods is a driving factor behind this growing grain-based trend, as well as old-fashioned cravings for bread’s "multisensory added value" — namely the fresh smell, texture and taste.