Whole Grain Servings & Stamps

Okay—so the other day I was asked, “What does made with whole grains mean?” So … here’s my answer…

Quite frankly, nothing much. For example, crackers labeled “made with whole grains” could contain a few measly whole grain kernels, but use wheat flour as the main ingredient. Did ya catch that? Just because an ingredient list includes “wheat flour” does NOT mean it’s a whole grain. The gosh-darn confusing label must read “whole-wheat flour” AND it should be listed as the numero uno ingredient. Basically, “made with whole grains” could mean as much as 90% or as little as 1% of the product is loaded with whole grain goodness. Either way—the good ain’t 100% whole grain.

So … label reading returns! You gotta make sure the label says “100% whole grains” and the 1st ingredient on the nutrition facts panel says “whole” before the grain. Oh labels…

Whole Grain Servings & Whole Grain Stamps–Deciphered

One thing that can help with this whole grain wackiness is the Whole Grain Stamp. Did you know that a serving of whole grains is 16 grams of whole grain? If you didn’t that’s A-okay because neither did I …

I mean—let’s GET REAL—people eat food–NOT grams or percentages of this or that–FOOD! And from a food perspective, 16 grams of whole grain is equal to one slice of whole grain bread, 3 cups of popcorn (yup, this delicacy is a whole grain—yay!), 1/2 cup of brown rice, or my personal FAV—oatmeal

Now, it’s recommended to make at least half your grains whole and to at least grub on 3 servings of whole grains per day.  But, of course, I’m rooting for all whole grains. Frankly, because they taste WAY better—they actually have texture! And the added fiber, helping me stay fuller longer (always a good thing) plus the mad health benefits are ultra bonuses along my grainy way.

Yet, despite my cheerleading for whole grains, I—by NO means—sit there and calculate my whole grain consumption per day, let alone in grams.  I mean … who does that? I may be a nutrition promoter, but I’m not a nutrition crazy.

HOWEVER … I will tell you who is! The Whole Grains Council. They have 2 stamps: the Whole Grain Stamp and the 100% Whole Grain Stamp. Now, I dig the Whole Grains Council because they’re healthful grain promoters, but I’m ashamed to say I wasn’t 100% sure what the Whole Grain Stamp implied. I got the 100% Whole Grain Stamp—I’d hope so, or else I really should reconsider my career… But, I needed to research what the basic stamp meant.

Hence, the below chart on behalf of the FaB Whole Grains Council!

Basically…

You simply MUST look at the bigger whole grain, healthifying picture, regardless if a product has a claim and in some cases, a stamp. Manufacturers can dupe you into thinking their products are WaY healthier than they really are. And regarding our stamp friends, the 100% Whole Grain Stamp is the gold standard here. The basic stamp is pretty good—at least it shows you’re getting in some whole grains.  But, remember, products like brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, and oatmeal may not have a stamp and yet, they sure as heck have whole grains! Lastly, I don’t care if McDonald’s injects a whopping 8 grams of fiber into their Big Mac, NO stamp will healthify that item! You simply can’t forget about health along your grainy way

Wait! One More Thing! Winner & Challenge!

A big hug and thanks to all who participated in some “false foodie fact fun!” The overwhelming consensus was that #5 was wrong. So, YES! You’re all right! Egg yolks do NOT contain any Vitamin C! Instead, they naturally contain Vitamin D! So—let’s give a big CONGRATS to Didi Marie!!! Lucky Lady, you’ve been selected by random.org to be getting some pretty good eats, if I don’t say so myself!

Lastly, if you’ve got an awesome peanut butter recipe, have a camera, and want to be popchip! eligible (in a big way), enter GGB’s Challenge today! Looking forward to your recipes

Happy Healthifying!

What’s your favorite whole grain or whole grain product?

Photo Credit: Henrik Thorn