Blog 4: Debunking Health Claims with Whole Grain

http://www.cspi.us/nah/05_06/grains.

Whole grain is “The strongest evidence...for cardiovascular disease,” says Eric Rimm, an associate professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard University School of Public Health (Nutrition Healthletter, 2006). The article above mentions that the average American eats less than one serving of whole grains a day. Why is eating "whole grain" products important though? Studies have shown that whole grain products, also organic, reduces the risk of heart diseases, diabeties, obesity, and colon cancer. The article also mentions that it leads there eaters to obtain less saturated fat and more vitamins. All of these optimistic support of whole grain is true only base on statistics and the study of what whole grain can affect a person's diet. But what is the "whole truth" in the whole grain products.

Does whole grain really work, is the real question. It only showed in people that whole grain reduces many unhealthy things that the body can attain. Truthfully, nutritionists are finding ways to make the "whole grain" product a big deal for Americans. It is true that it does influence a person to make better health choices, but the whole grain only makes a difference if a person is willingly to stay in that kind of diet which most Americans aren't. There are products trying to promote some comsumption of whole grain and there are certain meanings to some words in each "whole grain" product, which can be misleading. For example, 'Wheat' could mean refined or whole. “Harvest” means “nicesounding word" (Nutrition Healthletter, 6), and 'Made with' often means “made with very little" (Nutrition Healthletter, 6). So "whole grain" is a better choice, somewhat for people, but has not yet been proven completely and conclusively that it really does have a major affect in people's diet.

Like Pollan said in "In Defense in Food", American's diet depends a lot on labels. It seems that even labels trick Americans into thinking they are eating healthy when really they are only obtaining a small amount of the "necessary" nutrients. Just because something sounds healthy, doesn't really mean it is. Maybe Americans just need commitment and confidence in themselves when they eat and not rely much on what they "supposedly" need in their bodies.

http://www.ynhh.org/online/nutrition/advisor/whole_grains.html