We don’t usually consider snacks like Ritz crackers and Cheez-Its as healthy foods but more of a diversion in our diet. But, manufacturers like to sell more product so they have used terms like “new taste”, “fat free”, or the newer scam “whole grain” or whole wheat”. And, it is clear that they want us to notice the new terms and believe that we are buying a healthier snack.
Whole grains are more nutritious as they contain all of the grain including the germ and the bran. They also have more phytochemicals and antioxidants. And, the added fiber is a benefit. But, identifying the whole grain can be difficult. The food labels are frequently misleading and designed to obscure the true value of the food. But the above mentioned snack products have more white flour than whole wheat flour and with only one gram of fiber. So, there is virtually no nutritional difference between the original and “enhanced” products.
So how do these food products get to make claims that are not true? We can thank the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for being lax to say the least and being negligent in protecting the public. The FDA does not mandate the real amount of whole grain or whole wheat in a food; they simply recommend it! This same problem exists with bread as well and it can be confusing to choose between whole wheat, enriched wheat, multi-grain, and all of the other designations. So, how can we select a real whole grain product?
The best way to start is to look for the word “whole” before the name of the grains and search for a product that lists whole grain as its first ingredient indicating that the food has more of this than any other ingredient. If it says “wheat flour” it is white!
Whole grains are more nutritious as they contain all of the grain including the germ and the bran. They also have more phytochemicals and antioxidants. And, the added fiber is a benefit. But, identifying the whole grain can be difficult. The food labels are frequently misleading and designed to obscure the true value of the food. But the above mentioned snack products have more white flour than whole wheat flour and with only one gram of fiber. So, there is virtually no nutritional difference between the original and “enhanced” products.
So how do these food products get to make claims that are not true? We can thank the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for being lax to say the least and being negligent in protecting the public. The FDA does not mandate the real amount of whole grain or whole wheat in a food; they simply recommend it! This same problem exists with bread as well and it can be confusing to choose between whole wheat, enriched wheat, multi-grain, and all of the other designations. So, how can we select a real whole grain product?
The best way to start is to look for the word “whole” before the name of the grains and search for a product that lists whole grain as its first ingredient indicating that the food has more of this than any other ingredient. If it says “wheat flour” it is white!
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