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Grains of Wisdom
Fall 2006

Message From The President

As the president of the Wheat Foods Council and a registered dietitian, I am proud to offer this new communication vehicle to healthcare professionals. The Wheat Foods Council is committed to providing you with easy-to-use tools and current nutrition information relating to grain foods. This quarterly newsletter entitled “Grains of Wisdom” will assist you in translating nutrition information for your clients. We invite you to use the Wheat Foods Council as a grain, nutrition and health information center.

Sincerely,

Marcia Scheideman, M.S., R.D.
President

Hot Topics: What Your Clients Are Reading

Nutrition Information Sources
Product packaging is a primary source of nutrition information for consumers. The simplified and convenient health and nutrition information they crave is delivered via prominently featured health claims and marketing messages. Unfortunately, these messages can sometimes mislead and confuse, as evidenced by the latest debate over whole grain claims.

Whole Grain Claims
Whole grain claims have been a point of contention in the nutrition world, due to the absence of regulation of the words “good” and “excellent” in relation to a food product as a source of whole grains. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires foods that bear the whole grain health claim to contain 51 percent or more whole grain ingredients by weight per reference amount and be low or moderate (up to 6.5 g fat per reference amount) in fat.

Clearing Up Confusion
In an attempt to help clear up the confusion (on February 15, 2006), the FDA issued a definition of whole grains which include barley, buckwheat, bulgur, corn, millet, rice, rye, oats, sorghum, wheat and wild rice. However, there is still no clarification on the amount of whole grain a food product can or should contain to qualify as a “good” or “excellent” source, an issue consumers, educators and the grain industry believe needs addressing. Though the draft is currently under review, the FDA has requested that companies examine their whole grain claims.

The FDA’s request has also affected the Whole Grain Stamp developed by the Whole Grains Council (WGC) for use on consumer products. As of February, 2006, it appeared on more than 600 products. Though the FDA has not ordered manufacturers to discontinue the use of special symbols, it has expressed concern that they may be misleading.

In June of 2006, to enhance the current Whole Grain Stamp, the WGC issued Phase II Stamp Graphics with a design that includes the actual gram amounts of whole grain contained in the food product servings. Food companies must be a member in good standing of the Whole Grains Council in order to use the stamp, and submit pertinent product information before a stamp may be printed on packaging.

How to Help Your Clients Understand
In the meantime, you can help your clients to identify whole grain products and incorporate the recommended servings of both whole and enriched grain foods into their meal plans by utilizing the following tips:

Recommend a minimum of 6-ounce equivalents of grain foods each day - at least half of those servings from whole grain foods.
Provide a point of reference for ounce equivalents by giving food examples:
- 1 slice of bread
- 1 cup of breakfast cereal
- 1/2 cup cooked rice or pasta
Provide your clients with examples of whole and enriched grain foods.
- When reviewing a product ingredient label, look for the word "whole" before the grain to ensure you're getting a 100 percent whole-grain product. Whole grain products include popcorn, cracked wheat- sometimes referred to as bulgur, whole wheat flour, buckwheat, wild rice and much more.
- If a product is made from enriched grains, the food label ingredients will list "enriched" before the word grain. Enriched grain foods can include pretzels, crackers, white rice, flour tortillas, bread and much more.
Provide a variety of quick and easy snack and meal tips:
- Make your own healthy trail mix and take it to go. Mix whole grain or bran ready-to-eat cereals, raisins and peanuts
- Have a whole grain (whole-wheat or oatmeal) muffin for breakfast
- Stuff a green pepper with lean ground beef or turkey, brown rice or bulgur, onions and seasoning for dinner
- Opt for a snack of whole wheat pita and hummus
- Choose cookies made with whole grain flour or oatmeal
- For more recipes click here

Study Spotlight

Folic Acid Research
"Improvement in Stroke Mortality in Canada and the United States, 1990 to 2002" written by Dr. Quanhe Yang, PhD from the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, sheds light on the positive impact that folic acid fortification of enriched grains has had on public health. Published in the March 2006 edition of Circulation, the epidemiological analysis compares data from the United States, Canada, England and Wales.

Benefits of Folic Acid
Folic acid fortification of enriched grain foods was fully implemented in 1998 in both the United States and Canada; however, England and Wales were not required to do so. The study found that following the fortification regulation, the United States and Canada experienced a decline in stroke mortality rates and a decrease in blood homocysteine concentrations and neural tube defects. During the same period of time, England and Wales did not show a reduction in any of the above.

Research has shown that folic acid reduces blood homocysteine levels and lowers stroke mortality rates. Results show that average blood folate concentrations increased and homocysteine concentrations decreased in the United States following the implementation of folic acid fortification.

The declines in stroke mortality by country were as follows:

Country	1990-1997	1998-2002
United States	-0.3% per year	-2.9% per year
Canada	-1.0% per year	-5.4% per year

*England and Wales did not change significantly between 1990 and 2002

The percentages translate to nearly 13,000 fewer stroke deaths annually among people over the age of 40 in the United States and about 2,800 fewer stroke deaths annually in Canada post-folic acid fortification. In contrast, there was no significant change in the decline of stroke deaths in England and Wales after 1998.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the effects of folic acid fortification on stroke mortality, followed suit with the prevention of neural tube defects. The rate of spina bifida (a neural tube defect) in 1991 was around 25 cases per 100,000 births, while the numbers in 2003 were approximately 19 cases per 100,000 live births.

Ask Marcia

Julie from California asks, "Do enriched grains have the same health benefits as whole grains?".

To view the answer, click here.

Meet and Greet

Your chance to meet our President, Marcia Scheideman, is right around the corner. Marcia will attend the American Dietetics Association Annual Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii from September 16 through September 19, 2006. Visit the Wheat Foods Council’s booth to meet Marcia and learn more about the organization.

WFC in the News

The Wheat Foods Council’s new consumer education campaign, "Mom, the Everyday Athlete," is featured in the June/July issue of Child magazine. The piece entitled "10 Ways to Improve Your Health," highlights Mom Trading Cards, which provide health information and snack and meal tips customized for moms at three different life stages. Click here to see how "Mom, the Everyday Athlete" can be used as a tool for your clients.

In light of the recent boom in the manufacturing of white whole grain products, Marcia has been called on as an expert resource for news stories on this subject. Marcia’s quotes have appeared in a January 10, 2006 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article entitled "Wonder of bread preferences" and in a March 13, 2006 Fort Worth Star-Telegram story, "Wheat goes white as market changes."

Fast Fun Facts

Enriched grain products have more than twice the amount of folic acid of whole grains. A slice of enriched white bread has approximately 37 micrograms versus a slice of whole wheat bread, which has approximately 17 micrograms.

Highlights of Upcoming Issues

The Truth about Glycemic Index Diets
White Wheat and Its Health Benefits
Exploration of Educational Tools for Your Clients

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Grains of WisdomFall 2006

Grains of Wisdom
Fall 2006