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Grains of Wisdom Fall 2007
Message From the President
For the past 35 years, the Wheat Foods Council has been in the business of providing research based nutrition education materials to health care professionals, media and consumers. In celebration of our 35th anniversary, WFC will produce a commemorative cookbook—a collaboration between celebrity chef and mother of three, Gale Gand, and moms and dads throughout the country. The cookbook will feature wheat-based recipes and address the importance of nutrition education for children, emphasizing the parent’s role in their child’s diet. The Council is inviting parents to submit child-friendly recipes, 30 of which will be featured alongside five exclusive recipes from chef Gand for a total of 35 recipes. Educational facts will correlate with each recipe and enable parents to use the cookbook as a tool with which to teach their children about nutrition, portions and where their food comes from. The call for recipes at www.wheatfoods.org begins September 1, 2007 and closes January 31, 2008. Please encourage all the parents in your life to participate in this historic initiative. Happy Anniversary WFC, Marcia Scheideman, M.S., R.D. President
Hot Topics
*Good vs. Bad Carbs* As the overweight public continues to search for the magic bullet in the fight to lose unwanted pounds, carbohydrates are under the microscope once again. This time they are being categorized as either good or bad, with major sports personalities doing the promotion. However when the real litmus test of science is applied, losing weight is still all about the calories. That’s what we have been saying for years, and the nutrition community has been saying it for decades. Pounds are gained or lost as a result of calories consumed or expended. That’s just the way it works, nothing fancy or exciting, simply calories in and calories out! Preliminary findings from the first phase of a study being conducted by Tufts University suggest that the glycemic load of the food is inconsequential when it comes to weight loss. It’s the calories, not the carbs that count!
Study Spotlight
The glycemic index (GI) may not be a new concept, but as of late, it has certainly received its fair share of press with respect to being a weight loss alternative. Several recent studies have indicated that low-GI diets may aid in weight loss as well as improve blood lipid profiles.^i,ii,iii But, before you jump on the bandwagon, here is a GI 101 primer. GI is a ranking of carbohydrates (from 0 to 100) determined by the degree to which they raise blood sugar levels following consumption. High GI foods are those that are quickly digested and absorbed resulting in a quick rise in blood sugar levels. Low GI foods, typically, are slowly digested and absorbed producing a steady rise in blood sugar and insulin levels. Blood sugar and insulin levels are important factors for everyone – not just those with diabetes. Low blood sugar likely increases hunger and releases excess insulin driving blood sugar even lower resulting in stored fat. The basis of GI is to reduce insulin-related problems by identifying and avoiding foods that have the greatest impact on blood sugar. While in theory this might sound like an intuitive plan for weight loss, there are several things to consider about GI: To obtain accurate GI numbers, foods must be tested individually. Environmental conditions (i.e. ripe versus unripe fruits) and preparation method can affect GI value. Most people do not eat single foods in isolation but consume meals, which are typically a combination of foods. This combination affects the overall value of GI, so the counts for the individual foods may be inaccurate. People digest foods at different rates; GI responses will likely vary from person to person. Relying on GI alone for your needs may actually sabotage your weight loss efforts. Since the rating is for a food’s carbohydrate content only, it may cause you to over-consume fat and calories. Following the USDA dietary guidelines, choosing healthier foods, maintaining caloric intake and incorporating daily exercise are still the keys to achieving optimum weight. i) de Rougemont A, Normand S, Nazare JA, Skilton MR, Sothier M, Vinoy S, Laville M. Beneficial effects of a 5-week low-glycemic index regimen on weight control and cardiovascular risk factors in overweight non-diabetic subjects. British Journal of Nutrition. 2007; 9:1-11. ii) Philippou E, McGowan BM, Brynes AE, Dornhorst A, Leeds AR, Frost GS. The effect of a 12-week low glycemic index diet on heart disease risk factors and 24 h glycemic response in healthy middle-aged volunteers at risk of heart disease: a pilot study. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2007. iii) Thomas D, Elliott E, Baur L.Low glycemic index or low glycemic load diets for overweight and obesity. Cochrane Database System Review. 2007;18(3):CD005105.
Ask Marcia
Pamela asks: After a lot of tests and misdiagnoses of stomach viruses, my 8 year old niece was diagnosed with wheat allergies. We must change her entire diet. Is there any written information or websites available as to how we can best support her? Yes, Pamela, there is much information on wheat allergies. We offer a Grains of Truth fact sheet entitled “Gluten Intolerance and Wheat Allergies,” which highlights the definition of what wheat allergies are and provides current resources available for retrieving information. Usually, but not always, children will grow out of wheat allergies as with most food allergies. Each response is individual.
Meet & Greet
Your chance to meet our president, Marcia Scheideman, is right around the corner. Marcia will attend the following events: NAMA Annual Meeting, September 27-29, 2007, Savannah, GA. ADA Annual Meeting, September 29-October 2, 2007, Philadelphia, PA. Look for WFC at booth #920. IBIE Fall Meeting, October 7-10, 2007, Orlando, FL. The WFC will be exibiting. Look for booth #3425.
Fast Fun Facts
Two new studies have confirmed that whole grains help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. One, an analysis of seven larger studies, concluded that people who averaged 2.5 daily servings of whole grains were about 20% less likely to have heart disease or a stroke than those consuming little or no whole grains. The second study, from Germany, found that those who consumed the most fiber from grains (primarily whole grains) as well as magnesium (in whole grains, beans, leafy greens and nuts) were 23 to 33% less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. SOURCE: University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter, August 2007.
WFC in the News
The July 3, 2007 issue of Milling and Baking News featured the successes of the Wheat Foods Council’s 2006/2007 communications campaign and the appointment of the Council’s new committee chair, Kathy Wiemer, M.S., R.D., director of nutrition for the Bell Institute of Health & Nutrition, a division of General Mills. Marcia Scheideman was quoted as saying “Wiemer’s nutrition expertise will prove a great asset to our leadership with her as board chair.” The July-August 2007 issue of Cereal Foods World featured an article in which Marcia Scheideman co-authored entitled "Moving Whole Grains Forward: The Case for a Whole Grain Collaborative." Scheideman collaborated with Len Marquart, Jon Faubion, Rui Hai Liu, Virgil Smail and Gary Fulcher. The piece advocates that a systematic and multidisciplinary approach with the entire grain industry is needed to address the gap between consumers’ knowledge of whole grains and their actual consumption of whole grains.
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