The FIRST ingredient should start with “Whole” when it comes to grains!

Food manufacturers are really good at tricking the public into thinking that the food they are eating is healthy, especially when it comes to grains. In particular, snack manufactures trick those people trying to make health conscious decisions by calling products “multigrain” or even “whole grain” crackers or chips, when they are not even close! For example, Stacy’s Multigrain Pita Chips, “Whole Grain” Ritz Crackers, and Lance Whole Grain Peanut Butter crackers all have “Enriched Wheat Flour” (i.e: white, refined flour) as their FIRST ingredient. Rye is technically a whole grain, but good luck finding a whole grain rye bread at the supermarket. Every sliced rye bread I have found on store shelves has “enriched wheat flour” as the first ingredient. The only true rye bread I have found at a grocery store is the Mestemacher brick of a bread loaf. 

Whole grains are incredibly important to health because of their antioxidant, phytonutrient, fiber, and vitamin and mineral makeup. Whole grains are essential to expedite weight loss and for people looking to maintain weight loss. Eating refined grains won’t do you any good, so do your best to make it a habit to look at the ingredients when purchasing products. Don’t fall into the marketing tricks!

My recommendation: Try new grains! Get more adventurous than just whole wheat flour, whole grain corn, brown rice, and wild rice- though they are all very nutritious. Try quinoa, farro, oats, barley, bulgur, spelt, teff, amaranth, millet, etc- many of which are found in the bulk bins at Whole Foods! I also recommend making your own bread. It really isn't that difficult to do. Try making your own homemade roti, which requires no yeast and can be made in a matter of minutes. Whole Wheat Beer Bread is also a crowd pleaser, and very easy to make (I recommend using ALL whole wheat flour, or whole wheat pastry flour). Becoming more domestic will make you a healthier, richer person!