Oldways is a nonprofit food and nutrition education organization, with a mission to guide people to good health through heritage.
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Dear Whole Grains Council members,
Summer is here, with long, hot days -- and a little extra help here at Oldways and the WGC. We're welcoming a summer nutrition intern who will help us update our whole grain health studies over the coming weeks. With new whole grain studies appearing all the time, she'll be busy! Keep our Health Studies search engine in mind whenever you want to document the connection between whole grains and good health. |
| Donate a Case of Whole Grain Food | |  There's still time for your company to participate in our Whole Grains Month promotion, called Good Grains for a Good Cause. During September we'll be asking visitors to the WGC website to nominate their favorite charity addressing food insecurity - a food pantry, soup kitchen, or other good cause. At the end of the month we'll randomly select one qualifying charity to receive a wealth of whole grain foods.
There are two ways that WGC member companies can receive positive visibility for taking part in this good cause:
1) Donate a case of your products
If each WGC member donates one case of food, the impact on hunger in the winning community will be enormous. Pledge your case today by contacting Mallory Cushman (Mallory@oldwayspt.org or 617-896-4832). If you want to donate more than one case, or you'd like to send a check instead, that's fine too. Thanks to Among Friends, Barbara's Bakery, Bob's Red Mill, Carl Brandt and Whole Foods Market for being our first five donors.
2) Showcase your existing food giveaway efforts
To prime the pump for the spirit of giving, we're listing thirty WGC companies and their ongoing charitable projects on the Good Grains for a Good Cause page. We only have 11 slots left in our thirty-slot display, so contact Mallory today if you'd like to be listed. We want to send the message that WGC member companies are responsible and caring members of their communities.
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Nominations for WGC Board of Advisors
| | The Whole Grains Council has three groups of advisors that help us cover all the bases by providing informal, non-binding input as needed. Fourteen Scientific Advisors are on call to back us up on any questions regarding health, nutrition or cereal chemistry, while a baker's dozen of Culinary Advisors help us out with inspiration on serving up delicious whole grains. A third group of advisors - simply called our Board of Advisors and drawn from the WGC membership - gives us input on programming for the WGC, as needed.
 Due to mergers and job changes, the WGC Board of Advisors has dwindled in size. We'd like to build it back up, so we're turning to you for nominations. We're especially interested in hearing from individuals and companies that have been actively involved with the WGC in the past, by participating in promotions, using the Stamp actively, and emailing us with suggestions and feedback.
If you would like to learn more about how Advisors help the WGC, or put your name in nomination as a possible Advisor, contact Cynthia Harriman (cynthia@oldwayspt.org or 617-896-4820) before July 15. Our current Advisors will review the nominations with an eye to balancing out different segments (grains, breads, cereals, snacks; large, medium and small companies, etc.) to choose a mix that best represents the entire membership.
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Need Whole Grain PowerPoint Slides?
| |  Whenever the WGC gets asked to address industry groups, we jump on the opportunity. After all, one of the three parts of our mission says we aim to "help manufacturers and restaurants creative delicious whole grain foods." Last year Director of Food and Nutrition Strategies Cynthia Harriman was able to speak to dietitians and nutrition managers at the major chain restaurants about whole grains; more recently she addressed chefs and culinary R&D executives at many of the same chains. It's exciting to see the light bulbs go off as we document increasing consumer interest and positive attitudes toward whole grains. This fall, we'll be turning our attention from foodservice to manufacturing, with a presentation scheduled at the AACC International Annual Meeting in Albuquerque.
Are you planning to give a presentation on whole grains, either to an in-house meeting, at a trade show, or for a community group? We can supply you with PowerPoint slides that document the positive momentum of whole grains. Contact Cynthia Harriman (cynthia@oldwayspt.org or 617-896-4820).
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Oldways Glycemic Consensus Summit
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 Oldways (the WGC's parent organization) teamed up with the Nutrition Foundation of Italy this month to organize an International Scientific Consensus Summit in Stresa, Italy on glycemic index, glycemic load and glycemic response. Scientists from ten countries (including scientific co-chairs Dr. David Jenkins and Dr. Walter Willett, shown here) presented the latest science on the associations between carbohydrate foods, blood sugar and health, then gathered behind closed doors to craft an important consensus statement on their findings. This statement, and other information from the Summit, could help inform your product development efforts. Read our blog about the Summit to get an overview, or visit the Glycemic Summit page on the Oldways website to download the 20-point Consensus Statement, review the whole program, watch brief video clips of the scientists, and access Oldways' Consumer Tips sheet. While the science strongly shows that some carbs are better for glycemic health than others, the Consensus Statement reminds us that "The glycemic index complements other ways of characterizing carbohydrate foods, such as fiber and whole grain content." Contact Cynthia Harriman (cynthia@oldwayspt.org or 617-896-4820) if you have questions about the Glycemic Summit. |
Best regards,
Cynthia Harriman
Director of Food and Nutrition Strategies
Karen Mansur
Program Manager
Mallory Cushman
Stamp Program Manager
... and from all of the Oldways and Whole Grains Council staff
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