Just Ask for Whole Grains
 Issue: 60
October 2014
whole grain breads
IN THIS ISSUE
WG Month Contest
Top 3 Corn Concerns
Health: WG & Insulin
Sprouted Grains 101
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FEATURED GRAIN

October is corn month   ................................................. 

 

FEATURED RECIPE    

 

Quinoa Corn Chowder with Shrimp

This thick soup is hearty enough to serve as an entr�e, accompanied by a tossed salad and perhaps a bowl of popcorn--a standard soup garnish used by Ecuadorians that delights children of all ages.

Recipe courtesy of Lorna Sass. Photo by David Prince � 2006 Lorna Sass

 

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OUR CONFERENCE
Whole Grains:
Breaking Barriers

Nov 9-11, 2014
Hyatt Boston Harbor
 
Click below for more information or to register
 
12 CPE credits for RDs 
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QUICK LINKS
 
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Dear Friends of Whole Grains,

We're popping with excitement about  corn, October's Grain of the Month, and later on in this newsletter we'll answer your top 3 corn questions. But first we'd like to share some answers about another whole grain.

We do several media interviews each week, and one question we're often asked is, "What's the next quinoa?" -- which is to say, which grain will follow quinoa's trajectory from unknown to celebrity grain, found on all the best menus and on mainstream grocery shelves? We don't play favorites among grains because there are good reasons for any and every grain to play a starring role. But increasingly, journalists have been coming to us with a more specific question: "Is teff the next quinoa?" One such inquiry came from the BBC radio in London; you can hear our responses at this link (see especially 3:29, 4:20, 12:12 and 13:15).  

Do you have a pressing whole grain question that you'd like answered? Drop us a line.

 

Whole Grains Month Recipe Contest Winner

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the Whole Grains Month recipe contest! After your votes were in, we took the top 5 recipes and cooked them up for a taste test. The winner is the delicious and nutritious Grilled Ratatouille Quinoa recipe from Bobbi at Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen.

Bobbi will be receiving $3000. Additionally, Jennifer of Peanut Butter and Peppers will be receiving $2000 for her 2nd place Corn Chowder with Wild Rice recipe, and Amy of Tiny Farmhouse will be receiving $1000 for her 3rd place Wild Rice and Fall Fruit Salad. Miami University nutrition student Danielle Liszka is our random voter winner, and she will be receiving $500 cash plus whole grain prizes. Congratulations Bobbi, Jennifer, Amy, and Danielle!

Whole Grains Month was also celebrated at schools, restaurants, and media outlets across the country. From planting winter wheat in an elementary schoolyard to introducing new whole grain recipes on menus to blogging about the importance of whole grains, there was no shortage of creativity this year. For a more complete listing of Whole Grain Month celebrations (and to get ideas for your own whole grain promotion), see this blog post.

Myth of the Month: Your Corn Conundrums, Solved!
 
Corn is the grain of the month for October, so we've put together the top three corn concerns. Do you have a question about whole grains? If so, email Kelly Toups. No question is too corny! corn

1. Is corn a vegetable or grain?
Although many consider corn a starchy vegetable, it is actually a grain. Because the edible portion of corn is the reproductive part of the plant, rather than the vegetative part, corn kernels are classified as caryopses, a fancy word for grains.

2. Is corn GMO?
Over 90% of the "field corn" crop in the United States is genetically modified. This type of corn is usually bound for livestock feed or processed food (corn syrup, corn flour), and is different from the sweet kernels that make it onto our dinner plate. Surprisingly, sweet corn represents less than 1% of corn grown in the United States, and unlike field corn, most of it is not genetically modified (in a 2013 study, only 2 out of 71 samples were GMO). Times are changing though, as companies plan to expand the acreage of GMO sweet corn to up to 40% of the US sweet corn market. If avoiding GMOs is a priority for you, then you may want to consider organic corn and corn products (as GMOs are prohibited in organic production).

3. Is corn nutritious?
All whole grains have something to offer, and corn is no exception. Because corn is sweeter and more energy dense than its produce bin peers, its nutritional values are sometimes overshadowed by "superfoods" such as kale or quinoa. However, research shows that not only does corn contain many healthful antioxidants, but that the antioxidant activity of corn is even greater than that of apples! Studies also show that corn can increase beneficial gut bacteria. For more research on the health benefits of corn, see here.

Health: Whole Grains Lower Insulin and Triglycerides in People with Metabolic Syndrome
whole grain bread
We know that whole grains absorb more slowly into the blood stream than refined grains, and thanks to a recent study, scientists are starting to understand how. In a study in Italy, 53 adults (40-65 years old) with metabolic syndrome followed one of two different 12-week diets. One group consumed their standard diet, but replacing all grains with whole grains, and one group consumed their standard diet, but choosing only refined cereals. Researchers found that the whole grain group had significantly lower levels of post-meal insulin (29%) and triglyceride levels (43%) than before the 12-week test period, thus reducing the risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Based on these findings, the researchers suggest that "the whole-grain diet was able to improve insulin action" after meals, thus providing clues about how whole grain diets reduce the risk of chronic disease.

Sprouted Grains 101          

 We talked about this back in  April, but the many questions we get show this is still a hot topic. As a refresher, a sprouted grain is a grain seed that has begun to grow into a new plant - but just barely. The new sprout must be shorter than the length of the original grain. Otherwise, as it grows further, it becomes a cereal grass stalk- something humans can't easily digest.

While not all sprouted grain products are explicitly labeled as whole grains, it is safe to assume that sprouted grains are whole grains. All components of the grain (bran, germ, and endosperm) are required for the growth of the sprout. In fact, the sprout comes from the germ, so if the germ has been removed (such as in refined wheat), it won't "germinate" - another word for sprouting. You can learn more about sprouted grains on this webpage.

Sprouted grains are gaining in popularity, not only because they are said to be easier to digest by some, but also because the sprouting process increases the amount and bio-availability of some vitamins and minerals, making sprouted grains a potential nutrition powerhouse. (For more health studies on the benefits of sprouted grains, see here.) With all of this information, it is important to keep in mind that consumption of whole grains (sprouted or not) is associated with high diet quality and nutrient intake.
   
 
 

Best regards from all of us at Oldways and the Whole Grains Council,  

Kelly Toups, MLA, RD, LDN                                   
Program Manager                                                        
Oldways  /  Whole Grains Council       

Cynthia Harriman
 
Director of Food and Nutrition Strategies
Oldways  /  Whole Grains Council  
  
Mallory Cushman                                  
Stamp Program Manager                                                        
Oldways  /  Whole Grains Council          

 


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