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Mar. 20--Whole grains, which took such a beating during low-carb madness that the industry formed a support group, are making a comeback.
The latest U.S. Dietary Guidelines released in January advise eating three 1-ounce servings of whole grains each day, particularly because of their high fiber content. Cereal companies responded aggressively.
General Mills revamped its entire line of products and added whole grains to every cereal that did not have them before, including Trix, Golden Grahams, Lucky Charms and Rice Chex. (Venerable Cheerios, already a whole-grain product, remained untouched.) In February, Post announced its line of whole-grain cereals.
The issue is over the process of refinement. Whole grains, which are living seeds that can sprout and grow, include the three parts of a grain--the bran, the germ and the starchy endosperm.
When grain is refined, the bran and germ are removed and about 25 percent of the protein and at least 17 key nutrients are lost, according to the Whole Grains Council, a trade group formed to inspire whole-grain consumption.
Nutritionists applauded the move by General Mills, but shoppers still must do some investigating. Whole-grain products aren't automatically high in fiber. Often, the higher the sugar, the lower the fiber--as shown in some of the comparisons below, including the three Cheerios varieties. A serving of the reformulated Trix or Cocoa Puffs contains just 1 gram of fiber.
Cereals must contain 2 or more grams of fiber to meet the standards of the Whole Grains Council, which will issue a stamp of a sheaf of grain for products that qualify.
Whole-grain foods and flours include amaranth, barley (lightly pearled), brown rice, buckwheat, bulgur, corn and whole cornmeal, Kamut grain, millet, oatmeal and whole oats, popcorn, quinoa, sorghum, spelt, triticale, whole rye, whole or cracked wheat, wheat berries and wild rice.
Whole wheat and oats naturally have more fiber than brown rice, said Len Marquart, a nutrition professor at the University of Minnesota and a scientific adviser to the Whole Grains Council.
To get one serving (or 16 grams) of whole grains, eat nine Frosted Mini Wheats (bite size), two-thirds of a cup of Cheerios or a half-cup of Quaker Oatmeal Squares.
GENERAL MILLS FIBER ONE
Serving size: 55 grams (1 1/4 cups)
Dietary fiber: 14 grams
Sugars: 5 grams
Calories: 170
Fat: 1 gram
KELLOGG'S WHOLE GRAIN TIGER POWER
Serving size: 30 grams (1 cup)
Dietary fiber: 2 grams
Sugars: 8 grams
Calories: 110
Fat: 0.5 grams
GENERAL MILLS TRIX
Serving size: 30 grams
Dietary fiber: 1 gram
Sugars: 13 grams
Calories: 120
Fat: 1.5 grams
KASHI GOLEAN CRUNCH!
Serving size: 53 grams
Dietary fiber: 8 grams
Sugars: 13 grams
Calories: 190
Fat: 3 grams
GENERAL MILLS CHEERIOS
Serving size: 30 grams
Dietary fiber: 3 grams
Sugars: 1 gram
Calories: 110
Fat: 2 grams
GENERAL MILLS BERRY BURST CHEERIOS
Serving size: 30 grams
Dietary fiber: 2 grams
Sugars: 11 grams
Calories: 110
Fat: 1.5 grams
GENERAL MILLS APPLE CINNAMON CHEERIOS
Serving size: 30 grams
Dietary fiber: 1 gram
Sugars: 13 grams
Calories: 120
Fat: 1.5 grams
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