Can Cereal Prevent Heart Disease?

Can you believe everything you read on food products? Unfortunately, the answer is: no, not really. I keep seeing commercials claiming that their “whole grain product” will prevent heart disease. HEART DISEASE. If that were true, then, technically Americans shouldn’t have much heart disease, right? We do love our cereal….

In fact, it’s gotten so bad that the FDA recently posted a list of companies who are making false front-of-the-package claims.

We should be suspicious of any company that spends millions on a marketing budget in order to sell their “healthy” products to us. The foods that are healthiest for us usually don’t have a marketing budget at all!  Many companies are jumping on the “health halo” bandwagon right now. Buyer beware.

The truth is that it’s actually soluble fiber in the whole grain that lowers cholesterol, thereby reducing heart disease risk. Most whole grains, or vegetable, bean or fruit, contain soluble fiber which can reduce heart disease. (Foods that are highest in soluble fiber are oats, barley, beans, flax seed, and some fruits and vegetables.)

So, what is a whole grain exactly?

A whole grain has three parts: the outer, fibrous hull/bran (which is what makes brown rice chewy), the germ (which contains vitamins, minerals, and even some protein), and the endosperm (pretty much just starch). To make a long story short, some time after World War II, when manufacturers were able to use trucks and airplanes to ship products far away, they discovered that whole grain products didn’t last as long on the shelf due to the oils in the germ that would go rancid.

So, food manufacturers started yanking off the fibrous hull, and removing the nutrient-packed germ leaving only the starchy endosperm behind. This method continues today. The endosperm is then combined with refined sweeteners, additives, and preservatives. The result is “refined carbs” which is what we’ve been eating for years.

This is not a whole grain.

Cereal products made from whole grains do contain a few more nutrients and fiber than their all-white counterparts but they are still ground down and processed. If a product does not resemble brown rice, quinoa, millet, barley, oats or anything else that looks like it came directly from the ground, then it is NOT a whole grain. When organizations like the American Heart Association recommend eating more whole grains, they are referring to actual whole grains – not packaged products.  For the record, I have nothing against cereal - in fact, I love it. But, when I eat it, I’m aware that it’s not going to prevent heart disease.

This is a whole grain (brown rice).

Real whole grains contain almost everything you need including vitamins, minerals, fiber, fat (from the vitamin E) and protein. Fiber, which is linked to all kinds of disease prevention, deserves its own blog post so we’ll save that for another day.

Try easing into whole grains by making it just once a week to start. I’ll eat brown rice or quinoa with just about everything. I try (but don’t always succeed, I will admit it) to make some at the beginning of the week so that I always have some in the fridge. I will re-heat it and throw a green salad on top, or I’ll serve it with fish, beans, or any other protein. I usually add a few drops of water before reheating it in the microwave. If it’s really dry, I’ll make fried rice or create a dressing to marinate it so it will last longer.

Here are some suggestions on how to incorporate whole grains into your daily diet:

Kasha, oats or quinoa for breakfast – add maple syrup, cinnamon, nuts, dried or fresh fruit,  vanilla yogurt (for added protein)

Brown rice - many Asian restaurants offer both – if you and your family are used to white rice, try mixing them together. Make it easy by purchasing a rice cooker. See my notes from the Indian Recipes on how to cook brown rice on the stove.

Millet is a nutty, gluten-free grain that used just like rice or quinoa and serve with a protein like fish, check, or meat. Check out this site for recipes.

Quinoa is one of my all-time favorite grains. It cooks in 20 minutes, it’s not as chewy as other whole grains, and it’s packed with nutrients. Check out a past blog post for my Quinoa Stuffing with Caramelized Onions and Pine Nuts recipe which is always a favorite in my cooking classes.

NOTE: Many, many people are having trouble digesting gluten these days. Rather than relying entirely on expensive gluten-free products that are still somewhat processed, it’s best to eat the real deal (and of course, using the packaged products for convenience). I will share more information about gluten issues in the near future.

Gluten-free grains: rice, quinoa,  corn, millet, buckwheat, amaranth, teff - check out Gluten-Free Girl’s blog and cookbook for more information about cooking gluten-free.

Gluten-containing grains: wheat, oats, rye, barley, and spelt