Kara wrote a few months ago on the widespread confusion between whole grains and fiber. Now there may be new confusion on this topic, from a press release from Kellogg brought to our attention by an email from a confused consumer. The Kellogg release says, in part:

The importance of fiber to overall health is well documented, yet more than nine out of 10 American adults and children do not get enough fiber(1). Why? According to a recent Kellogg Company survey, the answer may be two-fold. Consumers don’t know where to find fiber, and mistakenly believe products that tout “whole grain” provide it.

Now that’s confusing! All whole grains DO provide fiber, and eating more whole grains is a great way to get more fiber. We applaud Kellogg for drawing attention to the need for more fiber, and for the company’s many products that offer different combinations of either whole grain or added fiber or both. But we think it might have been less confusing to word that last sentence as “Consumers … mistakenly believe products that tout ‘whole grain’ provide all the fiber you need.”

Whole grains vary in their fiber content, from brown rice with about 3.5% fiber, to wheat at about 12% fiber, and to barley – common varieties of which are about 17% fiber. If we “make half our grains whole” and eat at least 48g of whole grain each day as whole wheat, we’d get about 5.76g of fiber (48g x 12%). If we make all our grains whole, we’d get maybe 11 grams of fiber from grains.

That total falls far short of the 25-38g of fiber recommended daily for adults. Which is why we need to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables (especially legumes) and whole grains. Even the Whole Grains Council believes that man (and woman) can’t live by whole grains alone! (Cindy)