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When there's Big News in the Whole Grains Council, we send out a press release and post it in the press release section of this website. But every day, the momentum of whole grains moves forward in many smaller ways, which you can read about here. Come back often, and see what's new, or subscribe with our RSS feed.

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Dietary Guidelines Endorse WGC 8g Definition

January 31, 2011

Every five years the U.S. government is required by federal law to update its Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and today was the big day when the latest update was released. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans* call for us to “whenever possible, replace refined grains with whole grains.”

The overall recommendation for whole grain consumption remains the same: Make at least half your grains whole. That’s the same guidance as in 2005, when the Dietary Guidelines were last updated. But there’s a twist this time. The new Guidelines put a big emphasis on switching to healthier eating, by expliciting calling on people to reduce their consumption of refined grains, to make room in their diets for more whole grains.

A Special Investigative Report on Whole Grains

January 28, 2011

(As the WGC staff head off to Portland, OR for our Whole Grains: the New Norm conference, Program Assistant Chrisanne tells you about her latest adventure - hunting for whole grains in the kitchens and pantries of friends and family. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and keeps tabs on live Tweets using our conference hashtag, #wgconf!)

The theme of next week’s Whole Grains Conference in Portland, OR, is “Whole Grains: the New Norm.” We’ve written on this topic before, citing scientific studies, examples from the media, and sales reports. But I was curious as to whether or not whole grains are now common in the everyday, average kitchen. So, using all the investigative skills I learned in journalism school, I showed up unannounced at several of my friends’ kitchens to inspect.

No More Paying Extra for Whole Grains?

January 27, 2011

Does it bug you when you go to the supermarket and notice that your favorite brand of whole grain pasta costs more than the same brand of refined/enriched pasta? Or when the loaf of white bread costs $1.79, while the whole wheat bread costs $2.29 or even $2.59?

On the most basic level, the difference should be the other way. According to the Kansas Wheat Commission, a bushel of wheat yields about 42 pounds of refined flour – but the same bushel yields 60 pounds of whole wheat flour. So the main ingredient for the bread should logically be cheaper.

But it’s not so simple. There are several reasons why making whole grain bread can cost the bakery more. Whole grain bread may rise more slowly, for instance, meaning lower throughput on the production ine, and it may not have as long a shelf life, leading to a higher percentage of waste when bread goes stale before it’s sold.

Happy Oatmeal Month

January 19, 2011

With snow and cold weather reaching into areas that usually escape shoveling – from the U.S. South and southern California to London and southern France – it's a great time to enjoy oatmeal, the ultimate breakfast comfort food. Here at Oldways and the Whole Grains Council, oatmeal is on our mind for two big reasons:

** The Whole Grains Council is partnering with McDonald's this month, as the restaurant chain rolls out its new Fruit & Maple Oatmeal. McDonald's, now a member of the Whole Grains Council, is working with us to highlight the health benefits of whole grains like oatmeal. We're delighted that McDonald's new oatmeal makes it easier for everyone to get a healthy breakfast on the go.

New School Rules Call for More Whole Grain!

January 13, 2011

All grain foods in school lunches must be “whole grain rich” by the start of the 2014-2015 school year, and at least half should be whole grain until then.

That’s what’s being proposed by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in new National School Lunch Program rules published today in the Federal Register.

The proposed new rules, which also call for more low-fat dairy, fruits, vegetables, and less saturated fat and sodium, are based on recommendations made by the Institute of Medicine in October 2009 (finalized in early 2010), in a report titled School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children.

Whole Grains are the New Norm

January 3, 2011

News stories keep crossing our radar, piling on the evidence that whole grains are the new norm as we head into 2011.

Last week, for example, New York Times restaurant critic Sam Sifton named the 15 most memorable dishes he ate during 2010. Three of them featured pasta – a favorite here at Oldways – and one of those was whole wheat tonarelli with spicy cicerchie, rosemary, and shaved bonito at Del Posto, combining chickpeas with “a rich, toothsome pasta.” Pasta was one of the last forms of whole grain to win its way into the hearts of discerning diners, but now look at the positive attributes it garners, in the hands of a good chef. Whole grain pasta? Sure, it’s normal.

Buckwheat Three Ways – Part Three

December 31, 2010

In Which We End Things On A Sweet Note

When I started this buckwheat adventure, my purpose was to get more familiar with our December Grain of the Month. I wanted to explore the flavor of this nutritious whole grain, to learn all that it can offer in a dish. As I explained in the first Buckwheat Three Ways posts (here and here), my buckwheat experimentation began with a recipe that just wasn’t all I thought it could be. I wanted to use that as a jumping off point, to illustrate a few simple ways you can tweak a recipe to make it your own, and then go all out and essentially create a recipe that was 95% made up out of thin air.

Buckwheat Three Ways – Part Two

December 20, 2010

In Which I Take A Recipe’s Skeleton, And Make Its Body My Own

In my last Buckwheat Three Ways post, I spent a fair portion of my blog kvetching about all the things I didn’t like about this recipe. Now, as I said before, I’m not dissing the recipe itself – it’s a great recipe, it really is – but it’s just not my taste. Making this recipe and trying to like it would be the same as dressing in leopard print and stirrup leggings every day – some people would probably be thrilled to do so, but I can’t say I’d ever be one of them. So, in the spirit of adventure and experimentation, I set about making up my own buckwheat casserole recipe.

Chefs Say Whole Grains among Top Trends

December 13, 2010

Every December, the National Restaurant Association surveys top chefs to find out what the hottest trends are expected to be in the coming year. The new survey is out (click here to download), with input from more than 1500 chefs who rated 226 different trends as either a “hot trend,” “yesterday’s news,” or a “perennial favorite” – and whole grains fared well.

Five whole grain foods were included among the top twenty five percent of trends in the survey.

Buckwheat Three Ways – Part One

December 9, 2010

In Which I Struggle To Follow Rules, And Suggest Some Ways to Break ‘Em

I tend to be a stickler for the rules. I firmly believe in stopping at a red light before making an allowable right turn, much to the irritation of my fellow Massachusetts drivers. If something can be recycled in my township, into the bin it goes, no matter how much cleaning and scrubbing I have to do to get it recycle-ready. People who cut in line anywhere, any time (except in dire emergencies) irritate me to no end. I only jaywalk in Philadelphia, where jaywalking is something akin to Pamplona’s running of the bulls – dangerous, yet traditional.

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