This post is coming to you from Paris, the land of croissants and baguettes. As you can see in the photo here, even at a meeting of HealthGrain, the pan-European consortium of grain researchers and companies, it’s downright difficult to find any whole grain choices at breakfast. Yes, I “Just Asked” – I went to the front desk and suggested that perhaps some whole grain options might be a good idea during a grains and health conference. They didn’t know what to make of me, even though I asked in my nicest French.

I suggest strongly that the master bakers at King Arthur Flour, who once made me a very good whole grain croissant, send a delegation to Paris immediately to hold classes on how to do it right. Let them eat whole grains, as Marie-Antoinette said (or if she didn’t she should have. Maybe she would have lived longer… ) Although I will confess that, if you gotta eat refined bread, the French stuff tastes pretty good.

After the conference, I hit the streets, where I saw Starbucks’ oatmeal and found “pain complet” in a grocery store – theoretically whole grain bread, but when you read the ingredients it says just “wheat flour” and “bran” (blé complet et son). Doesn’t seem to have the germ. Kraft has a few nice whole grain products, in the LU line that Kraft bought from Danone recently; they’re making a concerted effort to educate consumers in France about whole grains, and should be recognized as pioneers in Doing the Right Thing. Félicitations, Kraft Biscuit Europe.

My Parisian friend Elise has whole grain pasta, oatmeal, buckwheat and several other whole grains in her kitchen, but complains that she must go to a health food store (“le magazin bio”) to buy these products; they’re not yet in the mainstream stores. I think that French companies will find, if they market whole grain products, there are many people like Elise just waiting to buy these products. Il ne faut que demander. Just Ask. (Cynthia)