Are Whole Grain Cereals Preventative for Cardiovascular Diseases?

Introduction (100)

Whole Grain Cereals (300)

Consumers willing to buy and eat whole grains should be able to recognize them in the marketplace
without struggling. However, it is difficult to isolate the real whole grain products from clones designed to
confuse the ordinary buyer. For this reason, buyers ought to verify the products using their names, ingredients,
color, texture, and fibre content. The consumers should read more information from the packaging material to
identify whether a product contains whole grains or not. Most whole grain products contain the term “whole’ in
the packaging. For example, some are labelled as “100% whole wheat” while others use the phrase “whole
grain” to communicate its category to the buyers.

Another key consideration when buying whole grain foods involves the ingredient statement. All food
manufacturers list the ingredients used when making the product. Those who manufacture and sell whole
grains foods always identify the specific types of grains that they have used in their production processes.
These could be the whole grain corn, whole oats, as well as the whole wheat flour. These component is often
listed as the first ingredient because it is the primary focus that empowers the manufacturer to attract more
consumers. The list may also outline the use of multiple whole grains. Most health bodies are calling on the
manufacturers to list the quantity of whole grains used in their production systems in the packaging material.

Research indicates that products do not necessarily qualify to be whole grains merely by having a high
fibre content. For instance, there are numerous foods that are enriched with the oat and wheat bran by the
manufacturers to make them appealing to the prospective consumers. These foods do not contain whole grains
despite having a high fibre content. Meanwhile, scientists urge consumers to note that whole grains do not
have similar quantity of fibre. The fibre content of a given whole grain food is dependent on different factors
including moisture content, type of grain, density of that particular product, as well as the amount of bran.

Buyers are also encouraged to note that not all whole grains have the brown color. The consumers
should never make the mistake of thinking that the brown color is a clear sign of the whole grain content. For
example, manufacturers are now selling several brands of brown bread that do not have whole grains. They
manage to make the brown bread by adding food color using caramel and molasses coloring. The appearance
of most whole grain foods is light in color. Remember that most cereals in the market today are light in color.
Whole grains do not necessarily have to be gritty or dry because some may have a nutty flavor, which requires
the product to be dense.

Cardiovascular Diseases (300)

Using Whole Grain Cereals to Prevent Cardiovascular Diseases (2000)

Recommendations

A significant portion of the health components contained in the whole grains that human beings
consume today are found in the bran. Others are contained in the germ. Unfortunately, the germ and bran are
often removed when the manufacturers are in the process of producing refined cereals. The above process is
mostly seen in the case of white flour. Medical specialists often recommend or rather encourage people to
switch from the consumption of refined cereals and embrace whole grain foods. The reasoning is that the
switch inevitably increases the level of micronutrients, fibre, as well as other multitudinous bioactive
compounds that are found in this type of diet.

Currently, health campaigns are focusing on creating awareness about the need to consume whole
grain products at the local, regional, continental, and global levels. The emergence of the health conscious
consumer is pushing businesses to increase the availability of whole grain foods in the market. The appealing
nature of these products is pushing local groceries to increase their inventory because demand is increasing
every day. One should not be surprised to note that manufacturers have improved labeling and packaging of
the whole grain products. They now label using big letters or attractive colors to ensure that the consumer can
see the products from far. Sign posting is another key strategy used by manufacturers and sellers to create
awareness and direct prospective buyers towards where to find them.

However, the key focus should be on the health impacts of these products. Observational data links
the consumption of the whole grain foods to a protective effect against undesirable health concerns including
cancer, diabetes, as well as the cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, the literature review indicates that the
consumption of these foods can help individuals in weight management. Nonetheless, the intervention trials are
yet to produce consistent results. The researchers are also yet to elucidate the mechanisms of action
necessary, particularly regarding how to consume these foods when one is suffering from the diseases outlined
above. Medical practitioners must now work collaboratively with scholars and researchers to find solutions to
these concerns and, subsequently, advice the public on the way forward.

European and international health bodies are already encouraging the people to increase their intake
of whole grain foods. The idea is to have every person consume healthy diets to reduce the likelihood of
contracting diseases that can be prevented easily. The time has come for the scholarly world to undertake
thorough intervention studies to clarify the correlation or rather relationships between the intake of whole grain
foods and the health of the consumers. Such studies are vital because their findings are likely to generate
numerous opportunities that will help the world to identify and develop healthy food products in the future.

Conclusion (200)