What is whole grain and what kinds can you buy

                           
“Whole grain” means the grain still has all three of its original elements: the outer shell or bran, which contains fiber and B vitamins; the germ, which contains phytochemicals and B vitamins; and the endosperm (what a name), which contains carbohydrates and protein. The key is that they’re “whole” and not “refined,” by stripping away the bran and germ, which leaves you eating only the endosperm. These whole grains are also healthy for you because they’re absorbed more slowly than enriched or bleached flour and thus raise glucose and insulin levels less — keeping you fuller longer and slowing your digestion. Many refined products are enriched with the nutrients that are stripped out.  While most studies support that these nutrients are just as good, doesn’t it make sense to eat the natural version if you can?
 Made with: It may have a drop of whole grains, but unless it’s made entirely with them, you won’t reap all the potential benefits.
 100 percent wheat: This means it could have some or a lot or no “whole” wheat.
 Multigrain: This tells you nothing about whether the grains are whole or refined. Even if you’re getting 38 grains, that isn’t much good if they are all refined.
 Whole grain: If the label doesn’t say “100 percent whole grain,” it may have many blends. Bad words to see: enriched, bleached, unbleached, semolina, durum, and rice flour.
 Blends: “Whole-grain blend” means it usually doesn’t have much whole grain at all.
  Good source: This means it has 8 grams of whole grains per serving or as little as 13.5 percent. Don’t confuse whole grain with fiber; 8 grams of whole grain may have less than 1 gram of fiber.
Source: ABC News- 1/9/07

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• Tip of the Month

  June 2010

  Abdominal Workouts: Frequency, Intensity, and Duration

  Over the past 15 years, there has been countless advice on how to “properly” train your abdominals, or core.  There isn’t a fitness magazine out there that doesn’t publish a different abdominal workout each and every issue.  Opinions and research may change over time, but there are a few things you should look at before you alter your workout with each Fitness Magazine you read!
  First of all, it is important to know what your overall fitness and health goal is before designing a strength program for any body part, especially the mid-section.  For overall fitness, it is smartest to treat your abdominal muscles as you would any other muscle group.  The tried and true guidelines for most exercise programs is to work specific muscles to fatigue within a 30-60 second set time limit (intensity and duration,) while giving the worked muscle group at least 24-48 hours of rest (frequency) before working it again.  The amount of sets you do in a given workout (frequency again) can vary from as little as 4 sets to up to 12 for the average workout.  The science behind these theories is sound.  While exercising, pushing your body significantly past the 60 second mark without fatigue generally incorporates aerobic energy, thereby not stressing the muscles most efficiently.  And rest is necessary so that your body can properly rebuild the muscle fibers that you have broken down.  Additionally, you want to be at 100% energy levels for your next workout!

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• Recipe of the Month

  June 2010

  Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

  This healthy update of a traditionally rich ham-and-cheese breakfast strata is made lighter primarily by losing a few egg yolks and using nonfat milk. Gruyère cheese has a delicious, nutty aroma and flavor, which means that with the relatively small amount in this recipe you still get a big impact. To finish the makeover use nutritious, fiber-rich, whole-grain bread instead of white. The results: plenty of flavor, half the calories and one-third the fat of the original.

  4 large eggs
  4 large egg whites
  1 cup nonfat milk
  2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
  1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  5 cups chopped spinach, wilted (see Tip)
  4 cups whole-grain bread, crusts removed if desired, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1/2 pound, 4-6 slices)
  1 cup diced ham steak, (5 ounces)
  1/2 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers
  3/4 cup shredded Gruyère, or Swiss cheese
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