That whole grains are healthier than refined cereals is an axiom proven by scientific evidence and that has already been installed in popular wisdom. Despite this, most of the cereals currently consumed in our country are refined .
What are the reasons for this paradox? Learning. This is the response of Mónica Bulló, researcher at the Cyber Pathophysiology of Obesity and Nutrition (CiberOBN) and professor at the Rovira and Virgili University, who does not believe that there is any other reason than that the market offers mostly refined cereals : “In Germany, the Bread is almost black and you don’t find refined products in breakfast cereals. We take refined since we are born because it is what we have at our disposal ”
Laura Olazarán, a dietitian in the Department of Endocrinology at the University of Navarra Clinic , recognizes that foods made with refined cereals can be more pleasant because they have a finer texture and, in many cases, a sweeter flavor. “Sometimes additives are added to the refined flours to improve both the color and the behavior in the baking”, he points out.
Bulló agrees that there are differences in the texture that make refined cereals more palatable and also when chewing, but he returns to learning when he reflects on the massive consumption of products derived from refined products, unlike what happens in other countries: ” If you have always eaten whole wheat bread, pasta or rice, you get used to the texture and flavor .”
In any case, both experts recommend not to replace refined cereals with whole grains suddenly. It must be done without haste but without pause: ” The change has to be progressive so that our palates adapt and our intestines get used to the increase in fiber.” A sudden substitution, when our metabolism is not ready, can generate a ball in the intestine that is difficult to digest, causing gastrointestinal discomfort such as gas or bloating.
Although the ideal is that, after this gradual process, the cereals in the diet should be whole in their entirety, the CiberOBN researcher acknowledges that this step is perhaps for the moment utopian in our society, but insists that at least 50% of our carbohydrates are whole , which is already achieved with bread and breakfast cereals. “If brown rice does not convince us, we can take pasta and, within this food, choose spaghetti, which is better tolerated than macaroni,” he advises.
For Olazarán, opting for wholemeal bread should also be one of the first changes: “ It is a food with a high density of nutrients and low cholesterol and fats that, in an adequate proportion and in combination with other foods, can cover nutritional needs. daily ”.
Another formula is to have cereals mid-morning or at snack with milk, yogurt, fruit and cinnamon. Likewise, we can prepare homemade pastries with wholemeal flour, “although it must be borne in mind that confectionery, although homemade and with wholemeal flour, also contains fats and sugars and, therefore, its consumption must be moderate.”
The daily recommendation of the Spanish Community Nutrition Society (SENC) is 4-6 servings. A serving, in the case of adults, would be equivalent to 30-60 g of bread or 50-80 g of rice or pasta or 20-40 g of breakfast cereals or 150-200 of potato . “We must individualize these indications based on physical activity, health problems or special situations,” says the expert from the University of Navarra Clinic.
Integrals that are not
Several studies associate a diet rich in whole wheat bread with a lower body mass index and waist circumference, as well as a lower risk of weight gain over time. And is that whole grains have a greater satiating effect , which helps regulate appetite.
Other benefits are that they regulate blood glucose levels, favor intestinal transit, therefore reducing both constipation and the possibility of developing gastrointestinal cancer (the reason is that it reduces the contact time of harmful substances with the wall of the intestine ) and decrease the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
However, the CiberOBN researcher draws attention to some foods labeled as whole grains that are actually made with refined flour and to which fiber is added. RD 307/2019 clarified this confusion regarding bread (also bread) . But it is not the same with other products, such as pasta, rice or cookies. Therefore, Bulló warns that it is worth checking what the ingredients are.
Whole grains contain the whole grain or, that is, they keep the bran , which is where the fiber, minerals, B vitamins and phytochemical compounds are found; the endosperm, where the starch and protein are found ; and the germ, where are proteins and lipids.
The refining process consists of separating the germ and the bran from the endosperm, which means a loss of fiber, minerals, vitamins and antioxidant compounds. “We can say that whole grains contain 75% more nutrients; They have fiber , B vitamins and folic acid , essential fatty acids, omega 3 fats, proteins, antioxidants, copper, magnesium and phytochemicals, “explains Olazarán.
