Whole (Grain) Truth and Nothing But the Truth

If you are confused by the term "whole grain," you definitely are not alone. Most food manufacturers love to throw these two words around to help market their products, but more often than not, these foods are not quite as healthy as they are made out to be.

Whole grains contain more fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Refined grains, or processed grains, end up being stripped of their nutrients when the bran and germ are removed. In the United States, the FDA requires that refined grains be enriched with niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, folic acid, and iron so these nutrients are added back in to the final product. Lately, you will also see products that re-add the fiber. Unfortunately, this form of fiber is not proven to be as beneficial as the fiber found in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, and beans and lentils.

How do I spot a whole grain? If you see other words like made with or enriched or even flour, keep searching. Look instead for words like 100%, or whole.

If you are looking for that perfect slice and aren't confident that you'll make the right choice, refer to this list. The Center for Science in the Public Interest Reviewed the post popular brands on your grocer's shelves and compared the taste of the whole grain varieties. Hold your own taste test!

Glaceau's Vitamin-less Water

Ever had the brightly colored liquid Coca-Cola calls Vitamin Water thinking you were doing your body a favor? Hardly. You might as well have picked up that Coca-Cola with the amount of sugar Glaceau's drink carries. Each 20 ounce serving packs in nearly 8 teaspoons of sugar (33 grams), about 75% of what the USDA suggests should be our sugar limitations, and pretty similar to the amount of sugar in a soda (39 grams for a 12 ounce can).

Vitamin Water may harvest a few extra vitamins, but the catch is the sugar. Sugar actually leaches the vitamins out of the body as it is digested, leaving the body in a state of stress. The words that the company's marketing department uses to describe the drink- "defense," "rescue," "energy" - have earned the company large profits, leaving consumers with a false sense of health. Now Coca-Cola is being sued by the Center for Science in the Public Interest for their "multi-v" health claims.

Next time you exercise and reach for your hydration, make it water. Save yourself 100 calories (equivalent to over 10 minutes on the rowing machine!) and give your body what it really needs.