Whole grains for wholesome health
By Ye Jun (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-13 09:09
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Increasingly, refined grains are replacing whole grains in Chinese diets. |
Whole grains should meet more than half a person's energy needs, said Ge Keyou, honorary director at Chinese Nutrition Society (CNS), at a seminar early this month in Beijing.
"A diet rich in grains can not only satisfy one's energy needs, but also help one cut back on fatty animal foods," he said.
Studies show a wholegrain diet can reduce the risk of cardio-vascular problems by 25 percent, stroke by 31 percent and diabetes by 38 percent, and also help with weight control. Ge recommended eating 85 g of wholegrain foods daily.
"Wholegrain and coarse foods contain more dietary fiber, vitamin B and minerals, all of which are lost in the process of refining," Ge said. "Unfortunately, that's exactly what the body lacks."
He said coarse grains can help lower blood sugar. As they contain more dietary fiber, they can prevent constipation, make one feel full sooner, and prevent obesity. Studies have shown that dietary fibers can also dilute carcinogens, shorten the time these elements stay in the intestines, and therefore prevent cancer.
In the latest Dietary Guide for Chinese Citizens issued by the Chinese Ministry of Health and CNS, it is suggested that an adult should eat a daily average of 50 g of coarse grain. For the elderly, the recommended daily intake is 100 g, except those suffering from malnutrition and indigestion.
In addition, the Guide recommends a total daily consumption of cereals, tubers and beans of 250-400 g.
By 2002, 200 million Chinese were deemed overweight, and 70 million classified as obese, according to statistics from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The percentage of overweight or obese Chinese adults increased from 12 percent in 1989 to 37 percent in 2006 among men, and from 18 percent to 29 percent among women.
Over the same period, the consumption of wholegrain foods fell steadily. Cereal consumption by 2002 was 20 percent less than in 1982. Consumption of tubers fell by 73 percent, and of vegetables by 13.3 percent, although that of legumes and fruit increased slightly.
Gao Huiying of the CNS, says a breakfast of wholemeal bread, corn bread, or oatmeal and soybean juice can counter this dietary deficiency. She suggests replacing refined grains with coarse grains as the staple food, such as unpolished rice, and steamed bread made with corn flour and millet flour, beside wheat flour. She also recommends caituanzi, steamed corn flour bun with a variety of vegetables as stuffing, and babaozhou, or "eight treasure" congee.
For children, Gao suggests an occasional meal of millet congee, red bean congee, mashed corn congee, and steamed bread with a mixture of corn flour and wheat flour. For snacks, she favors wholewheat biscuits, boiled corn cob, and dim sum made of coarse grain.
"Although coarse grains do not taste as good as refined ones, they can also be made tempting and delicious, with a bit of effort," she says.