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N O U R I S H I N G    N E W S
  October 2007
In This Issue
Whole Grains
This Months Pick, Amaranth
Client Spotlight- managing Crohn's Disease
Quick Links
Debbie Sarfati, HHC



Natural Foods Cooking Classes
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Mexican Feast
October 22, 2007

Learn to cook nourishing meals that are easy to prepare and taste delicious! Recipes focus on seasonal vegetables and foods rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. All classes are hands-on so you can learn just how fun and simple healthy cooking can be!

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Next Date: TBA

A guided and educational tour, offering detailed explanations of the nutritional benefits of foods and demystifying many food-fictions. Learn how to shop for fresh seasonal produce, read nutrition labels, select home and body care products, get money saving tips for shopping, and so much more.

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Welcome to Nourishing News, a free monthly newsletter designed to help you live life more deliciously!

This month newsletter is reprinted from one of last years' newsletters. I have been asked several questions about whole grains recently and so I thought the information here would be helpful and relevant.

Thanks for reading! As always, if you like this newsletter, please forward it to anyone you think will enjoy or benefit from it.

Yours in health,
Debbie Sarfati, HHC   
The Whole Scoop
Whole Grains

The topic of our October Newsletter is WHOLE GRAINS. Now that the low-carb craze is finally dying down, people are starting to understand that they should choose the right kinds of carbohydrates. However, that isn't necessarily an easy task. I have had many clients come to see me who are attempting to make better choices, only to learn that their "healthy" bread or cereal is not so healthy after all. The following information, from the May 2005 issues of the Nutrition Action Newsletter, can help you decipher what the claim "Whole Grain" really means.

 

 "All General Mills Cereals Are Made with WHOLE GRAIN!" scream the boxes. GM made a big splash with its announcement last September, but the change isn't quite as dramatic as it sounds. General Mills replaced some, but not all, of the refined flour in some of its cereals like Trix, Golden Grahams, Lucky Charms, and Rice Chex with whole grain. (Whole grain cereals like Wheaties weren't touched.) But few of the reformulated cereals have more than 1 gram of fiber per serving. Fiber isn't the only reason to eat whole grains, but it can be a good indicator of how much whole grain a food contains. What's more, even if a cereal had no white flour, that alone wouldn't make it a health food. Cereals like Boo Berry, Lucky Charms, Count Chocula, and Cocoa Puffs are nearly half sugar. With or without whole grains, they're nothing more than breakfast candy.

 

General Mills aside, whole grains are showing up throughout the supermarket. Boboli makes a 100% Whole Wheat pizza crust. Thomas' and Pepperidge Farm make 100% Whole Wheat English Muffins. Lean Cuisine's line of Spa Cuisine entrees uses only 100%whole-wheat pasta or brown rice. San Giorgio and Ronzoni make Healthy Harvest pasta that's part whole-grain (the companies won't say how much).

 

Keep in Mind

Claims may sound alike, but they don't all mean the same thing:


"100% Whole Grain" means no refined flour.

"Made with Whole Grain" means the food may be made with either a lot or a little.

"Whole Grain"may mean that only 51 percent of the flour is whole-grain. (That's the minimum a food needs to carry the health claim like "whole grains may reduce the risk of heart disease")

"Good source of Whole Grain"means there may be as little as 8 grams of whole grains per serving. An "excellent source" means as little as 15 grams per serving. (That's what General Mills has asked FDA to require. Several companies are using those minimums while waiting for the feds to set official levels.) So a breakfast cereal-which usually weighs 30 to 55 grams per serving-could be "a good source of whole grain" if only 15 to 25 percent of its grain is whole (and 75 to 85 percent is refined.)

"Multigrain"means a mixture of grains, so it could be mostly refined grain plus a sprinkling of whole grains.

 

Interested in learning to prepare whole grains?

Visit:Whole Nourishment Recipes for some of the easiest (and my favorite!) recipes to help you to begin. Enjoy!
Healthy Bites
This Month's Pick: Amaranth

Amaranth is nutrient rich grain consumed by the ancient Aztecs. It has high levels of both protein and calcium, making it a good choice for those transitioning to a more vegetarian diet. Amaranth is also helpful for people with elevated needs, such as pregnant women, infants, children, and those who do heavy physical work.

Amaranth has a bittersweet flavor. It is high in protein, fiber, amino acids, Vitamin C, and calcium. Amaranth can be made as a grain dish or used in soups, muffins, and breads. 
Food For Thought
Client Spotlight- managing Crohn's Disease

I was first diagnosed with "symptoms of Crohn's Disease" over 30 years ago while I was in college.  I was given a muscle relaxant and that was about it.  It took another 12 years before I had a major flare-up, was in and out of the hospital and could not eat anything without getting sick.

I had been told that food would not cause flare-ups. That it was only during a flare-up that I needed to watch what I ate.This worked for a number of years. About 2 years ago, I started to experience symptoms.  Nothing serious but I knew my digestion wasn't great and the Crohn's related arthritis was acting up.  I also wasn't sleeping well and didn't have the same energy I once had.  This was about the time I turned 50 and decided that I needed to pay more attention to my health.

One day while waiting for my appointment, I saw an article about Debbie in the Alternative Medicine magazine.  I decided I needed to talk to this woman because she sounded like someone who would understand my situation. I was right. 

Debbie really does understand - not only how to deal with the Crohn's but how difficult it can be to eat right when you have a busy schedule.  She helped me tweak my diet, plan my meals and snacks and select the right supplements as well as giving me tips on how to stock my fridge. She is easy to talk to and understands that changes don't happen overnight.  I didn't realize how much better my digestion could be nor did I remember what normal digestion was. I know it now thanks to Debbie.  Participating in Debbie's Long Distance Program was the best gift I could give myself.

Randi K.
Clearwater, FL
YOURS IN HEALTH,
                                logo
          Debbie Sarfati, HHC
          Whole Nourishment
          www.wholenourishment.com
            Whole Foods ~ Whole Living ~ Whole Nourishment


Please Note: The information provided in this newsletter is presented for educational purposes only. This information is not intended as a substitute for diagnosis and treatment by a licensed professional.