New research highlights importance of grains in the diet
A new review has provided more evidence of the importance of including a range of different fibre sources in a healthy diet, including grain foods. The meta-analysis of cohort studies reports that fibre from grain foods and particularly wholegrains is associated with reduced risk of bowel cancer, but fibre from fruit and vegetables does not have a significant association. Grain foods may be one key to help unlock the puzzle of our rising rates of bowel cancer.
Bowel cancer. It’s not really dinner time conversation, but maybe it should be. Colorectal cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in Australia, affecting 1 in 12 people under the age of 85 and leading to the death of almost 80 people every week.
The good news is that if it is found early there is a high chance of survival, and even better news is that making smart choices about what you eat today could help reduce your chances of developing bowel cancer later.
Previous research has shown that people who eat higher-fibre foods, like fruit, vegetables and wholegrains, are less likely to develop a range of diseases, including bowel cancer. Recently, a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of 25 prospective cohort studies went one step further to determine if some high-fibre foods were better choices than others when it comes to preventing bowel cancer.
From an analysis of the eight cohort studies that reported on cereal fibre intake, the review found that for every 10g of cereal fibre, the risk of developing bowel cancer was reduced by 10% (RR=0.90 CI 0.83 – 0.97). The study also considered the effect of wholegrain foods including wholemeal bread, oats, wholegrain breakfast cereal, wholegrain rye bread, and brown rice. People who ate 3 serves of wholegrain foods per day were 17% less likely to develop bowel cancer than those people who didn’t eat wholegrain foods. Interestingly, the study found that fruit and vegetable fibre did not significantly help protect against bowel cancer (RR= 0.93, CI 0.82-1.05 and RR=0.98, CI 0.91-1.06 respectively).
The way in which fibre helps reduce the risk of colorectal cancer is due to several effects in the gut, but the precise mechanism is not yet fully understood. We know that fibre helps keep you regular which has many health benefits, but more recent research has also linked fibre in some grain foods to higher levels of bacteria in the bowel that produce short-chain-fatty-acids including butyrate. Recent research by the CSIRO found that increasing the intake of rye bread lead to significantly high levels of butyrate which is believed to help prevent cancer cell proliferation in the bowel.
According to the World Cancer Research Fund scientific review in 2011, other foods that may help fight bowel cancer are garlic, milk, and calcium. Other ways to reduce your chances of getting bowel cancer is to get at least 30 minutes of exercise every day, and to limit the amount of processed meat (like salami) in your diet.
References:
www.aihw.gov.au/cancer/
http://www.bowelcanceraustralia.org/
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Out Now: Revised Australian Dietary Guidelines
Let’s help communicate the benefits of grain foods
Go Grains is concerned that the reduction in the serve size of grain foods in the revised Dietary Guidelines will send the wrong message to Australians – to limit core grain foods in the diet. We are recommending that the serve sizes remain the same and that the NHMRC considers a target number of wholegrain foods each day. Rather than suggesting people reduce core grain foods, Go Grains believes it is more important to encourage people to limit grain foods that are high in saturated fat and sodium and swap back to core grain foods.
A revision to the current Australian Dietary Guidelines is currently available in draft form for public comment (until February 29th). While most Australians are not aware of the Dietary Guidelines they are an important guide used by health professionals, policy makers, educators, food manufacturers, food retailers and researchers, to help improve the diets of Australians. So it is important that they send effective, evidence-based messages.
While Go Grains supports the revision to the Dietary Guidelines and acknowledges the huge amount of work that has gone into their development, we do have concerns about several of the key messages on grain and legume foods.
A reduction in serve size of grain foods
One of our key concerns is the change in serve size of grain foods from the recommendation in the 1998 Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, in most cases halving the serve size. For example a recommended serve of muesli is ¼ cup (30g) rather than ½ cup.
Go Grains is concerned that reducing the recommended serve size for grain foods will suggest Australians should reduce their core grain food consumption when our Consumption Study in 2011 indicates that Australians are already reducing their intake of core grain foods (1 slice of bread less per day than in 2009). Sending a message to reduce core grain foods is counter to the five evidence statements in the Guidelines that outline the benefits of core grain foods including reducing risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer.
Also, if food manufacturers change their recommended serve sizes to align with the new recommendation, many products will no longer be labelled high in fibre and the ability to communicate the benefits of high fibre foods will be lost.
We recognise the need to encourage a major shift in the form in which people consume cereal foods towards core forms such as breads, rice, pasta, breakfast cereals and away from pastries, cakes and biscuits. To support this, we believe the Dietary Guidelines should be careful not to send the wrong message to reduce intake of core grain foods.
A target number of wholegrain serves
Guideline 1 states ‘Eat a wide variety of nutritious foods including grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain'. While the scientific evidence is growing on the benefits of wholegrain foods and high fibre grain foods, our Consumption Study in 2011 suggests that Australians are choosing wholegrains only once per day, which is less often than they were just two years ago. To help encourage Australians to eat more wholegrain foods and high fibre grain foods, Go Grains would like to see a recommended number of serves of wholegrains per day that reflects the evidence statements of 3 – 5 serves.
To align with the diet models which were used to develop the Guide to Healthy Eating, we suggest a recommendation that 2/3 of grain foods be wholegrain. For example for adults (19 – 50 years) ‘4 of the 6 serves of grain foods are wholegrain’.
Legumes
Go Grains believes that the benefits of legumes have been under-rated in the draft Dietary Guidelines. Legumes are not consumed regularly by many Australians despite their benefits in terms of nutritional quality, chronic disease risk reduction and environmental sustainability. To help encourage Australians to increase their intake of these unique foods we suggest that a weekly recommended intake be considered, based on scientific evidence. Studies indicate eating 2 – 4 serves of legumes per week are associated with reduced risk of heart disease, cardiovascular disease and breast cancer.
For these reasons Go Grains will be recommending that:
• the serve sizes of grain foods are kept the same as the AGTHE 98
• the recommendation of mostly wholegrain include a target number of wholegrain serves per day (eg: 4 of the 6 serves are wholegrain)
• a recommendation to eat legumes at least 3 times a week is added
We will be commenting on these draft Guidelines and we urge you to do so as well. To review the draft documents and make a submission visit the dedicated website before February 29th http://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/.
References:
Project Go Grain, Colmar Brunton 2011
Bazzano, L.A., et al., Legume consumption and risk of coronary heart disease in US men and women: NHANES I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. Arch Intern Med, 2001. 161(21): p. 2573-8.
Adebamowo, C.A., et al., Dietary flavonols and flavonol-rich foods intake and the risk of breast cancer. Int J Cancer, 2005. 114(4): p. 628-33
Go Grains is concerned that the reduction in the serve size of grain foods in the revised Dietary Guidelines will send the wrong message to Australians – to limit core grain foods in the diet. We are recommending that the serve sizes remain the same and that the NHMRC considers a target number of wholegrain foods each day. Rather than suggesting people reduce core grain foods, Go Grains believes it is more important to encourage people to limit grain foods that are high in saturated fat and sodium and swap back to core grain foods.
A revision to the current Australian Dietary Guidelines is currently available in draft form for public comment (until February 29th). While most Australians are not aware of the Dietary Guidelines they are an important guide used by health professionals, policy makers, educators, food manufacturers, food retailers and researchers, to help improve the diets of Australians. So it is important that they send effective, evidence-based messages.
While Go Grains supports the revision to the Dietary Guidelines and acknowledges the huge amount of work that has gone into their development, we do have concerns about several of the key messages on grain and legume foods.
A reduction in serve size of grain foods
One of our key concerns is the change in serve size of grain foods from the recommendation in the 1998 Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, in most cases halving the serve size. For example a recommended serve of muesli is ¼ cup (30g) rather than ½ cup.
Go Grains is concerned that reducing the recommended serve size for grain foods will suggest Australians should reduce their core grain food consumption when our Consumption Study in 2011 indicates that Australians are already reducing their intake of core grain foods (1 slice of bread less per day than in 2009). Sending a message to reduce core grain foods is counter to the five evidence statements in the Guidelines that outline the benefits of core grain foods including reducing risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer.
Also, if food manufacturers change their recommended serve sizes to align with the new recommendation, many products will no longer be labelled high in fibre and the ability to communicate the benefits of high fibre foods will be lost.
We recognise the need to encourage a major shift in the form in which people consume cereal foods towards core forms such as breads, rice, pasta, breakfast cereals and away from pastries, cakes and biscuits. To support this, we believe the Dietary Guidelines should be careful not to send the wrong message to reduce intake of core grain foods.
A target number of wholegrain serves
Guideline 1 states ‘Eat a wide variety of nutritious foods including grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain'. While the scientific evidence is growing on the benefits of wholegrain foods and high fibre grain foods, our Consumption Study in 2011 suggests that Australians are choosing wholegrains only once per day, which is less often than they were just two years ago. To help encourage Australians to eat more wholegrain foods and high fibre grain foods, Go Grains would like to see a recommended number of serves of wholegrains per day that reflects the evidence statements of 3 – 5 serves.
To align with the diet models which were used to develop the Guide to Healthy Eating, we suggest a recommendation that 2/3 of grain foods be wholegrain. For example for adults (19 – 50 years) ‘4 of the 6 serves of grain foods are wholegrain’.
Legumes
Go Grains believes that the benefits of legumes have been under-rated in the draft Dietary Guidelines. Legumes are not consumed regularly by many Australians despite their benefits in terms of nutritional quality, chronic disease risk reduction and environmental sustainability. To help encourage Australians to increase their intake of these unique foods we suggest that a weekly recommended intake be considered, based on scientific evidence. Studies indicate eating 2 – 4 serves of legumes per week are associated with reduced risk of heart disease, cardiovascular disease and breast cancer.
For these reasons Go Grains will be recommending that:
• the serve sizes of grain foods are kept the same as the AGTHE 98
• the recommendation of mostly wholegrain include a target number of wholegrain serves per day (eg: 4 of the 6 serves are wholegrain)
• a recommendation to eat legumes at least 3 times a week is added
We will be commenting on these draft Guidelines and we urge you to do so as well. To review the draft documents and make a submission visit the dedicated website before February 29th http://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/.
References:
Project Go Grain, Colmar Brunton 2011
Bazzano, L.A., et al., Legume consumption and risk of coronary heart disease in US men and women: NHANES I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. Arch Intern Med, 2001. 161(21): p. 2573-8.
Adebamowo, C.A., et al., Dietary flavonols and flavonol-rich foods intake and the risk of breast cancer. Int J Cancer, 2005. 114(4): p. 628-33
Monday, December 5, 2011
2011 Go 4 Grains Kids Design Challenge
New grain recipe and promotion ideas from young minds
It was a hot day on the 14th of November when over 200 students came together at Hurlstone Agricultural High School, Sydney to show a panel of judges their ideas for encouraging other kids to eat 4+ serves of grain food each day. The Celebration event was the culmination of months of hard work to design a nutritious grain based product for their school canteen or an advertising campaign to encourage healthy eating.
This was a small sample of the more than 1200 students across NSW that took part in this year’s Go 4 Grains Kids’ Design Challenge. The Go 4 Grains Challenge required students to develop an innovative grain-based food product and/or advertising campaign targeting their peers which promotes the ‘4+ serves a day’ message.
There were some amazing campaigns and innovative ideas presented by the year 5 & 6 students. The students conducted surveys of their peers to gather data on their knowledge of grains, learnt about advertising campaigns and then put this together to develop a campaign of their own. There were many different creative ways of promoting the goodness of grains: showbags, grain characters like the dread-locked ‘Bob Barley’, product packaging, radio jingles, posters and more.
Congratulations to the winners in this category:
Pitch with Impact Award
5/4C, Balgowlah Heights Public School
Creative Visuals Award
Senior O, Coogee Public School
Grain Growers Limited Best Overall Achievement Award
Senior A, Coogee Public School
Healthy Kids Association Encouragement Award
5/6F, Leumeah Public School
The food products developed by the year 7 & 8 students ranged from quesadillas, to risotto and rissoles as well as breakfast muesli in a cup for ‘girls on the go’. The judges were very impressed with the groups that had adapted recipes to add extra grains to a meal, like oat-based quesadillas with quinoa. All of the recipes not only contributed towards the ‘4+ serves a day’ recommendation but were also suitable for sale in the school canteen meeting, with the children ensuring their product was not classified as an occasional ‘red’ food based on the NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy Nutrition Criteria.
A shout out to the winners in this category:
Go Grains Health & Nutrition, Nutritious and Delicious Award
7TF, Asquith Girls’ High School (Breakfast Cranachan)
Outstanding Food Product Development Award
8A, Bankstown Girls High School (Oat Quesadillas)
Pitch with Impact Award
8(4), Rooty Hill High School (Creamy Chicken Crepes)
Grain Growers Limited Creative Promotional Strategy Award
7TF, Asquith Girls High School (Risotto and Rissoles)
The Go4Grains Kids’ Design Challenge is a unique initiative targeting school children to raise awareness of the health benefits of eating at least four serves of bread, pasta, breakfast cereal, rice and noodles each day, preferably wholegrains.
The Challenge is supported by Go Grains Health & Nutrition (Go Grains), Grain Growers Association and the Healthy Kids Association (HKA), in collaboration with the Technology in Primary Schools (TiPS) teacher network and the NSW Department of Education & Training (DET).
Go Grains would like to thank their member organisations that donated items for the goodie bag each student took away from the day: Bakers Delight, Campbell Arnott’s, Goodman Fielder, Kellogg’s, Kurrajong Kitchen, Nestle and Sanitarium.
Breakfast Cranachan
Makes 6
Ingredients:
150mL skim evaporated milk
½ cup castor sugar
300g low-fat plain yoghurt
1 lemon
3C mixed berries (fresh or frozen)
2T honey
300g 5 grain muesli mix
Method:
- Mix in a large bowl evaporated milk, sugar, yoghurt and the zest of a lemon and half its juice and whisk to combine.
- In a separate bowl lightly crush berries with a fork and stir in honey leaving extra to drizzle on top.
- Lightly toast 5 Grain Muesli Mix on an oven slide for 5mins on 200 degrees.
- When ready to serve spoon alternating layers of the muesli mix, berries and yoghurt into a tall plastic cup, continue until mixture runs out. Drizzle honey on top.
Tips: Try not to burn the muesli. If your yoghurt mixture is to citric for your liking add a cap full of vanilla.
Not all grains need be wholegrain
Review suggests a place for refined grain favourites
In Australia, the current dietary guidelines recommend “Eat plenty of cereals (including breads, rice, pasta, and noodles), preferably wholegrain”, however they do not give any recommendations about what proportion of cereal foods can still be consumed as refined grains.
At the Public Health Association of Australia National Food Futures conference in November, Assoc. Professor Peter Williams presented the findings from his scientific literature review of the evidence designed to answer the question: What proportion of refined grains can be consumed in a healthy diet?
The literature review, commissioned by Go Grains, summarises the findings of 135 studies from the last ten years. The great majority found no associations between the intake of refined grain foods and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, weight gain or overall mortality
Of the 31 prospective cohort studies included in the review, only 5 reported refined grain intake to be associated with adverse health outcomes. Two of these used refined grains high in fat (pizza, cakes and biscuits). There was no association between higher refined grain intake and cardiovascular disease.
Of the nine intervention studies included in the review, which largely studied the effect of wholegrain or low GI on cardiovascular or metabolic risk, six reported no significant difference
The author concluded that there is inconsistent evidence on the effect of refined grain on cancer. Seven of the 10 recent case control studies found that very high intakes might be associated with some types of cancers (renal, upper-digestive, stomach and colorectal), but at moderate levels of consumption the risks were not significant.
In summary, the evidence from the review indicates that consuming up to 50% of all grain food foods as refined grain core foods is not linked with any increased disease risk. Refined grain core foods were defined in the study as those without high levels of added fat or salt. It is important to remember that grain-based foods with large amounts of added fat, salt or sugar such as cakes, muffins, pastries or pizzas should still only be enjoyed as occasional indulgence foods.
In summary, the evidence from the review indicates that consuming up to 50% of all grain food foods as refined grain core foods is not linked with any increased disease risk. Refined grain core foods were defined in the study as those without high levels of added fat or salt. It is important to remember that grain-based foods with large amounts of added fat, salt or sugar such as cakes, muffins, pastries or pizzas should still only be enjoyed as occasional indulgence foods.
Wholegrain foods have been shown to be associated with reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, weight gain and some cancers which is why it is recommended Australians eat ‘preferably wholegrain’ grain foods. This study indicates that you can still also enjoy some refined grain foods as part of a healthy diet.
Examples of refined grain core foods included in the review are:
- Breads: white bread, pita and mountain breads, bagels, crumpets, tortillas
- Breakfast cereals: low fibre cereals and those containing < 25% wholegrain
- Refined cereal grains: white rice, polenta, semolina, couscous
- Pasta and noodles: those based on white wheat or rice flour.
‘One a Day is OK’
Putting this in to practice as part of a healthy diet that includes choosing high fibre and wholegrain most of the time, it means one meal each day could be a refined grain meal. For example, a high-fibre wholegrain breakfast cereal, a white bread sandwich at lunch and brown rice for dinner.
So you don’t have to give up your favourite refined grain core food like pasta or a low-fibre cereal, just make sure your other choices in the day are wholegrain.
Reference:
Williams P. Evaluation of the evidence between consumption of refined grains and health outcomes. 2012 Nutrition Reviews (In Press)
Monday, September 26, 2011
Avoid unwanted kilos with wholegrains
20 year study shows how to halt weight gain
Have you ever wondered which foods and beverages, when consumed on a regular basis, are most likely to pack on the kilos? A recent paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine sheds light on this very question.
The researchers looked at the relationship between the intake of 15 key food groups and long-term weight changes. They examined data from three large prospective studies that included over 120,000 non-obese American men and women. The changes in body weight were evaluated in 4-year intervals from 1986 to 2006. Wholegrain foods and refined grain foods were among the 15 key food groups that they examined.
In each 4-year period, participants gained an average of 1.51kg. Weight gain was most strongly associated with intakes of potato chips, potatoes, sugar-sweetened beverages, unprocessed meats, processed meats, and sweets /desserts. Having an increased intake of refined grain foods was also moderately associated with weight gain. However, the effect of refined grains foods in the diet was found to be much less than the impact of other food categories, such as potato crisps and sugar-sweetened beverages, listed above.
On the flipside, weight gain was halted with greater intakes of yoghurt, nuts, fruits, wholegrains and vegetables. Findings were similar in magnitude and direction across the three study populations for men and women.
The researchers concluded the strong link between weight gain with processed foods and refined grains might be because these foods are less satiating, which increases subsequent hunger signals and triggers the desire to eat more at the next meal.
They noted that some foods, including wholegrains, were associated with less weight gain, when intakes were actually increased. This is most probably because an increase in these nutrient dense foods means there is a decrease in the intake of other foods with higher kilojoule content. Also, wholegrain foods, fruits, vegetables and nuts have a higher fibre content and slower digestion rate – two factors which promote satiety (the state of being satisfactorily full).
This very large and well-conducted study provides further evidence to support the role of wholegrains in the prevention of unwanted weight. Most interestingly, when it comes to weight control, this study revealed elevated intakes of wholegrain foods has a larger protective effect than elevated intakes of vegetables.
The study participants had a very similar pattern of grain food intakes to Aussies, with approximately one-third from wholegrain foods and two-thirds from refined grain foods. A move to make at least half of the cereal foods that we eat wholegrain is likely to help combat excess weight in the Australian population.
Go Grains encourages all Aussies to enjoy 4 plus serves of grain foods each day, with at least half of those serves being from wholegrain foods.
Here are a few simple tips to help you swap those weight gaining foods with wholegrain foods, in your diet:
• Swap potato chips with plain popcorn or a wholemeal sandwich
• Include brown rice or wholemeal pasta instead of mashed potato with you main meal
• Choose wholegrain crackers over sweet biscuits.
References:
Changes in diet and lifestyle and long-term weight gain in women and men. Mozaffarian D, Hao T, Rimm ER, Willett WC, Hu FB. New England Journal of Medicine, 2011; 1364:2392-2404.
Have you ever wondered which foods and beverages, when consumed on a regular basis, are most likely to pack on the kilos? A recent paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine sheds light on this very question.
The researchers looked at the relationship between the intake of 15 key food groups and long-term weight changes. They examined data from three large prospective studies that included over 120,000 non-obese American men and women. The changes in body weight were evaluated in 4-year intervals from 1986 to 2006. Wholegrain foods and refined grain foods were among the 15 key food groups that they examined.
In each 4-year period, participants gained an average of 1.51kg. Weight gain was most strongly associated with intakes of potato chips, potatoes, sugar-sweetened beverages, unprocessed meats, processed meats, and sweets /desserts. Having an increased intake of refined grain foods was also moderately associated with weight gain. However, the effect of refined grains foods in the diet was found to be much less than the impact of other food categories, such as potato crisps and sugar-sweetened beverages, listed above.
On the flipside, weight gain was halted with greater intakes of yoghurt, nuts, fruits, wholegrains and vegetables. Findings were similar in magnitude and direction across the three study populations for men and women.
The researchers concluded the strong link between weight gain with processed foods and refined grains might be because these foods are less satiating, which increases subsequent hunger signals and triggers the desire to eat more at the next meal.
They noted that some foods, including wholegrains, were associated with less weight gain, when intakes were actually increased. This is most probably because an increase in these nutrient dense foods means there is a decrease in the intake of other foods with higher kilojoule content. Also, wholegrain foods, fruits, vegetables and nuts have a higher fibre content and slower digestion rate – two factors which promote satiety (the state of being satisfactorily full).
This very large and well-conducted study provides further evidence to support the role of wholegrains in the prevention of unwanted weight. Most interestingly, when it comes to weight control, this study revealed elevated intakes of wholegrain foods has a larger protective effect than elevated intakes of vegetables.
The study participants had a very similar pattern of grain food intakes to Aussies, with approximately one-third from wholegrain foods and two-thirds from refined grain foods. A move to make at least half of the cereal foods that we eat wholegrain is likely to help combat excess weight in the Australian population.
Go Grains encourages all Aussies to enjoy 4 plus serves of grain foods each day, with at least half of those serves being from wholegrain foods.
Here are a few simple tips to help you swap those weight gaining foods with wholegrain foods, in your diet:
• Swap potato chips with plain popcorn or a wholemeal sandwich
• Include brown rice or wholemeal pasta instead of mashed potato with you main meal
• Choose wholegrain crackers over sweet biscuits.
References:
Changes in diet and lifestyle and long-term weight gain in women and men. Mozaffarian D, Hao T, Rimm ER, Willett WC, Hu FB. New England Journal of Medicine, 2011; 1364:2392-2404.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Dietary Fibre - a well being star
Important for digestive health & overall wellness
It’s hailed a digestive health star, yet most people are unaware dietary fibre also takes centre stage for its ability to lower ‘bad’ LDL-cholesterol levels, stabilise blood sugar levels, aid weight control and much more.
What is dietary fibre?
Found only in foods of plant origin (e.g. grains, legumes, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds), dietary fibre is the part of a plant that escapes digestion and absorption in the small intestine. The dietary fibre we eat makes its way into the large intestine (colon), where it is partially or completely broken down by an army of beneficial bacteria that reside in the colon1,2.
There are several types of dietary fibre:
Soluble fibre:
Think ‘gelatinous’ fibre. These fibres, which attract water to form a thick gel, are totally broken down (fermented) by good bacteria in the colon3. During this process, substances are produced which help keep cells in the colon wall healthy. Good sources include cereal grains (especially oats, barley and rye), legumes (red kidney beans, chickpeas, baked beans), psyllium, some fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
Insoluble fibre:
Think ‘bulking’ fibre. Best known for increasing the weight and volume of faeces and producing softer and bulkier stools, these fibres aid regular bowel movements3. This beneficial stool bulker is found in wholegrains, wheat bran, legumes, nuts and the skins of vegetables and fruits.
Resistant starch:
This is a starch that acts like dietary fibre in that it too escapes digestion in the small intestine. It moves along to be fermented by friendly resident bacteria in the colon, producing substances that help keep the colon healthy. Common sources include legumes like lentils and baked beans, some cereal grains like pearl barley and brown rice, ‘Hi-maize’® (found in some retail breads and cereals) and cooled cooked potato, rice and pasta3,4,5.
Dietary Recommendations
The total amount of dietary fibre we need to eat each day varies according to age, gender, life stage and disease risk6. Maximise the health benefits of fibre by eating a variety of high fibre grain-based foods and legumes each day, together with a selection of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
Ways to Increase Your Fibre Intake with Grain-Based Foods
Breakfast
• Wholegrain (wholemeal, mixed-grain) toast, crumpets or English Muffins
• High fibre or wholegrain breakfast cereal or natural muesli
• Porridge or bircher muesli made with rolled oats
Lunch
• Sandwiches, rolls or wraps made with high fibre bread and with your favourite filling
• Salads made with grains like brown rice and cracked wheat (bulgur), or legumes like four bean mix, kidney beans and chickpeas
Dinner
• Casserole or soup with added legumes
• Stir fry or curry with brown rice or soba noodles
• Wholemeal pasta topped with your favourite vegetable-based sauce
• Wholegrain bread used for crumbing fish or chicken
Snacks
• High fibre or wholegrain snack bars
• Muffins, biscuits or pikelets made with wholemeal flour or rolled oats
• Wholegrain crispbreads/crackers
For more information on Dietary Fibre and its benefits, download our dietary fibre brochure (http://www.gograins.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/GG_Nutrition-brochure_-Fibre_low-res.pdf)
References:
1. Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Food Standards Code, Standard 1.2.8 – Definition of Dietary Fibre.
2. American Association of Cereal Chemists. The Definition of Dietary Fiber (Report of the Dietary Fiber Definition Committee to the Board of Directors), Jan 2001.
3. Anderson JW, Baird P, Davis Jr RH, Ferreri S, Knudtson M, Koraym A, Waters V and Williams CL. Health benefits of dietary fiber. Nutrition Reviews. 2009; 67(4):188–205.
4. Landon S. Resistant Starch Review, 2011 Update for Health Professionals. Hi-Maize and National Starch Food Innovation.
5. Marlett JA, Longacre MJ. Comparisons of in vitro and in vivo measures of resistant starch in selected grain products. Cereal Chem. 1996 ;73:63–68.
6. National Health and Medical Research Council (2006). Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand including Recommended Dietary Intakes.
It’s hailed a digestive health star, yet most people are unaware dietary fibre also takes centre stage for its ability to lower ‘bad’ LDL-cholesterol levels, stabilise blood sugar levels, aid weight control and much more.
What is dietary fibre?
Found only in foods of plant origin (e.g. grains, legumes, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds), dietary fibre is the part of a plant that escapes digestion and absorption in the small intestine. The dietary fibre we eat makes its way into the large intestine (colon), where it is partially or completely broken down by an army of beneficial bacteria that reside in the colon1,2.
There are several types of dietary fibre:
Soluble fibre:
Think ‘gelatinous’ fibre. These fibres, which attract water to form a thick gel, are totally broken down (fermented) by good bacteria in the colon3. During this process, substances are produced which help keep cells in the colon wall healthy. Good sources include cereal grains (especially oats, barley and rye), legumes (red kidney beans, chickpeas, baked beans), psyllium, some fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
Insoluble fibre:
Think ‘bulking’ fibre. Best known for increasing the weight and volume of faeces and producing softer and bulkier stools, these fibres aid regular bowel movements3. This beneficial stool bulker is found in wholegrains, wheat bran, legumes, nuts and the skins of vegetables and fruits.
Resistant starch:
This is a starch that acts like dietary fibre in that it too escapes digestion in the small intestine. It moves along to be fermented by friendly resident bacteria in the colon, producing substances that help keep the colon healthy. Common sources include legumes like lentils and baked beans, some cereal grains like pearl barley and brown rice, ‘Hi-maize’® (found in some retail breads and cereals) and cooled cooked potato, rice and pasta3,4,5.
Dietary Recommendations
The total amount of dietary fibre we need to eat each day varies according to age, gender, life stage and disease risk6. Maximise the health benefits of fibre by eating a variety of high fibre grain-based foods and legumes each day, together with a selection of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
Ways to Increase Your Fibre Intake with Grain-Based Foods
Breakfast
• Wholegrain (wholemeal, mixed-grain) toast, crumpets or English Muffins
• High fibre or wholegrain breakfast cereal or natural muesli
• Porridge or bircher muesli made with rolled oats
Lunch
• Sandwiches, rolls or wraps made with high fibre bread and with your favourite filling
• Salads made with grains like brown rice and cracked wheat (bulgur), or legumes like four bean mix, kidney beans and chickpeas
Dinner
• Casserole or soup with added legumes
• Stir fry or curry with brown rice or soba noodles
• Wholemeal pasta topped with your favourite vegetable-based sauce
• Wholegrain bread used for crumbing fish or chicken
Snacks
• High fibre or wholegrain snack bars
• Muffins, biscuits or pikelets made with wholemeal flour or rolled oats
• Wholegrain crispbreads/crackers
For more information on Dietary Fibre and its benefits, download our dietary fibre brochure (http://www.gograins.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/GG_Nutrition-brochure_-Fibre_low-res.pdf)
References:
1. Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Food Standards Code, Standard 1.2.8 – Definition of Dietary Fibre.
2. American Association of Cereal Chemists. The Definition of Dietary Fiber (Report of the Dietary Fiber Definition Committee to the Board of Directors), Jan 2001.
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Thursday, July 28, 2011
A comparison of the 1995 NNS and 2007 NCNPAS
Are Australian children eating healthier?
Australian National dietary survey’s are few and far between. These large and expensive Australian representative surveys are invaluable for understanding Australian’s food intake and nutrition status and the results provide the evidence base for public health, marketing and policy decisions. With 1 in 4 of Australian children overweight or obese, regular monitoring of the dietary intakes of children is essential.
Australia's most recent National Nutrition Survey was conducted in 1995 (NNS 95), and the 2011-13 Australian Health Survey is currently in field now. In 2007, a National Children’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NCNPAS07) was completed to understand what Australian Children were eating and their physical activity habits. A group of respected Australian researchers has just published their findings of the nutritional comparison of both surveys, to determine whether there was a change in core food intakes among Australian children between 1995 and 2007, and to review trends over this 12 year period.
The authors analysed the 24 hour recall data from the NNS95 with almost 2500 participants, and the NCNPAS07, with almost 5000 participants aged between 2-16 years. The researchers compared the differences between how many children were consuming each food group, the amounts consumed and the contribution of these foods to energy intake. Based on the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, core foods were identified as: breads and cereals, meat and alternatives, milk and alternatives, fruit, and vegetables.
The consumption of core foods increased significantly between the 1995 and 2007 surveys by per-capita consumption and percent energy contribution. Core foods contributed 59% of energy intake in 1995 and 65% in 2007. The types of core foods also moved to more healthy choices. In the breads and cereals group there was a significant increase in the percent of children consuming wholemeal and fibre-increased bread, high-fibre breakfast cereal, pasta, noodles and rice. Total breads and cereals consumption remained largely unchanged, but still provided the largest energy contribution of all the core food groups. There were significant increases in per capita consumption of wholemeal bread, pasta, noodles, and high fibre breakfast cereals, along with decreases in white bread. Children in the older age groups were more likely to consume bread as white bread (69%), while younger children consumed a greater proportion as wholemeal (51%). Sales of wholegrain, wholemeal and artisan types of breads have also increased over recent years. The Go Grains Health & Nutrition '4+ serves a day' message, which actively promotes the health and nutrition benefits of grain-based foods, preferably wholegrain, along with increased marketing of wholegrains on pack may have prompted the growing interest in wholegrains.
Overall the authors concluded there appears to have been some notable improvements in the diets of Australian children since 1995. There was an increase in the consumption of healthier food choices, accompanied by decreases in the consumption of unhealthier food choices in 2007.
Breads and cereals remain the most important contributors to the core food intakes of Australian children and since 1995 there has been a trend to healthier wholemeal and high-fibre choices.
Australian National dietary survey’s are few and far between. These large and expensive Australian representative surveys are invaluable for understanding Australian’s food intake and nutrition status and the results provide the evidence base for public health, marketing and policy decisions. With 1 in 4 of Australian children overweight or obese, regular monitoring of the dietary intakes of children is essential.
Australia's most recent National Nutrition Survey was conducted in 1995 (NNS 95), and the 2011-13 Australian Health Survey is currently in field now. In 2007, a National Children’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NCNPAS07) was completed to understand what Australian Children were eating and their physical activity habits. A group of respected Australian researchers has just published their findings of the nutritional comparison of both surveys, to determine whether there was a change in core food intakes among Australian children between 1995 and 2007, and to review trends over this 12 year period.
The authors analysed the 24 hour recall data from the NNS95 with almost 2500 participants, and the NCNPAS07, with almost 5000 participants aged between 2-16 years. The researchers compared the differences between how many children were consuming each food group, the amounts consumed and the contribution of these foods to energy intake. Based on the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, core foods were identified as: breads and cereals, meat and alternatives, milk and alternatives, fruit, and vegetables.
The consumption of core foods increased significantly between the 1995 and 2007 surveys by per-capita consumption and percent energy contribution. Core foods contributed 59% of energy intake in 1995 and 65% in 2007. The types of core foods also moved to more healthy choices. In the breads and cereals group there was a significant increase in the percent of children consuming wholemeal and fibre-increased bread, high-fibre breakfast cereal, pasta, noodles and rice. Total breads and cereals consumption remained largely unchanged, but still provided the largest energy contribution of all the core food groups. There were significant increases in per capita consumption of wholemeal bread, pasta, noodles, and high fibre breakfast cereals, along with decreases in white bread. Children in the older age groups were more likely to consume bread as white bread (69%), while younger children consumed a greater proportion as wholemeal (51%). Sales of wholegrain, wholemeal and artisan types of breads have also increased over recent years. The Go Grains Health & Nutrition '4+ serves a day' message, which actively promotes the health and nutrition benefits of grain-based foods, preferably wholegrain, along with increased marketing of wholegrains on pack may have prompted the growing interest in wholegrains.
Overall the authors concluded there appears to have been some notable improvements in the diets of Australian children since 1995. There was an increase in the consumption of healthier food choices, accompanied by decreases in the consumption of unhealthier food choices in 2007.
Breads and cereals remain the most important contributors to the core food intakes of Australian children and since 1995 there has been a trend to healthier wholemeal and high-fibre choices.
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