Wholegrain

Wholegrain food contains the whole of the grain. Grain foods are made from cereals like wheat, rice, rye, millet, barley, oats and maize.

Whole grain cereals can be processed eg, white flour and white rice are made up of just the starchy endosperm centre of the grain. The nutritious outer bran, layer and grain germ are removed in this processing.

Whole grains are rich in B vitamins, iron, zinc, magnesium, phosphorous and fibre, all of which is found in the wheat germ and bran layer.

The high fibre content of whole grain cereals means they tend to be digested slowly. So they make you feel fuller for longer.

A diet that provides enough fibre (see table 1 below) helps prevent constipation. Studies show that long term, it may also reduce your risk of heart disease, colon cancer, diverticulitis, Type II diabetes and obesity.

There are two types of fibre: soluble and insoluble.

Wheat and rye cereals are high in insoluble fibre, which, because it is bulky, helps food move through the digestive system quickly. It also promotes healthy gut bacteria.

High levels of soluble fibre are found in wholegrain rice and oat cereals (as well as beans, pulses, fruit and vegetables). Studies have found that soluble fibre intake helps to reduce your levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol. Soluble fibre also keeps your large intestine healthy by providing food for your good bacteria and the cells lining the intestine wall.

Children's eating habits are set in their early years so it's essential that fibre and wholegrain foods are an everyday part of their diet from weaning.

Babies and young children have small stomachs and need a lot of energy, so meals need to be small and regular. Also, it's important that their diet is not too high in fibre otherwise they will get full up without meeting their energy needs.

While wholegrain foods should be part of a dhild's diet from a young age, there are currently no Government recommended target intakes of fibre for children. However, we have been in contact with the British Dietetics Association's Paediatric Group, who have advised Organix of guideline recommended intakes set by The American Academy of Pediatrics. These are widely used by dieticians and nutritionists for children (see table 1 for more details)

Table 1: Guildeline recommended dietary fibre intakes

As a nation, we do not eat enough fibre. The government recommends that adults eat 18g per day. But research shows that the average intake is 12g per day.

Based on guideline recommended intakes set by the American Academy of Pediatrics:

Children aged 1 year should be eating at least 6g fibre a day, children aged 2 years should be eating at least 7g fibre, and those aged 3 should be eating 8g a day. UK government research has found however that the average intake for children aged between 1 1/2 to 4 1/2 was 5.5g.

Children aged 4-13 years should have between 9-18g of fibre a day. Research shows however, that a quarter of children in this age group don't even meet the lower guideline level of 9g per day. And the average daily intake is only 9.8g.

By replacing refined cereal based foods with whole grain foods and eating 5 portions of fruit and vegetables we can easily increase our fibre intake to meet the recommended intake.

Gradually introduce whole grain foods into your baby's diet when you are weaning them. You can do this by giving them wholemeal bread instead of white bread.

Giving a mix of wholegrain and white cereals will provide fibre without filling your baby or toddler up. Below is some guidance to help you:

When baking with flour use half wholemeal half white

Give a mix of wholemeal and white bread

Initially give white pasta. When your baby is about 1 year

start to give a wholemeal pasta some days and white pasta on others, so they are used to wholemeal pasta from early on

Opt for whole grain breakfast cereals rather than refined breakfast cereals as the every day option

Try using brown rice sometimes instead of white rice, for instance in rice puddings

White rice and white pasta, when mixed with a meat, bean, lentil or vegetable based sauces will provide starchy carbohydrates without raising blood sugar levels

White breads, cakes, rusks and rice cakes when given as snacks will be digested quickly causing a sharp rise in blood sugar levels. Opt for whole grain versions, as these are likely to be digested more slowly.

In addition to whole grain foods, give your baby or young child at least 5 different types of fruit and vegetables a day.

A diet that provides plenty of fibre should include lots of water too babies and children should 6-8 drinks of water a day.

When your children are older (over 5 years) you can replace more refined cereal foods with whole grain foods. This is because older children’s energy needs are not as high as those under 5 years.


Table 2: Fibre content of wholegrain compared to refined cereals