May 12 to 18, 2024 is the 10th National Nutrition Week in mainland China, and May 20 is the 35th "May 20" Chinese Student Nutrition Day in mainland China. The theme of this year's event is: Milk Beans Add Nutrition, Less Oil is Healthier. It aims to advocate reducing oil, increasing beans and adding milk, and jointly practice the concept of "Healthy China, Nutrition First".
The core recommendation of the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022) is to adhere to a balanced dietary pattern based on cereals. Consume 200-300g of cereals per day, including 50-150g of whole grains and mixed legumes, and 50-100g of potatoes. So what are whole grains? What is the difference between it and whole grains?
1. What are whole grains?
Whole grains are grains that have not been finely processed or have been milled, crushed, and tablet, but still retain the natural nutrients such as endosperm, germ, and bran that are present in intact grains. Whole grains are not only rich in B vitamins, magnesium, iron and dietary fiber, but also contain common antioxidants such as polyphenols, vitamin E, tannins, carotenoids, phytic acid, lignin and lignans, and also contain some antioxidants that are rare in fruits and vegetable foods but have high nutritional value, which are very beneficial to human health.
2. The difference between whole grains and whole grains
Coarse grains are a concept relative to the white rice and white noodles we usually eat, including cereals, miscellaneous legumes such as mung beans and red beans; Potatoes such as sweet potatoes and taro belong to the category of coarse grains. Whole grains, on the other hand, emphasize either having whole grains or having the nutrients of whole grains. Whole grain components and key nutrients are as follows:
1. Corn husk: dietary fiber, B vitamins, vitamin E, minerals and phytochemicals (such as phenolic antioxidants)
2. Grain germ: The place where the grain sprouts, rich in protein, fat, polyunsaturated fatty acids, B vitamins, vitamin E and minerals.
3. Endosperm: mainly starch, a small amount of protein, B vitamins, vitamin E and minerals.
3. The difference between refined grains and whole grains
Refined grains, on the other hand, are isolated from whole grains that eliminate fiber-rich bran and vitamin-rich germ, which removes most of the nutritional value of grains. Refined grains include white rice, white flour and its derivatives such as bread, pasta, biscuits, and baked goods.
The daily mention of polished rice and white flour mainly comes from the endosperm part of the grain or wheat grain, while the protein, most of the fat, a large amount of dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals in the bran are "refined".
In addition, whole wheat flour is not necessarily whole grain milling, it is usually a mixed flour with a certain bran content, that is to say, whole wheat flour is not necessarily a coarse product of the whole wheat kernel directly ground, but may be ground bran added to the plain flour made from endosperm. Therefore, whole wheat flour is a more complex product than refined flour processing.
Author: Wei Nuoyan
Source: Shenyang Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Editor: Bai Bing, Sun Kaifeng
Proofreading: Qiu Wei, Chen Zeming
Preliminary review: Sun Baijun
Review: Xu Jiang