The whole grain and nothing but the grain!

Sanitarium has been championing the goodness of whole grains since we started making Weet-Bix in 1928. We aim to base our products on plant foods – whole grains, fruits, nuts, and seeds – minimising the processing of our ingredients as much as possible.

Wholegrain foods contain all three layers of the natural grain – the outer bran layer, the inner germ and the endosperm. When they are refined, one or more of these natural components is often removed. With white flour, for example, both the bran and germ have been removed.

Why is eating the whole grain so important?

Whole grains are full of nutrients, including fibre, protein, B vitamins, trace minerals (iron, zinc, magnesium and copper) and antioxidants. As well as “keeping you regular”, a diet rich in whole grains has been shown to cut the risk of heart disease, chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cancer.

Sanitarium recommends that you eat 48g of whole grains each day. You can easily meet this target by eating two serves of wholegrain foods each day – for example, enjoy a wholegrain cereal for breakfast and a wholegrain sandwich for lunch.

How much is one serve of whole grains?

• 1 wholegrain bread roll

• 1 wholegrain muffin

• 1 medium slice wholegrain bread

• ½ cup muesli

• ½ cup cooked porridge

• 1 cup cooked wholemeal pasta or brown rice

What are the best sources of whole grains?

Wholegrain breakfast cereals and breads and wholemeal pasta are all great sources of whole grains. The label will tell you which of these products contain whole grains and which are refined.

Look for the following on the packaging; wholegrain/whole grain, whole wheat, popcorn, brown rice, barley, oats, rye, millet, quinoa, sorghum or triticale. Some products will declare the percentage of whole grains, usually in the ingredients list. Look for more than 51 per cent whole grains.

When you’re cooking, replace regular pasta with wholemeal varieties, or use wholemeal flour in baking.