Whole Grain Cereals

What are Whole Grains?

A cereal grain is the seed (fruit) of a cereal. Whole grains or food made from them contain all the naturally occurring nutrients of the entire grain in their original proportions. To qualify as a whole grain 100% of the original grain, namely, the fibre-rich bran, the starchy endosperm and the micronutrient-rich germ, must be present. This is the ‘whole package’. Whole grains can be intact or split, cracked, crushed, rolled, flaked or ground.

Whole Grains and Health Benefits for You

Research consistently shows that if you regularly eat whole grains as part of a healthy diet you can reduce your risk of heart disease, certain types of cancer, type 2 diabetes and manage your weight. Although we should be eating one to three servings of whole grains per day, in the UK, about a third of adults do not eat any whole grains at all, and just 5-6% of the population achieve three portions a day.

Getting the ‘Whole Package’

The health benefits of whole grains are most associated with eating the entire whole grain ‘package’, the three parts of the grain we just mentioned. These give you vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and phytochemicals (plant compounds that have health benefits). Nutritional superstars are found in both the germ and bran of the whole grain. Substances like lignin and beta-glucan (types of fibre), lipids, antioxidants,phytosterols (substances that inhibit the intestinal absorption of cholesterol) and flavonoids (compounds that may reduce risk of cardiovascular disease). It is thought that when consumed together these nutrients have an additive and synergistic effect on your health.

We use whole grains to make a variety of healthy foods including award-winning porridges and mueslis. Keep reading to find out more about the health benefits they can offer you.

Please note that RI refers to ‘reference intake’, the term replacing ‘guideline daily amount’.

Granolas

Oats, a nutritionally rich whole grain, are at the heart of all our granolas. We also add seeds to our granolas, for flavour, for crunch and the special mix of nutrients that seeds provide.

• A source of protein, fibre, complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and heart-healthy essential fatty acids and antioxidants.
• Oats have a multitude of health benefits: for your cholesterol, for your appetite (keeping you fuller for longer), for your blood pressure, for your bowel health, and for your heart health.
• Nuts are nutrient-dense and hazelnuts and pecans are a source of heart-healthy omega-3 essential fatty acids.
• Despite being small, seeds are loaded with nutrients including protein, healthy fats, fibre, vitamins, minerals, and a host of other healthy plant compounds.

Porridges

Oats are great for lots of reasons and one of the most important is that they contain beta-glucan, a soluble fibre found in the bran of oats and in the cell wall of plants.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) considers that:

‘Oat beta-glucan reduces the cholesterol level in the blood. The lowering of the blood cholesterol can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease’.

Beta-glucan lowers cholesterol by preventing the absorption of cholesterol from food in the stomach and intestines. The EFSA also considers that oat beta-glucan helps to slow down the absorption of sugars from the diet. This means that it can help to control blood sugar levels, which is particularly important for people with diabetes.

An optimal intake of beta-glucan is 3g or more per day, which can be achieved by eating 2-4 portions of oat-based products every day. A bowl of porridge counts as 1 portion. Our porridges also contain dried fruit and seeds and are also a source of:

• Protein, complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and heart-healthy essential fatty acids and antioxidants.

If you want the benefits of eating more oats but are pushed for time, check out our pots of Instant Porridge. You just need to add hot water and you’re good to go.

Mueslis

The beauty of our mueslis is that each offers you a wide variety of whole grains: jumbo oats, rye flakes, wheat flakes, barley flakes, brown rice flakes and millet. Every single one of these whole grains brings you different nutritional benefits. Rye, for example, is unusual among grains because of the high level of fibre in its endosperm, and not just its bran. And barley has the highest fibre of all the whole grains. We also add a selection of fruits and nuts to our mueslis, some of which are superfoods, so you can benefit from the whole nutritional package.

• A source of protein, fibre, complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and heart-healthy essential fatty acids and antioxidants.
• Eating whole grains, in the context of a healthy diet, can lower your risk of many chronic diseases.