Brown or white, getting it right…

Bread, rice, pasta, flour… The good news is that all these staple foods are available in both white (refined) and brown (wholegrain) versions.

Wholegrain food was not always a rarity, and throughout almost all of human existence, wholegrain was the rule, rather than the exception.

But all that changed after the Second World War… Coarse wholemeal bread was associated with the period of deprivation following the war, and little by little, white flour replaced it as the more luxurious alternative.

And yet today, at least in much of the Western world, wholemeal is now back in “fashion” and nutritional benefits are being valued more than the “aesthetic” considerations of refined white products.

So is it time to restore some of these ‘brown’ foods back to a place of honour in your kitchen? Here are some answers.

Differences between white and brown grains

Since the end of the Second World War, the food industry got into the habit of refining grain. This technique consists of taking off the outer covering (husk) of the grain, in which many of the nutrients can be found. Refining is carried out through abrasion and takes away the natural brown colour of the grain.

So why is this form of refined white grain preferred? Because in taking out the active substances in grain (fibre, minerals, magnesium and vitamins), it becomes easier to store and conserves better.  Perfect for the post-war industrial age.

But Western populations don’t actually need to store food en masse to avoid famine. And unfortunately, in taking out the oligo-elements and fibre contained in grain, the refining process leaves it with an impoverished nutritional content. Not forgetting that the body needs fibre and vitamins to assimilate grain easily into its system. Thus the body ends up drawing from its own reserves instead, and there begins the stead slide towards deficiency...

All the same, while wholegrain foods are nutritionally richer and have a positive effect on our health, its refined equivalents are not necessarily dangerous according to nutritionist Brigitte Coudray, so there’s no need to demonise them. “There is no risk as such involved in eating refined grain foods. But it is beneficial to go for wholegrain instead.”

The benefits of brown…

In an era when nutritional fibre levels are down, consuming wholegrain food helps us to overcome this deficit. ‘When comparing equal portions of a wholegrain food and a refined food, there is more fibre, and more iron in the wholegrain version,”  points out the nutritionist.

Fibre is important mainly as it encourages the feeling of being full and “stops us from getting hungry again too quickly”. A real benefit for those watching their weight! Yet another important benefit of fibre is its impact on digestive transit, and it really does help with constipation. After only a few days of a diet rich in fibre, the digestive transit will begin to regulate itself.

As well as this, “Fibre can equally help to lower cholesterol levels,” Brigitte Coudray adds. And while wholegrain foods are not the only ones to contain iron, their supply “can positively influence energy levels”.

• Nutritional values: white vs. brown

Values 100g	Calories	Fibre g	Vitamins mg / µg	Iron mg	Magnesium mg
White rice	120	0.4	E - 0	0.2	5.8
Brown rice	134	1.6	E - 0.2	0.5	44
White pasta	115	1.6	B9 - 4	0.5	20
Wholemeal pasta	92	3.7	B9 - 5	1.3	36.7
White bread	271	2.8	B9 - 40	1.3	30
Wholemeal bread	250	5.3	B9 - 15	1.65	47

Source: ANSES food composition tables

Limits in eating wholegrain

The nutritionist raises the fact that despite the numerous benefits of eating wholegrain food, you don’t necessarily have to replace everything with wholegrain. “You need to be able to tolerate these foods,” she explains.

In fact, large quantities of wholegrain food don’t suit more fragile intestines and can lead to irritation of the intestinal mucus in some. You need to pay attention to what each individual can tolerate daily, “but replacing a white loaf of bread with a wholegrain one is already a good start”.

The specialist also explains, “Wholegrain foods are stronger tasting.” So instead of switching from white to totally wholegrain completely tomorrow, try mixed flours and bread that are 50/50 white and brown, which can be a good compromise as your palette get used to the new flavours.

The specialist raises another important point too, “When you choose to eat wholegrain in your diet, you need to ask yourself about pesticides. If you eat the entirety of the grain then it is more likely you will find pesticides on the outer covering. This means you need to seriously consider choosing organic foods if you are going to make wholegrain a big part of your staple diet.’

Making the switch from white to brown

Today it’s really easy to find different types of food in wholegrain versions; muesli, crackers, rice, pasta, flour and bread. These all exist in both brown, and mixed white and brown versions.

And what about brown sugar? “The nutritional benefits of sugar are very limited. Its micronutrients are so negligible that using either white or brown sugar won’t make any real difference.”

Going wholegrain will give your health a boost so long as you don’t suffer from any kind of intolerance, and both body and palette can move gradually into this new, highly nutritious way of eating.

Source: Telephone interview with Cerin nutritionist, Brigitte Coudray

Jessica Xavier

Copyright © 2011 Doctissimo

Posted 28.09.2011

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