Week Two - 10 Weeks of Real food mini Pledges

This Weeks Mini Pledge is all about 100% Whole grain – All grains consumed must be 100% whole-grain this week.

Will you take the pledge?

Whole grains can be one of the most confusing and hard-to-find food products in the supermarket. From misleading buzz words like “multi-grain” and “wheat” to health-claims on the front of food packages that aren’t backed up by the ingredient list, it sure is treacherous out there.

For the most part all grains (wheat, corn, barley, rice, etc.) consist of 3 parts: the bran, germ and endosperm. The bran and especially the germ are where you’ll find most of the grain’s nutritional value. When a grain is highly refined into a product like white flour or white rice both of the most nutritional parts are removed leaving you with only the endosperm. The endosperm is basically a “big packet of starch and protein” that is high in calories and low in nutrients (similar to sugar).

In order to make up for the lost nutrients they have stripped away from the grain, refined grains are often "enriched" or "fortified" with vitamins thought to be lost. Wouldn't you rather just eat them in the first place?

Did you know that one of the main reasons products like white flour were manufactured is because when the key nutrients are stripped away, the flour ends up having a much longer shelf life and is less interesting to bugs since they are looking for nutrients and don't have much interest in refined grains.....

So here is where to start:

** If the front of a food package says it contains “whole-grains” or “whole-wheat” don’t be fooled…always verify by reading the ingredient label to see what a product is really made of. Packages often advertise that a product contains whole-grains even if it is only 20% whole-grain.

**If a product is labeled as “multi-grain” it by no means guarantees those grains are whole-grains. It could be a bunch of different refined grains mixed together. Again, you must read the ingredient list to know for sure what’s in a food product.

**If the ingredient list on a product contains any portion of “wheat” or “rice” then it is not 100% whole-grain. White flour is still technically made from the wheat plant (a refined version) so it is often labeled as “wheat.” It must say something like “whole-wheat” or “brown rice” to be a whole grain ingredient.

**Whether you are shopping at a supermarket or eating at a restaurant, most food products that are labeled as whole-grain are rarely 100% whole-grain. They often contain some percentage of refined grains as well.

**Since it is so hard to find 100% whole-grain foods it is best to avoid grains all together when you are out to eat at a restaurant (unless you can see the ingredient list yourself). Servers and other restaurant employees are often misinformed and will tell you the bread is “100% whole grain” when it is not.

**Finding good 100% whole-wheat sandwich bread is one of the biggest whole-grain challenges of them all. Some stores bring in freshly made bread products from a local bakery. Other stores have a few decent options in their freezer section. Your best bet is to find a local bakery that makes their dough fresh daily (unlike grocery store bakeries that typically bake pre-mixed dough) or make it yourself!

I did a blog series a few months ago on 5 Breads that passed my test at the grocery store and how they tasted, check it out here if you are looking for a place to start this week!

10 weeks of Real Food Mini Pledges - Week one: Eat a minimum of two different fruits or Vegetables at each meal

Here we go! Week 1 started today!  The group participants are busy introducing them selves and getting started on the pledge!  

Here is this weeks pledge:
Week 1: April 28 - May 4 -- Eat a minimum of two different fruits or vegetables (preferably organic) with every breakfast, lunch, and dinner meal.

Even for our family eating two fruits or vegetables at every meal is a challenge. We usually eat at least one serving per meal but two is more of a stretch. At dinner time I try to get two on the plate, but the other meals are lacking over here! So I'm excited to take part in this challenge along side everyone and see how we all do!

There are many people who don't eat any vegetables at dinner time, never mind the other meals. I get it, easy to have a BBQ burger with fries right. But try adding a salad instead or even a veggie tray to the mix.

The reason I say try for organic produce is because there are more nutrients in organic, because the soil has more nutrients in it, additionally you won't be adding the extra chemical pesticides and fertilizers that used on conventional produce. Plus it just tastes better!

The whole point of this challenge is for you to displace something else that you would normally eat (like chips or fries or even crackers) with some colorful produce. So for those that are worried about the extra expense of organic fruits and vegetables try buying more produce INSTEAD of something else that you would normally buy. And also consider buying frozen organic produce, which is a wonderful alternative to fresh and usually much cheaper (although it is unfortunately not always as tasty). Please be aware though that there are two things that do not count for this particular challenge: dried fruit (like raisins) and fruit juice – sorry about that!

This challenge is great for involving the whole family especially the kids! If you tell them that we are all supposed to eat two fruits or veggies at each meal they will probably remind you and and hold you accountable too!  I know Asher would!

If you want to participate in our Facebook group to pledge that you too will eat a minimum of two fruits or vegetables at every meal this week, request your spot by clicking the link below!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/256038117914079/ 

Each week will be a new pledge, and each week the participants will gain more knowledge about real food and eating locally!  I'm so excited for this challenge and I hope you are too!